16. Travelling. Tourism. Sightseeing

1 16. Travelling. Tourism. Sightseeing If I travel far, I take a plan. I like travelling by car, because I can stop on my way to have a look at the sights. From Hungary to England you can go by car, by bus, going by train is more confortable, but the most expensive way is to go by plane. Though, flights are sometimes delayed or even cancelled due to bad weather. If you have too much luggage, you have to pay a lot. I would travel to the United States by a direct flight. I seldom travel by train. There are Intercity trains, fast trains and slow trains in Hungary. A train consists of the electric engine, first and second class carriages and one or two dining cars. There are some trains with sleeping cars. I think trains are rather dirty and very crowded at weekends. A conductor, and sometimes an inspector check the tickets and the other documents which enables you to buy your ticket at a reduced price. You can buy them at railway stations, from booking offices and travel agencies. If you are a student, a civil servant, a pensioner and so on, you can buy tickets at reduced prices. When you enter a railway station, you can see some booking offices and an information desk. You can also find a left-luggage office. There are information about trans on the timetable. You can buy newspapers and magazines at the newsagent’s. Your train leaves from a platform. A lot of English people go to work by train, Americans prefer travelling by bus rather by train. I prefer travelling by bus to travelling by train. If I am travelling alone, I usually read a magazine or a book, do crosswords, learn English. If I am travelling with somebody, I perefer talking to them. I think the prices are almost the same on both trains and buses. Hitch-hiking is dangerous and risky, not only because the driver might want to hurt you, but he or she might not be a very good driver. I have travelled by plane three times so far. According to statistics, flying is the safest way of travelling. I loved it. You can book your aeroplane tickets at travel agencies, airline offices and via the Internet. You have to pay for the ticket and the airport tax. On your plane ticket you can read the name and sex of the passenger, the date of issue, the route, the name or names of the airlanis, the number of the flight, class, date, time and the weight of your luggage. I like duty-free shops, where you can buy cigars, alcoholic drinks, perfume, electrical appliances, some airport offer other services. Before boarding a plane, you have to go to the check-in desk, where your ticket is is checked, your luggage is weighed and x-rayed, and you get your boarding card. After that you go through the passport and customs control and the security check. You are not allowed to take any sharp things, guns. In your bag you mustn’t keep corrosives, explosives, flammable liquids and radioactive materials. It is forbidden to use your mobile phone and CB radios. During take-off and landing it is also forbidden to use laptops, computer games, TV sets and video cameras. We didn’t use to eat on the plane, because it is very expensive. But when we were on honeymoon, we got food on the plane, because the travel took long hours. I have never tried travelling on a ship. However, you can do a lot of things, such as sunbathing on the deck, doing shopping, going to a restaurant or a cafe. There are also soma playrooms for children and discos for young people. For travelling abroad you need a valid passport, maybe a visa and certificates of vaccination. A passport contains your personal details, maybe visas and residence permits. You have to pay for the visa, which you can get either by a travel agency. In Hungary tourists can stay at hotels, motels, pensions, guest houses and in campsites. In Great Britain there are hotels, inns, boarding houses and campsites. In the United States there are boarding houses and bed and breakfasts. Hotels are classified according to the services they offer. In a five-star hotel you can find all kinds of services. There are restaurant, bar, garage, swimming pool, sauna, solarium, fitness centre, shops, hairdresser, beautician and laundry. If it rains, you can enjoy these services. You can choose between half-board or full-board. Inns are pubs. Bed and breakfasts are small hotels. You can find motels along roads and motorways. They are cheap hotels. Youth hotels are especially for students.

2 You can book accomodation alone at home on the Net and you can turn to travel agencies. There are a lot of advertisements in magazines, in leaflets or in travel books. In a hotel register there are the data of the guests. With the help of hotel register the hotel can make plans for the future. In a hotel work a lot of people, such as receptionists, porters, chambermaids, waiters, cooks and cleaners. The receptionist meet the guests first, he or she gives them the key. The portier carries the luggage. The chambermaid cleans the rooms. The cook prepares the food, which is served by the waiters. The cleaners clean the corridors, the lounge, the bar and the restaurant. I prefer independent travels. I go, where I want, and I can stay there, as long as I want, you don’t have to adapt to anyone. I decide where to go, how much money we can spend, and how much time we have. I prefer the seaside. Then I study travel books and maps, I search for adresses, call the places and their accomodation, than I book. I always check my passport’s validity, pack my suitcases and take some mony or credit cards with me. That’s all. Usually you have to pay duty on large amounts of cigarettes, cigars, alcoholic drinks, perfume and electrical appliences. If you don’t pay duty on these goods, you have to pay a fine. I often go to travel fair, with the participation of all the most important travel agencies, there is a wide range of holidays, you can collect a lot of brochures. A holiday is always necessery, to forget your work and responsibilities, and spend your days with your family and friends. With my family we often go to camping. This is cheaper, but comfortable and romantic. I love this type of accomodation. We always choose a 4-star campsite, this is clear and well-equipped. We have a tent, a sleeping bag, a gas stove, knives, plastic mugs, plates and pots. The most popular holiday resort in Great Britain is Brighton . I would like to travel once to London. I would try out the famous sightseeing buses and free cruises on the Thames. London is well-known for Madame Tussaud’s, the Tower, the Kensington palace inter alia. I would visit some museums, like the British Museum, the Museum of London. I would go to Soho and Trafalgar Square. The Changing of the Guards can be also very interesting. I wouldn’t miss taking photos of the Big Ben and the Tower Bridge. I always take a lot of photos, when I am on a holiday. The area of The West End contains the city’s most famous streets for shopping, theatres and cinemas. The most famous towns in England are Oxford and Cambridge. Manchaster is a cultural centre. Many tourist associate Liverpool with the Beatles. York is a historic city. In Scotland the main tourist attractions are the castles, its beautiful landscapes and its two major cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is worth to visit the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and the Eisteddfod in Wales. Americans like to spend their holidays at Lake Tahoe. Families visit Disneyland. Some people go to the Niagara Falls. The national parks, like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon are always full with tourists. Important cities are NYC with Manhattan, The Empire State Building, the Rockefeller Center, and the Metropolitan Opera and Musem. Central Park, Harlem and the Broadway are in Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty is in New York harbour. Washington is known for the Capitol, the White House and the Library of Congress. Europeans like to spend their holidays in Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia. Me too. Asian countries are also popular. I would show a foreigner in Hungary the capital, the Lake Balaton, the Hungarian puszta and the famous Hungarian spas. Budapest is very beautiful. I like the Castle, the Heroes Square, the National Gallery, the House of the Parliament and the Margaret Island. Cultural events are organised all over the country. There are organised theatre festivals and wine festivals around Lake Balaton. Aquaparks offer entertainment for all generations, thus they are very popular. There are a lot of amusement parks. I think, they aren’t dangerous, if people behave sensibly and parents take care of their children. All the equipments, such as roller coasters, merry-go-rounds and ferris wheels are checked regularly.

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