I am going to be doing a series of newsletters called “Natural English”. I will publish one of these newsletters every four weeks so that you get the opportunity to see real-life conversations, phrases and vocabulary in everyday situations in English. You will also be able to learn about what mistakes not to make in these situations.
This week we are going to talk about going somewhere for the weekend.
If we do the same thing day in and day out it is sometimes really nice to take a break and go somewhere for the weekend. A change of scenery can do you the world of good. It has endless benefits too. For example, it’s great for stress levels, getting away from work can be a boost for your productivity, it allows you to spend time with family or loved ones, it’s great for recharging your batteries and depending where you go and what you do, it can be wonderful for culture.
When was the last time you decided to get out of town for a couple of nights?
I don’t know if you get the same feeling but when you decided to go away for a couple of nights, on paper you think, “ah, it’s only two nights, that’s nothing. It will fly by. Is it even worth going?” But in fact, once you are there and taking everything in, the two days and two nights seem a lot longer than you first thought. Time seems to slow down. That can’t really be a bad thing, can it?
It’s so easy nowadays to book a trip. Long gone are the days of sitting for hours in the travel agents looking at travel brochures. We can do it from the comfort of our own homes at the click of a button. Click and go. The choice is endless too and we can choose from many types of accommodation.
TYPES OF ACCOMODATION
Let’s have a look at the different types of accommodation we can book:
Hotel: A building with rooms or apartments for rent, usually for short-term stays.
Hostel: A low-cost, communal accommodation option that typically offers shared dormitory-style rooms and facilities.
Guesthouse: A small, often family-run establishment (in a house) that offers accommodation and meals.
Bed and Breakfast (B&B): A type of guesthouse that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast.
Holiday home/rental: A rental property such as an apartment, house, or villa that is rented out for short-term stays.
Campsite: An outdoor location with facilities for camping, such as tents or RVs / caravans.
Cabin: A small, rustic accomodation typically found in a natural setting, such as a forest or near a lake.
Cottage: A small, cosy home often located in a rural or remote area.
Which would be your accommodation of choice for a weekend getaway?
Going away for the weekend
So, for the purpose of today’s lesson, we are going to look at going away for the weekend to a house rental (apartment or house)
This is how the story goes:
Josh and Chloe had been working their hands to the bone over the last few months. Their stress levels were through the roof. They decided that they wanted to get away from it all and recharge their batteries with a change of scenery.
Chloe turned on the computer and started to look for some accommodation.
Chloe: “Josh, I’m just going to look and see if we can see book an apartment or something similar. I think we will be more comfortable than in a hotel. What do you reckon?”
Josh: “That sounds like a great plan. We can get up when we want and not have to rush down to breakfast, and we could even have a quick breakfast in the apartment before we go out for the day if we don’t fancy going out for breakfast.”
Chloe: “Yeah, cool. Let me take a look and if I see anything that catches my eye, I’ll let you know.”
Some time later.
Chloe: “Josh, I’ve found a great apartment for our weekend away. It looks perfect. It’s 500m from the city centre and it seems that there is a bus to the beach, if we decide we want to go.”
Josh: “Perfect. Chloe, can you let me see. Are there any photos?”
Chloe: “Sure. Look”
Josh: “It looks OK, although it’s a bit dark and the decor looks a bit old-fashioned. I know it’s only for 2 nights but I want to stay somewhere nice. Sorry, if that sounds like I’m being a bit awkward, Chloe.”
Chloe: “It’s Ok. I thought the same, but the location and the price were right. There is another one that I liked. Here. It’s slightly further away from the centre but nearer the beach.”
Chloe shows Josh the other apartment.
Josh: “Ah yeah”! That’s the ticket. I love it. It doesn’t matter about being a little further from the centre. I don’t mind walking or catching the bus. Is there much difference in the price?”
Chloe: “well, not really. The first one was 120€ a night and this second one is 135€.”
Josh: “Ok. let’s do this!”
Chloe: “I’ll try and book it right now. It was available a few minutes ago. I hope no one has booked it in the meantime.”
Chloe gets out her credit card and starts the booking process. She fills in all her details.
Chloe: “Josh, we have to pay a 200€ deposit upfront for our reservation”
Josh: “200€? What’s that for?”
Chloe: “It’s just to cover any damages that could be caused. We have to pay it when we get there. We have to give it to the apartment owner and then when we leave we will get it back.”
Josh: “Ah ok. Let’s hope we don’t break anything. You know how clumsy I can be!!
A few minutes later:
Chloe: “Ok. We are all set. Booked. We just need to fill the car with petrol, pack our bags and go! I can’t wait for this weekend! It’s going to be so much fun! “
Josh: “Perfect. Me too. I can’t wait to get to know the area and breathe in the fresh sea air.”
Vocabulary
To work your hands to the bone - to work really hard
To be through the roof - to be very high
That’s the ticket! - that’s just right
To reckon - To suppose, think
To catch your eye - to get your attention
Awkward (adjective) - difficult (cause inconvenience). She wasn’t speaking to me and when I saw her it was really awkward.
That sounds like a plan - that’s a good idea
Clumsy - (adjective) Always breaking things / moving in a difficult way and hurting themselves
Deposit - money that you have to pay to secure something - pay a deposit on a house
Slightly - A little bit - A very common word used in British English to soften direct language.
COMMON MISTAKES
Apartment (pr.) not apartAment
Facilities/installations - Installation is when something is put somewhere so it is ready for use. The installation of our internet connection was easy.
Facilities - A place, building or equipment that can be used to carry out an activity. The hotel had great facilities.
Go out - that means to leave your current location to go somewhere like out for dinner, to the cinema
To go away means to leave your current location for a longer period of time by travelling to a different place and staying there for a short time.
Ohhhh and … you don’t “do your suitcase”, you pack a suitcase or pack your luggage.
Ways to say:
To go on a getaway
To go on a short trip
To go away for the weekend
To take a weekend break
Take a weekend trip
To go for a weekend away
Where will you be going on your next weekend away?
That’s all for today folks! Let me know what you thought of today’s issue. If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to please like and share.
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