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Travel & Holidays ESL Games, Worksheets | ESL Travel Activities
If you need some fresh, new ideas for the ESL travel and holiday unit that you can find in most textbooks, then you’re in the right place. We’ll share our top ideas for games and activities, along with travel vocabulary, worksheets and lesson plans. Let’s get to the best ESL holiday activities.
ESL holiday and travel-themed activities
Let’s get into everything you need to know for an ESL holiday lesson. Keep on reading!
ESL Travel and Holiday Activities
Here are the top ESL travel activities that you may want to try out with your students.
#1: Plan a Trip
Have your students plan a dream vacation in English! Instead of researching in their first language, use Google in English. In order to practice writing, keep notes only in English. Here’s an example of how you might plan your trip using English. You can have your students add as little, or as much detail as you’d like. However, the point of the activity is to practice writing in point form which is useful when writing outlines for tests or essays.
Day 1: Monday, January 1
Fly Seoul (3pm) —-> Vancouver (7am) Check in Hotel ABC, 123 Avenue Rest, relax
Day 2: Tuesday, January 2
Stay Hotel ABC Tour Stanley Park Eat Pub XYZ dinner
Day 3: Wednesday, January 3
Check out Hotel ABC Rent car Budget 123 Drive Whistler Rent skis shop ABC Go Skiing Lunch ski lodge Check in Hotel ABC Whistler Bed early
Procedure for one of my favourite ESL travel activities:
- Give students time to do some Internet research about a place they want to go. It’s helpful to specify the number of days. I generally make a rule that they must do this research in English. Suggest some helpful websites where they might like to start (Trip Advisor, Air BnB, etc.).
- Students can make a day-by-day itinerary of what they’re trip is going to look like.
- They can share about their trip with the class or turn it in for a graded assignment.
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- Bolen, Jackie (Author)
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- 78 Pages - 03/22/2021 (Publication Date)
#2: A-Z Alphabet Game
If you know that your students already know a fair bit about holiday and travel, you may want to try this quick warm-up game. Or, you could consider using it as a review game at the end of a class.
The way it works is that students, in pairs or small groups write down the alphabet on a piece of paper. Then, they have to think of one travel related word for each letter. It doesn’t have to be done in order. For example:
P: Passport
The winner is the team with the most completed letters at the end of the allotted time. Do you want to find out more? Check this out: A-Z Alphabet Game ESL .
#3: Travel Word Association
This is nice ESL activity to do if you know that your students have studied about travel and holidays before. They can shout out vocabulary words related to this and you can make a mind map or sorts on the board. Group similar things together. For example, articles of clothing.
Find out more about this quick ESL warmer right here: ESL Vocabulary Word Association.
- 146 Pages - 06/18/2020 (Publication Date)
#4: Postcards ESOL Travel Activity
If you can get your hands on some cheap postcards or have some laying around your house or teacher’s office, try out this fun writing activity. It may just be the novelty factor, but students seem to love it. This activity is ideal for working on common greetings, the past tense (more ideas here: ESL past tense games ), and using descriptive words, as well as using synonyms to avoid repetition.
Distribute the postcards to the students. You can do one per student, or put the students into pairs. They have to look at the picture on the front of the postcard and imagine that they went on this vacation. Then, they can write about their trip to a friend or family member.
Next, the students trade postcards with another student or group. After reading them, they can write a response back of at least a few sentences. Finally, you may want to display them around the class as they’re colourful and fun and other students may enjoy reading them! Have some fun with this ESOL travel activity.
- Give each student or pair a postcard. They look at the picture and imagine what they did on that vacation, and then pretend that they’re writing to a friend or family member.
- Exchange postcards and another student or group have to write a response to what they read.
- Display the postcards around your classroom (optional).
#5: Travel or Holiday Videos
I’m ALL about using videos with my ESL/EFL students. They’re fun, engaging and a nice way to grab student’s attention and introduce a topic. Of course, you can base an entire class around one too if you design the activities well.
If you want to find out more about using them in your classes and some activities and games to do with them, you’ll want to check this out: Using Videos for Teaching English .
#6: Dictogloss ESOL Travel Activity
This is a challenging activity that works on listening and writing skills. Find a short story related to holiday or travel. It could even be a description of your own vacation that you took recently.
Then, you read out the story to your students in a way that is a bit challenging for them to catch every word. Students have to take notes and then try to reconstruct what they heard based on their notes in small groups. You can read it again so that students have a chance to make some additions or corrections. Finally, students compare their version with the original.
Do you want to try it out with your students? You can learn more about one of the best ESL travel activities here: ESL Dictogloss Activity .
#7: Holidays ESL Lesson Plan
It’s easy to plan an ESL lesson about any topic, including holidays. Check out this video for the steps to follow:
#8: Yes/No Questions and Answers
If you think about it, holidays and travel lend themselves to a ton of yes/no questions. For example:
- Did you fly or drive?
- Did you eat some delicious things?
- Was the food good?
- Did you have nice weather?
If you want to see some activities or games to work on these kinds of questions, you’ll want to check this out: Yes/No Activities and Games.
- 279 Pages - 07/12/2020 (Publication Date)
#9: ESL Food Activities and Games
I’m not sure if it’s the same for you, but when I travel, it’s ALL about the food. I want to try all the delicious things where I’m staying! The good news is that I have a ton of fun, interactive games and activities for food. You can easily adapt most of them to focus on holidays.
You can find out more details here: ESL Food Activities.
#10: ESL Surveys
I love to use surveys in my classes because they lend themselves to just about any topic. In the case of travel, they’re ideal for working on the present perfect and simple past together.
For example:
Have you ever travelled to another country?
Where did you go?
If you want to know more about how to design and use surveys in your classes for an ESL travel lesson, then you’ll want to check this out: Surveys for ESL Students.
ESL Travel Games and Activities
I also love to use ESL surveys to get students to express an opinion in English.
#11: Present Perfect Activities Related to Travel
The present perfect is often used to talk about vacations, travel and holidays. For example:
- Have you ever been to another country?
- Have you travelled to ______ before?
In order to incorporate this grammatical construction into some of your lesson, you’ll want to check this out: Present Perfect ESL Activities.
#12: Brochure Scanning
This is an excellent travel activity! You’ll have to get your hands on some travel brochures first. The way it works is that students get tons of practice with a reading sub-skill (scanning) because they have to look quickly through the brochures to find specific bits of information. For example, cost or number or days.
Do you want to try out this reading activity? You can find out all the details here: Brochure Scanning Reading Activity for ESL .
#13: Odd One Out ESL Warmer
This is a quick English warm-up activity that you can try out with your students. The way it works is that you write words, in groups of 4 on the board. 3 are similar and 1 is the odd one out. Students have to choose this one and say why it doesn’t fit. For example:
Bathing suit, sunglasses, boots, flip-flops
Answers: Boots because it’s not for a beach vacation. I accept many different answers as long as students support it well.
You can learn more about this ESL warm-up here: Odd One Out for ESL .
- 87 Pages - 10/24/2019 (Publication Date)
#14: Would you Rather?
I’m sure you’ve done this before with friends. You have to choose between two negative things, or two positive things. For example, how you want to die, or what you want to eat. In this case, students could choose between two types of vacation. For example:
Would you rather have a beach or forest vacation?
Would you rather stay in a big hotel, or an AirBNB?
Learn more about this nice activity for an ESL travel lesson here: ESL Would You Rather?
- 99 Pages - 06/22/2021 (Publication Date)
#15: Task Based Activity: Dream Vacation
I love to incorporate this style of teaching into my holiday lessons. It allows students more freedom to choose what they want to learn about and also builds opportunities for some serious teamwork.
In this case, I’ll have students work in groups of 2-3 to plan a dream vacation. They can do some research to find out all the details including how to get there, food, budget, where to stay, etc. Then, they either have to write a report and hand it in to me and/or do a short presentation to the class.
Need some more ideas for this style of a lesson? Check this out: Task-Based Learning .
#16: Travel Themed Charades
I love to play charades with my students. The way it works is that you can think of some travel-related phrases. For example:
- Flying on a plane
- Sleeping on a bus
- Eating noodles
- Buying souvenirs
Then, students have to act this out and their teammates have to guess what the phrase is. More details here: ESL Charades.
#17: Travel Journal
Encourage students to keep a travel journal for a fictional trip. They can describe their experiences, sights, and sounds, using new vocabulary.
Travel and Holidays ESL
#18: Eliciting in an ESL Travel Lesson
Unless your students are absolute beginners, then it’s likely that they already know a good amount of travel and holiday vocabulary. That’s often why I like to start off my ESL traveling lesson by using some eliciting techniques. There are two main reasons for this.
The first reason is that it’s possible to find out what the students already know about this topic to avoid wasting class time covering these things. The second is that it helps students activate their prior knowledge about travel/holidays to make the new things they learn more memorable. Learn how to do this tactic for an ESL holiday lesson here:
ESL Eliciting Advice .
#19: Travel Listening Lesson
A nice way to talk about any topic is through a listening lesson. In this case, find a conversation between two people talking about an upcoming vacation plan. Or, someone talking about a favourite vacation from the past (it could even be you). Then, design an entire listening lesson around that. Find out how here:
#20: Idiom ESL Traveling Activity
There are lots of idioms related to holidays, travel and transportation. Here are just a few of them:
- All hands on deck
- To send flying
- Bump in the road
- Off the rails
- Train wreck
- Asleep at the wheel
- Fall off the wagon
- Hit the road
One of the best ways to make these idioms super memorable is to do this fun activity. Afterwards, your students will never forget! Learn more about this ESL activity:
Idiom Activity for Language Learners .
#21: Concentration ESL Traveling Vocabulary
One of the best ways to review new words during an ESL holiday or travel lesson is to play this memory game. Depending on the level of the students, make some matching pairs of cards with the following:
- Word/picture
- Word/definition
- Word/clue about the word
Then in small groups, students play the game to find the matches. Find out all the details about how to set it up and play:
ESL Concentration Game .
#22: Speaking Fluency Activity
To use this activity with a unit on holidays or travel, have students talk about a past, or upcoming vacation.
#23: Me Too!
Students have to make a true statement about themselves related to holidays and travelling. For example:
- I’ve been to Japan.
- I hate the beach.
- My family goes on a big vacation every summer.
If other students can agree, they stand up and say, “Me too!”
#24: Labour Day Guessing Game
#25: Holiday Interviews
Pair students and have them interview each other about their favorite holidays. They can then present their partner’s holiday to the class.
#26: Travel Bingo
Create bingo cards with images or words related to travel and holidays. Students mark off the squares as they learn new vocabulary.
#27: Travel-Themed Role-Plays
Set up role-plays where students act as travelers, airport staff, or hotel receptionists. This helps them practice common travel dialogues.
#28: Travel Vocabulary Pictionary
Play Pictionary using travel-related words. Students take turns drawing and guessing the vocabulary words.
#29: Travel Storytelling
Ask students to create and share short stories about a memorable travel experience they’ve had or wish to have in the future.
#30: Travel Debate
Have students debate the pros and cons of traveling. This encourages critical thinking and speaking skills.
Travel and Holiday Vocabulary
Here are some of the most common vocabulary words that you may want to teach your students related to traveling for an ESL holiday lesson.
- bathing suit
- boarding pass
- vaccination
- The months of the year in English
Do you have any ESL travelling vocabulary that you’d like us to add to the list? Leave a comment and let us know!
Travel Worksheets and Lesson Plans for ESL
If you’re looking for some worksheets or lesson plans related to holidays and travel, then you’ll want to check out some of our top resource recommendations:
ESOL Courses
ISL Collective
Lingua House
ESL Travel Vocabulary Worksheets
If you want students to get some practice with ESL travel vocab, here are a few recommendations:
English Club
Did you Like these Travel Games for ESL?
- 68 Pages - 11/12/2019 (Publication Date)
Yes? Thought so. Then you’re going to love this book: The Emergency English Teacher: No-Textbook, No-Prep, No-Materials ESL Activities.
If you’re always in need of last-minute activities and games for your classes, then this book is exactly what you might need. It’s English teaching made easy in a serious way.
You can get the book in digital or print formats. Take the e-version with you to your favourite coffee shop for lesson planning on the go. Or, keep a copy on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide. But the best idea is to have it with you at all times for those English teaching emergencies.
Do you want to find out more? Head on over to Amazon to pick up your copy today:
FAQs about ESL Travel Lessons
There are a number of common questions that people have about teaching this unit. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.
What is the purpose of teaching the travel and holiday unit to English learners?
The purpose is to help English learners develop vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills related to travel and holidays.
What topics can be covered within the travel and holiday unit?
Topics can include modes of transportation, booking accommodations, tourist attractions, holiday activities, travel phrases, and cultural aspects of different destinations.
How can I introduce vocabulary related to travel and holidays?
You can introduce vocabulary through visual aids, realia (actual objects), flashcards, and interactive activities such as matching games or vocabulary quizzes.
What grammar structures can be taught in the travel and holiday unit?
Grammar structures such as present simple for schedules and timetables, past simple for recounting travel experiences, future tenses for making travel plans, and modal verbs for expressing preferences or asking for permission can be taught.
What speaking activities can be used to practice travel and holiday-related topics?
Role-plays, group discussions about dream destinations, travel itineraries, or describing holiday experiences are effective speaking activities. Additionally, pair work activities like “Find Someone Who” or “Guess the Destination” can engage learners in conversation.
ESL Travel Activities and Games: Join the Conversation
What are your thoughts about these Holiday ESL activities? Do you have another one that you’d like to recommend to us? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.
Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy English teachers, like yourself find this useful resource for ESOL travel lessons.
ESL Travel Lesson
Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
About Jackie
Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 20 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.
Jackie is the author of more than 100 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder , 67 ESL Conversation Topics ,and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults . She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.
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Holidays & Travel - Quizzes, Games & Worksheets
Home | Vocabulary | Travel and Holidays |
Activities and Worksheets for Beginners and Elementary Learners
- At The Beach - Picture Vocabulary Word Bank
- At The Beach - Online Picture Matching Quiz
- At The Beach - Interactive Crossword Puzzle
- At The Beach - Medium Difficulty Word Search
- Travel and Holidays - Picture Vocabulary Word Bank
- Travel and Holidays - Online Picture Quiz
- Planning a Trip - Picture Vocabulary Word Bank
- Planning a Trip - Online Picture Quiz
- At The Airport - Easy Online Word Search Puzzle
- Online Summertime Word Search - Weather, Sports, and Holiday Activities
Elementary and Pre-Intermediate Exercises
- Planning a Holiday - Reading Activity
- Travel and Holidays Gap Fill Exercise
- Travel and Holidays Vocabulary Quiz
- Travelling by Plane - Online Crossword Puzzle
- Travelling by Plane - Medium Difficulty Online Word Search
- Making Travel Plans - Asking Questions
- Planning a Holiday - An Integrated Skills Lesson
- Paris City Beaches - Multiple Choice Listening and Vocabulary Quiz
Intermediate & Advanced Level Reading & Listening Lessons
- Tourism in The UK (IELTS 5+)
- UK City Breaks: Bath - Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: Bristol - Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: Cambridge - Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: Cardiff - Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: Glasgow - Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: Liverpool Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: Manchester Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: London Tourist Attractions
- UK City Breaks: Newcastle Tourist Attractions
- City Breaks in the North of England - Reading for Information
TRAVEL ENGLISH/ENGLISH FOR TOURISTS
Learn/practice common english phrases used by travelers.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Lesson 1 – At the Airport. Hello and welcome to Lesson 1 of the Travel English Speaking Course! Today we’re going to go through the airport step by step, learning important vocabulary and useful phrases along the way. Let’s imagine you’re flying from New York City to Los Angeles.
book online or use a travel agent. there are two options: Travel non-stop in seven days. you sleep and eat on the train. you can talk to other passengers, learn some words
This ESL/EFL worksheet contains a simple reading text using regular verbs in the past simple. The general topic that the worksheet builds on is a travel to England. 98584 uses.
Debate Topics: Funny, Silly, Controversial, Interesting and More! Check out the best ESL Activities and Games for travel and holidays, along with worksheets, vocabulary, lesson plans and more.
In tomorrow’s lesson, you’ll learn English phrases for arriving at the destination airport, going through immigration, and dealing with common travel problems.
You’ve just finished lesson 1 of the Travel English Course. Now you can take the quiz to test how well you remember the phrases. In tomorrow’s lesson, you’ll learn English phrases for arriving at the destination airport, and dealing with common travel problems.
Travel and Holidays - reading, listening and vocabulary quizzes and printable worksheets for English language learners, and free lesson materials for TEFL teachers. Check out the menus on our site for hundreds more free lesson resources, games and quizzes for adult efl students and young learners.
It's a collection of interactive exercises designed to assist you in a wide variety of possible travel-related situations. So click on any of the exercises below and start practicing English BEFORE you take your trip!
This course features 13 ESL lessons packed with travel-related vocabulary and phrases, covering everything from booking flights to sightseeing.
Browse our collection of PDF lesson plans and worksheets about 'Transport & Travel' for English language teachers, complete with answers and teachers' notes. Free to download and use in class!