AT THE TRAVEL AGENT'S

Let's practice useful vocabulary and expressions at a Travel Agent's.  Remember to look up the dictionary all the words you don't know.  You have in bold letters some interesting words and phrases.  Read the dialogue aloud to practice the pronunciation which is more important than your grammatical knowledge to let you understand in the English language.

Mrs. Halton is planning her next summer holidays.  This year she would like to give her family a real treat, and she is concerned about selecting the right kind of resort.  Therefore, she goes to the best travel agency in her town, where she expects to find the most qualified staff and most modern information systems in the business.  This is the dialogue between Mrs. Halton and the Travel Agent.

- Mrs. Halton:  Good morning.

- Travel Agent:   Good morning.  Can I help you?

- Mrs. Halton:  Well, I’m planning our next summer holidays and I’d like to get some information about places, prices and so on.

- Travel Agent:  We can provide any travel service you require.  Just give us the details of your requirements and we’ll work out the best deal.  What sort of holiday do you have in mind?

- Mrs. Halton:  The problem is I haven’t got a clear idea.  I’ve been looking at some leaflets, but I haven’t quite made up my mind yet.

- Travel Agent:  Now.  Would you like to stay in England or would you rather go abroad?

- Mrs. Halton:  Certainly abroad.

- Travel Agent:  To France perhaps?

- Mrs. Halton:  No.  We’ve already been there several times.  And, last summer, when we were in Brittany we had rain every single day.  We’d rather go for the sun this time.

- Travel Agent:  What about Morocco, or Tunisia?

- Mrs. Halton:  No.  That’s too far away.  We prefer Europe.

- Travel Agent:  Spain then?  

- Mrs. Halton:  Maybe, I fancy a beach holiday.  A sandy beach, suitable for swimming, and save for the children.  One is four and the other one is six years old.

- Travel Agent:  Would you take your car, or would you fly there?  There are a lot of low cost flights to most destinations in Spain.

- Mrs. Halton:  If we can get a reduced fare, we’ll fly and then we may hire a car there.

- Travel Agent:  OK.  Where would you like to go: mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands or the Canary Islands?

- Mrs. Halton:  The Balearics have always tempted me, but I’m afraid I won’t really enjoy staying in a busy resort, full of tourists.  My sister went to Majorca and had a good time there, but I don’t think it would suit us.  My husband and I need some rest.

- Travel Agent:  The islands in the Balearic group are all different in size, scenery, amenities and atmosphere.  Minorca for instance, has not developed large sprawling resorts.  You get the feeling it is less commercialised.  When would you be leaving and for how long?

- Mrs. Halton:  The first two weeks of August.

- Travel Agent:  That’s a busy month.  You’d better book early if you want to have a good choice.

- Mrs. Halton:  Yes, I know.  But, if I want to cancel, will you charge me a cancellation fee?

- Travel Agent:  It depends on the notice you give us before the scheduled departure date.   Anyway, we recommend you take advantage of our travel insurance, which includes protection against cancellation charges.  Look, take this brochure.  It contains full information on our personal holiday insurance scheme.

- Mrs.  Halton:  Thank you.  Have you got any other brochures about hotel accommodation in Minorca?  I’d like to take them home and show them to my husband.  It’s getting late and I must hurry up now.

- Travel Agent:  Right.  This is what is available for the moment.  If you come back next week, we’ll give you some more.  Here’s my card with our telephone number in case you want to call us.

- Mrs. Halton:  Thanks.  That’s fine I’ll come back next week.  Thank you very much, again.  Good bye.
- Travel Agent:  You’re welcome, madam.  Good bye.

Source:  UNED Advanced English.  Students’ Textbook (Vol.I)-
  Mª Teresa Gibert & Mª Antonia Álvarez