ESL Lesson Plan: Travel Plans

Young people looking at a map

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This English lesson plan helps reinforce vocabulary related to traveling by asking students to plan trips and excursions based on the profile of different groups of travelers. It is helpful to use local newspapers, especially newspapers that provide local events, to give students ideas of real places to visit. Most large cities have specialty newspapers that focus on local events and attractions available for free throughout the city.

Instructions for Teachers

The lesson begins with students deciding which types of groups are going to take a trip. Based on which group of travelers are going, students then use resources to plan out a short stay in a specific city or area of the country. Of course, you can choose to have students focus on distant locations. If you are teaching English in another country, it's probably best to vary this and focus on traveling abroad to allow the use of English place names.

Lesson Aims: Completing a small group task using the internet and other resources available in English, describing a travel destination and itinerary in detail

Activity: Planning a short trip to a specific location based on different traveler types

Level: Intermediate 

Lesson Plan

As a class, discuss what types of locations, travel plans, etc. might be suitable for these different types of travelers:

  • A married couple on a honeymoon
  • Two friends who are attending college
  • Two business people 

As a class, discuss which resources students can use to make travel plans. There are many travel websites online that offer all the necessary tools for scheduling a trip. If available, use a projector and walk through the process of finding round trip flight tickets and hotels on a travel site. 

Using the worksheet below, break students up into pairs or small groups (maximum of 4) assigning a pair of travelers to each group. Have students come up with detailed plans for each travel group. After each group has finished, have them present their travel plans to the entire class.

Variation: To extend this activity, ask students to create a presentation using PowerPoint or another similar software application. Students should find photos and write up bullet points for each of the activities to include in the presentation

Worksheet

Plan a Trip to ___________ for the Following Travel Groups:

Honeymooners

Mary and Tim have just married and are in the mood for a great honeymoon to celebrate their eternal love for each other. Make sure to include lots of romantic options and some excellent meals to mark this happy event.

College Friends

Alan and Jeff are attending college together and are looking to have a wild week of fun and adventure. They love going to clubs and partying hard, but they don't have a lot of money to eat at fine restaurants. 

Cultured Couples

The Andersons and the Smiths are married couples that have been friends for years. Their children are grown up and have their own families. Now, they enjoy traveling together and place a great deal of emphasis on visiting sights of cultural significance. They also love going to concerts and eating fine food. 

Business People

These business people are interested in opening up a new company at your chosen location. They need to find out about the area, meet local business people, and discuss their proposal with local government.

Family with Children

The McCarthur family has three children aged 2, 5, and 10. They love spending time outdoors and have a limited budget for eating out. They aren't interested in entertainment, but the parents like to take the children to important museums to help with their cultural education. 

Peter and Dan

Peter and Dan married a few years ago. They love to explore gay hot spots in cities they travel to, as well as do traditional sight-seeing tours. They are also gourmets who spend up to $500 on good meals, so they'd like to go to at least one top rated restaurant. 

Travel Planning Sheet

Fill in the information to complete the vacation plans.

Travel

Flight:

Dates / Times:
Cost:

Hotel

How many nights?:
Cost:

Rental car yes/no?
If yes, cost:

Day 1

Trips / Sightseeing for the day:
Cost:

Restaurants / Eating:
Where?:
Cost:

Evening entertainment:
What / Where?
Cost:

Day 2

Trips / Sightseeing for the day:
Cost:

Restaurants / Eating:
Where?:
Cost:

Evening entertainment:
What / Where?
Cost:

Day 3

Trips / Sightseeing for the day:
Cost:

Restaurants / Eating:
Where?:
Cost:

Evening entertainment:
What / Where?
Cost:

Add as many days as necessary to your travel planning sheet.

Format
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Your Citation
Beare, Kenneth. "ESL Lesson Plan: Travel Plans." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/esl-lesson-travel-plans-1212223. Beare, Kenneth. (2023, April 5). ESL Lesson Plan: Travel Plans. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/esl-lesson-travel-plans-1212223 Beare, Kenneth. "ESL Lesson Plan: Travel Plans." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/esl-lesson-travel-plans-1212223 (accessed March 29, 2024).