Holidays and travel
Advice
Going on holiday and travelling in the target country is a great way to provide opportunities to practise your language skills. You can use the target language from the moment you arrive at the airport until the time you leave. When planning your trip make sure that you can do some of the following in the target language:
At the airport
- give your name, address and occupation to the police
- state how long you intend to stay and what you are going to do
- explain what you have in your case to the customs officials
In the taxi
- say where you want to go
- check the price
At the hotel
- give your name and say that you have a reservation
- ask where the restaurant is
- ask what time breakfast is served
At the restaurant
- ask for the menu
- order a meal
- order your drinks
- ask for the bill
There is nothing like a trip abroad to motivate somebody to learn a language. Quite often people book a holiday abroad and then feel the need to brush up their language skills before departure. If you want to motivate one of your children to learn a language or to try harder at school, a trip abroad could act as a strong stimulus or as a reward.
One word of warning, however. If you travel as a family, or group of friends, and stick together most of the time, you'll reduce your chances of interacting with native speakers.
LINKS (in alphabetical order)
Adventure Holidays Great train journey of China
Adventure Holidays to China Private and scheduled adventure holidays
Bowdoin - language programs, literature, culture, radio, newspapers and magazines, dictionaries, software, travel & geography, television, general links
C & E Holidays Package tours, adventure tours.
China Gateway this site aims to create a basic toolkit for students of Chinese history and culture. It offers an entry point to some of the vast and ever-changing internet and print materials on China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Chinese diaspora
Chinasite.com- many links and information about China, the Chinese and the language: Mandarin, Cantonese and Minnan. Many resources: music, films, courses, fashion, food, games, grammar, holidays, magazines, materials, newspapers, radio, sports, study abroad and tv.
China Tour - China, travel, news and information, with a link to Survival Chinese: Chinese phrases for travelers, Chinese language learning for English speakers, etc
China Travel Agency Holidays, travel and hotel bookings
Dragonair Holidays Tours of East China
Guerba Holidays Adventure Holidays Trekking, overland expeditions, camping in China
Holidays - China Fixed Public Holidays
Holidays to China Self catering accommodation, villas, tailored holidays and tours
Lonely Planet China all aspects of travel in China. Cultural information
Triways Hoidays Tours of China
Venture Holidays General information about holidays in China
Travlang For the traveller