EnglishTravel memories and finished trips
Unscramble the travel words. ✈️
- passport (an official document for international travel)
- flight (a journey by plane)
- hotel (a place where travellers pay to sleep)
- visit (to go to a place or person)
- airport (a place where planes arrive and leave)
Discuss:
- What countries have you visited?
- When did you go?
- What did you do there?
Experience | Finished trip |
|---|---|
I have visited… | I went to… |
Travel and airport words
Point to the time phrase in each example. Which examples connect to now or today? Which describe a finished trip?
- passport [/ˈpɑːspɔːt/]
- паспорт
I have packed my passport. / I packed my passport yesterday. - boarding pass [/ˈbɔːdɪŋ pɑːs/]
- посадочный талон
I have downloaded my boarding pass. / I downloaded it this morning. - suitcase [/ˈsuːtkeɪs/]
- чемодан
I have lost my suitcase. / I lost my suitcase at the airport. - flight [/flaɪt/]
- рейс
I have booked a flight. / I booked a flight last week. - airport [/ˈeəpɔːt/]
- аэропорт
I have been to this airport before. / I was at the airport at 6 a.m. - hotel [/həʊˈtel/]
- отель
I have stayed in this hotel. / I stayed there in 2023. - hostel [/ˈhɒstəl/]
- хостел
I have never stayed in a hostel. / I stayed in a hostel in Rome. - reservation [/ˌrezəˈveɪʃən/]
- бронирование
I have made a reservation. / I made a reservation yesterday. - book a room [/bʊk ə ruːm/]
- забронировать номер
I have booked a room. / I booked a room for Friday. - check in [/tʃek ɪn/]
- регистрироваться
I have checked in online. / I checked in two hours ago. - take off [/teɪk ɒf/]
- взлетать
Our plane has already taken off. / Our plane took off at 9:15. - land [/lænd/]
- приземляться
The plane has landed. / The plane landed last night. - visit [/ˈvɪzɪt/]
- посещать
I have visited Spain twice. / I visited Spain in 2020. - stay [/steɪ/]
- останавливаться, проживать
I have stayed here before. / I stayed here last summer. - go sightseeing [/ɡəʊ ˈsaɪtsiːɪŋ/]
- осматривать достопримечательности
We have gone sightseeing today. / We went sightseeing yesterday.
Choosing the right tense
The main rule
Present Perfect | Past Simple |
|---|---|
have/has + past participle | verb 2 / verb + -ed |
unfinished time: today, this week, this year | finished time: yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago |
no specific finished time | a finished time is named or asked for |
experience, result now, unfinished period | details of one completed event |
Present Perfect | Past Simple |
I have visited Paris three times. | I visited Paris in 2019. |
She has booked a room already. | She booked a room yesterday. |
Our plane has landed. | Our plane landed at 11 p.m. |
Have you checked in yet? | When did you check in? |
Form
Subject | Present Perfect: positive | Present Perfect: negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
I / you / we / they | have visited | have not visited | Have you visited…? |
he / she / it | has visited | has not visited | Has she visited…? |
Verb | Past Simple |
|---|---|
visit | visited |
book | booked |
stay | stayed |
land | landed |
go | went |
be | was / were |
take off | took off |
Time words
Often with Present Perfect | Often with Past Simple |
|---|---|
today, this week, this month, this year | yesterday, last week, last year |
ever, never, already, yet, just, before | in 2020, two days ago, at 8:00 |
so far | when |
Experience first, detail next
A: Have you ever been to London?
B: Yes, I have.
A: When did you go?
B: I went last year.
- Have you ever been to London? asks about life experience.
- When did you go? asks for a finished-trip detail.
- After when, use the Past Simple.
Important contrasts
Meaning | Correct sentence |
|---|---|
The day is still open; the trip matters now. | I have booked my flight today. |
The trip happened at a finished time. | I booked my flight yesterday. |
General experience; no time is given. | I have stayed in a hostel before. |
One completed holiday; the time is given. | I stayed in a hostel in Rome last summer. |
A result is important now. | The plane has already taken off. |
A completed event with a time. | The plane took off at 9:15. |
A day can be an unfinished period while it is still today. Use Present Perfect when the connection to the current day matters. Use Past Simple when you give a completed-event detail.
Common mistakes
Incorrect | Why? | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Last year is finished time. | I visited London last year. |
| Use Have you ever…? for life experience. | Have you ever visited Rome? |
| Yesterday needs Past Simple; go becomes went. | I went sightseeing yesterday. |
| Use yet mainly in questions and negatives. | Have you booked the hotel yet? |
| When asks for a finished detail. | When did you go to Paris? |
Choose the tense from the time clue
Say the full sentence aloud after each answer. First, underline the finished-time phrase or identify “no finished time”.
Connect time expressions to the tense
Connect each time expression with the correct tense
- today
- Present Perfect
- ever
- Present Perfect
- already
- Present Perfect
- yet
- Present Perfect
- yesterday
- Past Simple
- in 2020
- Past Simple
- last week
- Past Simple
- two days ago
- Past Simple
Choose the correct travel form
I [___] Paris in 2019.
She [___] a hotel room already.
We [___] sightseeing yesterday.
[___] to Turkey?
Complete the travel sentences
I [___] Paris three times.
They [___] yet.
The plane [___] at 11 p.m. last night.
I [___] in this hotel before.
My Travel Blog
I have always loved travelling, and I have visited eight countries so far. I have been to Spain three times, but I have never stayed in a hostel there. This week, I have booked a small hotel in Barcelona for my next holiday. I have already bought my flight tickets, but I have not printed my boarding pass yet.
My first trip to Spain was in 2019. I went to Madrid with my sister, and we stayed near the city centre for five days. We visited the Prado Museum, ate tapas, and went sightseeing every day. Our flight landed late on Sunday, so we missed the last airport bus. Last year, I travelled to Valencia with friends. We booked an apartment online and had a wonderful beach holiday.
- How many countries has the blogger visited so far?
- Where has the blogger booked a hotel this week?
- Who did the blogger go to Madrid with?
- Why did the blogger miss the last airport bus?
Difficult words
- so far — until now
- boarding pass — a document for getting on a plane
- city centre — the central part of a city
- tapas — small Spanish dishes
- landed — arrived on the ground after a flight
- missed — did not catch or arrive in time for
- beach holiday — a holiday near the sea
Make your travel tense choice
Quick decision path
Do you say a finished time?
→ Yes: use Past Simple
I booked it yesterday.
→ No: Is it an experience, a result now, or unfinished time?
→ Yes: use Present Perfect
I have booked it already.
Travel word card
passport • boarding pass • suitcase • flight • airport • hotel • hostel • reservation • book a room • check in • take off • land • visit • stay • go sightseeing
