Future Real Conditional (If + present, will)

Start here. The future real conditional is essential for planning, giving advice, and discussing travel decisions: “If you visit Utah, you will see some of the most stunning scenery in the world.” The listening passage follows an English learner connecting language skills to real-world travel situations.

Budget Hotel Rooms

Listen to a man check into a hotel and discover that basic amenities like wireless internet and a refrigerator cost extra, while the treadmill is broken. A frustrating but funny conversation that captures a common traveler experience, with vocabulary like “nickel-and-dime,” “amenities,” “irk,” and “be flustered.”

Cost an Arm and a Leg

This medium-frequency idiom means to be very expensive. Sample sentences use travel directly: “Plane tickets to Japan are going to cost an arm and a leg.” A speaking situation puts you in the position of planning a trip to Hawaii on a tight budget, making this a natural companion to the accommodation lessons that surround it.

Budget Travel Accommodations

Randall and Aubrey discuss what they look for when booking hotels and motels on a budget. Aubrey shares her minimum requirements and a candid story about stopping at a less-than-ideal hotel out of necessity. Natural, unscripted English with vocabulary like “sketchy,” “fatigue,” and “seek out.”

Hotel Check-In

Listen to a guest encounter a series of problems when checking into a hotel, from a lost reservation to unexpected renovations. A step up in pace and density, with vocabulary like “convention,” “renovation,” and “amenities.” Two idioms appear: “eleventh hour” and “tighten your belt.”

Airline Safety

Listen to an airport security officer explain what passengers can and cannot bring on board. A humorous conversation covering vocabulary like “prohibited,” “additional,” “distracted,” and “supervisor,” plus two idioms: “be up in the air” and “travel with something.”

Airport Announcement

Listen to a gate agent announce a flight delay, including the new departure time, gate change, and current weather at the destination. A short but fast and dense listening challenge that requires close attention to detail. Two idioms appear: “hot under the collar” and “strike up.”

Past Perfect (had + past participle)

Learn how to describe an action that was completed before another past event. This tense is essential for recounting travel stories in sequence: “By the time we arrived, the hotel had already given away our room.” You will hear it throughout the more advanced listening activities that follow.

Travel Destinations

Randall, Aubrey, and Emily debate how they would spend $20,000 on the perfect trip. Emily wants a first-class flight to a tropical beach resort; Aubrey would rather stay home. A lively, humorous conversation in fast, natural English with vocabulary like “fancy schmancy” and “staycation.”

Tour of Kyoto, Japan

Listen to a tour guide walk a group through their Kyoto itinerary, including visits to temples and markets, a traditional Japanese play, and final departure details. A natural monologue-style listening activity with vocabulary like “itinerary,” “stroll,” “construct,” and “board.” Two idioms appear: “take in” and “for a song.”

Arches National Park

Listen to a park guide describe what makes Arches National Park in Utah a unique sightseeing destination, including safety tips for summer hiking: staying hydrated, hiking with a partner, and wearing sturdy boots. Key vocabulary includes “erosion,” “breathtaking,” “strenuous,” and “dehydrated,” plus two idioms: “dying of thirst” and “hit the trail.”

Utah Travel Ad

Listen to a radio advertisement promoting Utah’s national parks and adventure tourism, highlighting scenic landscapes, ancient ruins, and outdoor activities. Rich descriptive vocabulary includes “majestic,” “serene,” “remote,” “ruins,” and “trek,” plus two idioms: “in nothing flat” and “up in the air.”

Travel Log

Listen to a traveler narrate journal entries from an overseas trip, reflecting on apprehensions before the journey and adjusting to an unfamiliar culture: street traffic, haggling at markets, unusual food, and feeling like an outsider. Dense academic vocabulary includes “apprehension,” “haggle,” “disquieting,” “chaotic,” and “blasé.”

The Perfect Vacation

Randall and Aubrey discuss their idea of a perfect vacation, and Aubrey’s answer may surprise you. A candid, humorous conversation in natural spoken English with vocabulary like “guilt-free,” “delivery,” and “staycation.” Good listening practice for following informal, fast-paced native speech.