Listening comprehension

1.

to travel overland

to travel by train, car, bus etc., especially across a long distance, when people would normally go by plane;

e.g. It’s certainly quicker to fly but we thought it would be more exciting to go overland.

2.

To hitchhike/hitch

to travel by standing by the side of the road asking people in cars to stop and take you to the places you want to go;

e.g. He lost all his money in a casino in Vegas and had to hitchhike back to san Francisco.

3.

To cover

to travel a particular distance, especially a long distance, that is part of a long journey you are making;

e.g. The scenery changed so dramatically that we appeared to have covered several hundred miles in a few minutes.

4.

To commute

to travel a long distance every day to get to work because it easy to commute;

e.g. We live a long way from the city centre but the excellent subway system makes it easy to commute.

5.

To explore

to travel to many different places in a particular area, because you are interested to find out more about them;

e.g. Whenever possible she and Flynn would go off and explore the countryside, taking a picnic with them.

6.

To bum around

to travel around in an aimless, unplanned way, living cheaply, not worrying about work;

e.g. Hostford had spent several years bumming around the west coast, taking jobs as a farm hand whenever he ran out of money.

1.

Journey

Travelling from one place to another, especially to a place that is far away; | to make a journey/ a 12 hour journey/ bus/car journey

e.g. He had plenty of time to think of excuses during his journey to Tokyo.

2.

trip

travelling to a place and coming back, especially when you only stay in the for a short time; | to go on a trip/ business trip

e.g. She’s gone on a business trip and won’t be back until Tuesday.

3.

flight

a journey in a plane; | a 30 minute/12 hour flight

e.g. Our flight was delayed, so we were stuck at the airport all night.

4.

crossing

a short journey in a boat or a ship which goes from one side of a sea, lake, or other area of water to the other side;

e.g. We boarded one of the tourist ferries for the crossing to Staten Island, home of the Statue of Liberty.

5.

drive

a journey in a car; | a 30 minute/12 hour drive/ go for a drive

e.g. The six-hour drive was worth it to spend the weekend with him.

6.

ride

a short journey in a vehicle such as a car, or on a bicycle or a horse;

e.g. On the car ride from the airport he told her all about his trip.

7.

tour

A planned journey during which a politician, entertainer, or sports team visits several different places, usually within a fixed period of time;

e.g. The King has left for a six-week tour of Australia and new Zealand.

8.

expedition

a long journey, especially one made by a group of people, to visit a dangerous place or a place that has never been visited before;

e.g. They were sent to buy food, medicine, film and other requirements for the expedition.

9.

outing

a short journey on which a group of people go to visit a local place of interest, the theatre etc.;

e.g. The town is a great place for an outing – there’s a castle, a cathedral, and an interesting local market.

10.

excursion

a short journey arranged so that a group of people can visit a place of interest, especially while they are already on holiday;

e.g. One day he took an excursion to the other end of the island for a change of scene.

1.

itinerant

travelling from place to place to try to find work, especially of an irregular, low-paid kind; | itinerant worker/ labourer

e.g. He relied on itinerant farm workers coming every year to help with the harvest.

2.

commuter

Someone who lives in a different town, city, etc. from the one where they work, and who therefore travels a long distance every day to get to work

e.g. He looked around the train at the other commuters, all as bored with their jobs as he was.

3.

migrant

A person who has travelled from one place or country to another in order to find work

e.g. The urban poor, many of them migrants from the country-side, suffered high levels of unemployment.

4.

drifter

Someone who continually travels from one place to another without ever planning where to go next and without having a fixed job

e.g. His grandfather was a drifter from New Mexico, who spent half his life brawling and drinking.

5.

nomad

a member of tribe of people who have no permanent home but travel from place to place looking for food for their animals;

e.g. The film follows the nomads as they cross the desert with their camels.

6.

vagrant

someone who has no job, no home etc. and who travels around and sleeps outdoors, especially in a city;

e.g. The shabby clothes, old newspapers and the bundles made it obvious that they were vagrants.