English Vocabulary Exercises for B2 – Getting away from it all

1. Put the words below in the correct column.

adventure holiday      backpacking      beach holiday

beach house      caravan      cruise      guest house      holiday home

self-catering apartment      surfing      tent

time-share apartment      volunteering      winter sports holiday

2. Match the holiday accommodation below with the sentences.

B&B      hotel      house swap      self-catering apartment

villa      youth hotel

1   ‘The website said it had four stars, but the room was really small and there wasn’t any Wi-Fi. If you wanted to use the internet, you had to go and use some computers in the lobby!’ …………………………..

2   ‘We were really lucky because their flat was right in the centre of Rome. It also had a lovely balcony with views of the square. I think they were happy with ours because it’s only fifteen minutes from Trafalgar Square on the underground.’ …………………………..

3   ‘Although it was on the coast, it also had a lovely swimming pool and a big terrace where we sat in the evenings. There were four bedrooms and enough room for all the family.’ …………………………..

4   ‘It was cheap, but we had to share a room with six other people who we didn’t know. One guy spent the whole night talking in his sleep and kept me awake!’ …………………………..

5   ‘The room was fine and the breakfast was enormous. We didn’t need to have lunch!’ …………………………..

6   ‘It seemed like a good idea at first because we could eat when we wanted, but we spent a lot of time shopping in supermarkets for food.’ …………………………..

3. Listen to Alex and Jessica choosing a holiday. Underline the four types of holiday they mention. Which holiday do they choose to go on?

city break      cycling holiday      houseboat holiday      house swap

package holiday      volunteering holiday

4. Listen again and complete the sentences with the adjectives below.

commercialized      crowded      dull      inaccessible      run-down      unspoiled

1   Jessica doesn’t think anyone will want to come to their hometown because it is …………………………..

2   Jessica doesn’t like Alex’s second suggestion because the holiday destination will be ………………………….. with tourists and very …………………………..

3   Alex doesn’t like Jessica’s suggestion because he thinks the accommodation will be ………………………….. and the place …………………………..

4   They finally decide to visit the west of Ireland, which is …………………………..

5. Replace the underlined words with the adjectives below.

breathtaking      dingy      hospitable

remote      unique      vibrant

1   The view from the top of the mountain is extremely beautiful. …………………………..

2   Our hotel room was dark and dirty. …………………………..

3   The village is quite far away, but it’s worth going there as it’s so beautiful and unspoiled. …………………………..

4   The people are really friendly and helpful. …………………………..

5   New York is an incredibly energetic and exciting city. …………………………..

6   This coastal town has a special, unusual atmosphere that will be different from anything you’ve experienced. …………………………..

6. Complete the email with the words below.

adventure      batteries      easy      experiences      pamper      physically

7. Match 1-8 with a-h.

a   out with my friends at the weekends.

b   the local food, but we could only find fast-food restaurants!

c   away from it all and relax.

d   broadens your horizons.

e   people from interesting places.

f   out in good restaurants.

g   see the sights in New York.

h   the nightlife, but the beaches weren’t very nice.

Extra exercises

1. Use a word from a and a word from B to make compound nouns. Then complete the sentences.

A     back      camp      camper      city      guest      package      self-catering      youth

B     apartment      break      holiday      hostel      house      packing      site      van

1   When my friends were in New Zealand, they hired a ………………………… to travel around South Island.

2   The price of our ………………………… included the flight, the hotel and some of the excursions.

3   The ………………………… they chose had a field for caravans as well as several for tents.

4   My parents have gone on a ………………………… to Rome to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

5   The ………………………… we stayed at only had six rooms, but it was very comfortable and the owners were nice.

6   We prefer to do our own cooking, so we tend to rent a ………………………… when we go away.

7   ………………………… is the cheapest way to see a country.

8   There were ten people to a dormitory in the ………………………… we slept in.

2. Replace the underlined words with the synonyms below.

dingy      overcrowded      remote      run-down      unspoiled      vibrant

1   Rio de Janeiro is at its most exciting at carnival time. …………………………

2   Some of Britain’s beach resorts are rather neglected. …………………………

3   The isolated village we stayed in was over 30 km from the nearest big town. …………………………

4   Many of the beaches in Menorca are completely natural. …………………………

5   It’s best to avoid the city centre at weekends because the shops are full of people. …………………………

6   They gave us a dark and dirty room at the back of the hotel, so we asked if we could change. …………………………

3. Complete the questions with travel collocations. Use one or two words.

1   Would you ………………………… a campfire on the beach?

2   Can you ………………………… a tent and take it down again on your own?

3   Do you ………………………… light when you go on holiday or do you take a lot of luggage?

4   Where do you go when you want to ………………………… from it all?

5   Do you ever ………………………… the beaten track?

6   Would you ever ………………………… rough if you didn’t have anywhere to stay?