EnglishYour travel story
Tell me about the best trip you have ever had. What happened? Any funny or bad moments? ✈️
Use these prompts to start your story.
- Best trip
- Where did you go? Who went with you?
- Funny moment
- What unexpected thing happened?
- Bad moment
- Was there a problem with transport, booking, or luggage?
Write two or three past-tense sentences on the board:
- First, …
- Then, …
- While I was …, …
- Before that, …
Travel words for a journey
Use the words below to describe a real or imagined trip.
- flight [/flaɪt/]
- a journey by plane
Our flight had left before we reached the gate. - luggage [/ˈlʌɡɪdʒ/]
- bags and cases that you take on a trip
I was looking for my luggage when it arrived. - boarding pass [/ˈbɔːdɪŋ pɑːs/]
- a document that lets you get on a plane
She had lost her boarding pass before check-in. - reservation [/ˌrezəˈveɪʃən/]
- an arrangement to keep a room, seat, or table for someone
We discovered that the hotel had cancelled our reservation. - delay [/dɪˈleɪ/]
- a period when something happens later than planned
The train was delayed while we were waiting. - cancel [/ˈkænsəl/]
- to decide that something planned will not happen
The airline cancelled the flight after the storm began. - destination [/ˌdestɪˈneɪʃən/]
- the place where you are going
By the time we reached our destination, it was dark. - departure [/dɪˈpɑːtʃə/]
- the time when a train, plane, or bus leaves
The departure had changed before we checked the screen. - arrival [/əˈraɪvəl/]
- the moment when someone or something reaches a place
After our arrival, we took a taxi to the hotel. - platform [/ˈplætfɔːm/]
- the area beside a train where passengers get on or off
I was running to the platform when the train stopped. - passport [/ˈpɑːspɔːt/]
- an official document for travelling between countries
He had forgotten his passport at home. - suitcase [/ˈsuːtkeɪs/]
- a large case for carrying clothes when travelling
My suitcase broke while I was crossing the street. - check in [/tʃek ɪn/]
- to give your details when you arrive at an airport or hotel
We checked in after we had found the correct terminal. - miss a connection [/mɪs ə kəˈnekʃən/]
- to be too late for the next plane, train, or bus in a journey
They missed a connection because their first flight had been delayed. - tour guide [/tʊə ɡaɪd/]
- a person who shows visitors around a place
The tour guide was explaining the history when it started to rain.
Say the English word when the teacher points to its meaning. Then make one travel sentence.
Telling a travel story clearly
The earlier past: Past Perfect
Form: had + past participle
Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
had + past participle | An action finished before another past action | The plane had left before we arrived. |
had not / hadn’t + past participle | An earlier action did not happen | I hadn’t printed my boarding pass. |
Had + subject + past participle? | A question about an earlier past action | Had you booked the hotel? |
EARLIER PAST LATER PAST
[We had booked the hotel.] → [We arrived.]
Past Perfect Past SimpleUse Past Perfect when the order of two past actions is important.
By the time we arrived at the platform, the train had left.
The train left first. We arrived later.
After I had checked in, I went to the departure gate.
Checking in happened first. Going to the gate happened later.
Three past tenses in one story
Tense | Job in the story | Example |
|---|---|---|
Past Continuous | Background action in progress | I was walking through the station. |
Past Simple | Main event or completed action | I saw a passport on the floor. |
Past Perfect | Earlier action or cause | Someone had dropped it. |
BACKGROUND MAIN EVENT EARLIER CAUSE
I was walking I saw a passport Someone had dropped it.
───────────────┼───────────X────────────────────────← before XI was waiting for a taxi when I realised that I had lost my passport.
- was waiting = background action
- realised = main event
- had lost = earlier cause
Time markers for travel stories
Time marker | Common pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
by the time | By the time + Past Simple, Past Perfect | By the time we arrived, the flight had left. |
after | After + Past Perfect, Past Simple | After I had packed, I called a taxi. |
before | Past Perfect + before + Past Simple | They had checked in before they boarded. |
as soon as | Past Simple + as soon as + Past Simple | As soon as we arrived, we found our hotel. |
when | Past Continuous + when + Past Simple | I was boarding when my phone rang. |
while | Past Continuous + while + Past Continuous / Past Simple | While we were waiting, the bus arrived. |
As soon as usually shows two events in sequence. Past Perfect is not normally necessary when the order is already clear.
As soon as the rain stopped, we went sightseeing.
Common mistakes
Common mistake | Better sentence | Why? |
|---|---|---|
When I had arrived, the train had left. | When I arrived, the train had left. | Use Past Perfect for the earlier event, not automatically for both events. |
I had waited for a taxi when I saw it. | I was waiting for a taxi when I saw it. | Use Past Continuous for an action in progress. |
The flight had cancelled. | The airline had cancelled the flight. | A company or person cancels a flight. |
I had went to the platform. | I had gone to the platform. | The past participle of go is gone. |
While I waited, the train was leaving. | While I was waiting, the train left. | A completed main event often uses Past Simple. |
Choose the right travel timeline
Connect the time marker to its meaning
Connect each time marker with the relationship it shows.
- by the time
- an earlier completed action and a later past point
- while
- a background action in progress
- after
- one completed action followed by another
Connect the story job to the tense
Connect each part of a story with the tense that usually expresses it.
- background scene
- Past Continuous
- main event
- Past Simple
- earlier cause
- Past Perfect
Choose the best verb forms
Think: background, main event, or earlier event?
- By the time we [___] at the airport, our flight [___] .
- I [___] for a taxi when I [___] that I had lost my passport.
- After the tour guide [___] the tickets, we [___] the museum.
Complete the travel sentences
- The train [___] before we got to the platform.
- While I [___] my suitcase, the hotel receptionist called.
- We [___] a reservation before we travelled to Rome.
- As soon as the rain stopped, we [___] sightseeing.
Say why you chose each tense. Use one label: background, main event, or earlier event.
When everything went wrong
Travel blog
Last summer, I was travelling to Prague for a weekend break when everything started to go wrong. I had booked a cheap early-morning flight, so I left home at 5 a.m. While I was waiting for the airport bus, I realised that I had left my passport on the kitchen table. I ran back home, but by the time I returned to the bus stop, the bus had gone. I took a taxi instead and arrived at the airport just before departure. Then I discovered that the airline had cancelled my flight because of a storm. After I had called the hotel, I learned that they had given my room to another guest. I was feeling exhausted when a friendly tour guide offered to help. She found me a late train, and I reached Prague that evening. As soon as I arrived, I bought some food and laughed about the day.
Discuss the story
- What happened before the narrator returned to the bus stop?
- Why did the narrator take a taxi to the airport?
- What had the airline done before the narrator discovered the problem?
- How did the narrator finally reach Prague?
Difficult words
- weekend break — a short holiday, usually for two or three days
- cheap — not expensive
- instead — as an alternative
- departure — the time when a plane, train, or bus leaves
- storm — very bad weather with strong wind and rain
- exhausted — extremely tired
- offered to help — said that you wanted to help
- another guest — a different person staying at the hotel
Your travel-story toolkit
Key points
- Past Perfect: had + past participle shows an earlier action before another past action.
- Past Continuous: shows background or an action in progress.
- Past Simple: shows the main completed event.
- Timeline: had happened → was happening / happened.
- Time markers help the listener follow the order: by the time, after, before, as soon as, when, while.
Travel vocabulary review
flight • luggage • boarding pass • reservation • delay • cancel • destination • departure • arrival • platform • passport • suitcase • check in • miss a connection • tour guide
Final mini-story
Tell a three-sentence travel story:
- Background: What were you doing?
- Main event: What happened?
- Earlier cause: What had happened before?
Use one time marker and at least two travel words.
