uNir2 |47 Sediasingnworkplacestuatins | 2.4 Travel Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: 1. Ask appropriate questions to elicic information on places of interest. 2, Describe the highlights of famous cities and historical places, 3. Give directions to tourist destinations. 4, Suggest activities for visitors to do in places of interest. Introduction ‘Travel is another good topic that we could talk about when socialising wich people. Almost everyone likes to take vacations and talk about their experiences. Hence, it isan effective topic to encourage people to participate in a conversation. “To further motivate people to be engaged in conversation with you, you could ask questions to probe them so that they could provide you with the information you wane. However, when asking questions, be sure that you do not invade the privacy of other people as this would cause you to appear rude and inquisitive. ‘This section will deal with a number of areas ranging from asking appropriate questions, describing the interesting places to making suggestions. In cach area, you will deal with common situations that you will encounter in real-life when talking about travel. Just a reminder to you — the sample expressions provided in this section will be practical to you if you make an effort in using them when you socialise in real-life contexts. Let us start with talking abou places of interest.48) WAWASAN OPEN UNIVERSITY | uct tale Wapoce Talking about places of interest People are usually excited to talk about their vacations and experiences when they meet other people, This enthusiasm is especially helpful when we are socialising because it prevents the awkward pause. As we listen to what others have to say about their holiday or business trip abroad, we might show our interest by nodding occasionally, smiling and asking questions to probe them further. “Asking the right questions nor only helps us to make the conversation engaging but it also compliments the speaker as it shows that we are paying attention to what they have to share with us. Below are some examples of social language that could help you when talking about places of interest and the experiences people had while visiting those places ‘Questions Possible answers First visit Isthisyour first visit to...2 ‘Yes, this is my first slme,/No, have been here before Have you been to ...before? Yes, Iwas here 4 years ago. Impressions What do you think of..2 “This sa fantastic place. Do you like..? Yes, love ths place. How do you find the weather? nd i rather humid here but Lam fine with that. How do you find the people? ‘They are really warm and helpful Experiences ‘What have you seen so far? Not much. Ihave only walked around the convention centre, ‘what do you enjoy most about...?_| ove looking atthe sea. It has a calming effect fon me, ialcity? | No, amnot a fan af history ee Have you been tothe hist Ukes/dislikes/preferences ‘What do you ike best? ‘ike so many things about this place but I think ‘my favourite Litle Inca, I's such a unique place, Is there any thing you dont ike? {wish the hawker stalls were cleanet, Food How do you lke the food? Its fantasti! love the food here. Isthe food somewhat lke your local | No, not really. The food here i spicier food? Plans What doyou plan ta dowhile you'e | td lke to do some shopping, sightseeing and here? Just relax Do you plan come back anytime Yes, definitely. plan to come here with my wile soon? soon,uNir2 Sacisng in worpacestustins | Talking about local information Imagine someone is coming to visit your town or city for a business trip. What kind of information do you think they will need? They could be asking you information an the topics below: + The population + The currency + The language(s) commonly used + The weather + The food + Business hours + Business meetings + The water + Crime + Tipping + Local customs and traditions + Modes of transport ‘Would you have the answers to the topics above? Can you think of any other topics that might interest them? Besides having a high possibility of using words or adjectives that could help you describe local information, there are also chances shat you might talk about things of the past. For example, you could be relating information about a historical building thar was built many generations ago, or a certain local custom that used to be practised.