Travel & Culture - Sharing Your Travel Moments Simply (Intermediate)

Activity 1: Let's Get Started! 🤔 (Warm-up)

Let's discuss sharing your travel experiences with others!

What are your favorite ways to share your travel moments with friends and family (e.g., social media, postcards, telling stories in person)? Why do you prefer these methods?
When sharing travel photos or stories, what kind of details do you think make them most interesting or engaging for others?
How can you share your travel experiences in a way that is respectful of the cultures you've visited and mindful of your audience's interest?

Activity 2: New Words & Phrases 🗣️ (Vocabulary)

Here are some key terms and phrases for sharing travel moments effectively at an intermediate level.

1. Postcard (noun): A card, often with a picture on one side, for sending a message by mail without an envelope.

Example: "She sent a Postcard from every city she visited to her grandparents."

2. Caption (noun/verb): A title or brief explanation accompanying an illustration, cartoon, or photograph. / To provide such a title or explanation.

Example: "He wrote a witty Caption for the photo he posted on social media." / "She decided to Caption each image in her travel blog."

3. Highlight (noun/verb): An outstanding moment or part of an event or period. / To draw special attention to.

Example: "The Highlight of her trip was seeing the Northern Lights." / "In her presentation, she chose to Highlight the cultural experiences."

4. Keep it brief (verb phrase): To make something short and concise, not using too many words.

Example: "When telling a travel story, it's often best to Keep it brief and focus on the most interesting parts."

5. Anecdote (noun): A short, amusing, or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Example: "He shared a humorous Anecdote about getting lost on his way to the famous landmark."

6. Photo album (noun phrase): A book with blank pages for displaying a collection of photographs.

Example: "She created a beautiful digital Photo album to share her travel memories with friends online."

Activity 3: Reading - Sharing the Journey 📖

Read this story about a traveler sharing her experiences with friends and family.

After returning from a month-long trip through Southeast Asia, Maya was excited to share her adventures. She had taken hundreds of photos and kept a travel journal. Her first way of sharing was traditional: she had sent Postcards to her older relatives from several key locations, knowing they would appreciate the physical memento. For her friends, she decided to create a digital Photo album online. She carefully selected her best shots and wrote a short, engaging Caption for each one, often including a brief, humorous Anecdote related to the picture. She wanted to Highlight the most memorable experiences without overwhelming people with too many details.

When she met up with her friends in person, she knew it was important to Keep it brief when recounting her travels, focusing on a few key stories rather than a day-by-day account. She found that sharing a specific, funny Anecdote or a particularly impactful Highlight was more engaging than a long, chronological narrative. She also made sure her stories were respectful of the cultures she had visited. For her social media, she chose a few stunning images and wrote thoughtful Captions, aiming to share the beauty and her personal reflections. She found that by choosing different methods for different audiences and focusing on quality over quantity, she could effectively share the joy and learning from her travels in a way that resonated with others.

Questions about the Story:

Answer these questions:

What was one traditional way Maya shared her travel moments, and with whom?
How did Maya use Captions and Anecdotes when creating her digital Photo album?
Why did Maya decide to Keep it brief when telling stories to her friends in person? What did she focus on instead?
What was Maya's approach to sharing on social media?
What did Maya learn about effectively sharing her travel experiences with different audiences?

Activity 4: Role Play - Recounting a Trip 🎭

Let's pretend! One person is Alex (Just returned from a trip), and the other is Ben (Friend eager to hear about it).

Ben: Alex, welcome back! I'm so excited to hear about your trip to Italy. How was it?

Alex: It was incredible, Ben! So much history and amazing food. I'll try to Keep it brief, but there were so many Highlights.

Ben: Oh, tell me one Highlight then! Did you send any Postcards?

Alex: I did send a few Postcards to my family, old school style! A major Highlight was visiting Florence. The art was breathtaking.

Ben: I can imagine! Did you take a lot of photos? Are you putting them in a Photo album or something?

Alex: Tons of photos! I'm planning to make a digital Photo album. I'm still working on writing good Captions for them all – trying to add a little Anecdote to each one.

Ben: That sounds like a great idea! I love it when photos have a story. Any funny Anecdotes you can share now?

Alex: (Laughs) Well, there was this one time I tried to order coffee using my very broken Italian... Let's just say the Barista was very patient with me! It's a good story, I'll write a good Caption for that photo for sure.

Ben: That sounds hilarious! I can't wait to see the Photo album. So, you'd recommend Italy then?

Alex: Absolutely! Just make sure to Keep it brief when you tell everyone, or they'll be listening for hours like you are now!

Let's Talk About It:

After you read, talk about this:

What were two ways Alex planned to share his travel photos/memories?
Why did Alex say he would try to "Keep it brief" when talking to Ben, even though he had many Highlights?

Activity 5: Let's Practice - Sharing Your Story ✍️

Help Chloe (Traveler) complete her part of a conversation with her friend, David, about sharing her recent trip. Use words and phrases from Activity 2!

David: Hi Chloe! I heard you had an amazing trip. Are you going to show us photos?

Chloe (Traveler): Hi David! Yes, definitely. I'm putting together a digital . I'm trying to write a good for each picture.

David: That's great! I love seeing captions. Did you send any while you were away?

Chloe (Traveler): I did, to my grandparents! For everyone else, I'll try to tell a funny when I see them, but I'll try to so I don't bore them.

David: What was the main of your trip?

Chloe (Traveler): Oh, that's a tough one! There were so many. But hiking the Inca Trail was definitely up there.

Show Answers! (Activity 5) ✨