Going places (Текст для перевода)

Going places.

At the end of the school year we look forward to summer holidays. They are a welcome change to school routine. After the hardships of the school year you feel as happy as a lark – you have nearly 3 months of fun at your disposal. All of us take paints to make the best of our holidays and if they a failure, we feel sad and cross.

Going places is a good way of holiday-making. Many people start thinking about holidays in winter/they begin making plans and talk about the ideas. Not many like winter rest? Most long for sun and beaches. In any case holidays must be a change, a change of place. If they live in the country? They like to go to a big town and spend their time looking at shop windows and visiting theatres, museums and art galleries and having relaxing merry evenings at hotel or discos. If they live in the city they prefer a quite holiday in the hills or by the sea, doing nothing, but walking, bathing and lazing in the sun. When on holiday most people avoid doing things they have to do all year round.

Some people detest the idea of spending holidays with hundreds of other people. There is no denying that they get tired of the bustle and hustle of a big city and they usually dream for a quite rest in a lovely place off the beaten track.

Even if we all have different ideas about an ideal holiday we all have to face a number of problems: time, money and arrangements.

Many people go to another places, so they have a problem: to travel alone or trust their holidays to travel agency. It’s not a easy question. For example, package tour has some advantages and disadvantages. If you buy a package tour you have a lot of conducted tours, you have a guide at your disposal, you don’t have to face the problems: meals, accommodation and transport, because everything is arranged, you don’t get lost if you stay with a group. But it has some disadvantages: you can’t stay long in place where you want, because it is not included on tour, you have to stay with the group, you can’t visit places you want, you haven’t free time and it costs a lot of money. But the most serious problem is you can be hooked by the advertisement. The tour agency can promise you a Moon, but in fact the hotel may be in the middle of nowhere, hotel service may leave much to be desired.

But personally I think, if you like to spend your holidays with hundreds of people and to plan your rest - package tour is for you

First you, as a restless traveler, start rushing from one travel agent to another collecting useful information about places you intend to visit. Then you’ll do a round of shops spending much money on the things wich may never be worn. Finally, you go to the booking office to reserve or buy tickets. Usually it’s round trip and you buy a 2-way ticket. Be careful and check up the date and the time of arrivals and departures and find out if you get your connection at another airport or train station.

When the day of departure comes you take a cab and go to the railway station. A large and comfortable waiting room is at your service. You may hear all announcements over the radio or get the information over the radio or get information from time table or information desk. If you go by train, you should weigh your luggage and, if it is necessary, pay extra for overweight. After that find out what track and platform your train leaves from if it is not delayed or canceled. In a clean and cosy compartment you place your bags and suitcase under the berth, wait for the locomotive’s horn and start enjoying your trip.

There is nothing like travelling by train. With a train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combine. From the comfortable corner seat of a railway carriage you have a splendid view of the whole countryside. If your journey turns to be boring or you have a few minutes to spare before the departure, I advice you to get yourself a novel or a detective story to while away the time or just to have a nice conversation with your fellow travelers.

If you are hungry, you can have a meal in a dining car; and if a journey is a long one you can have a wonderful bed in a sleeper and get to place fresh and relaxed.

Besides, do you know any place that is more interesting than a big railway station? There is the movement, the excitement of people going away and waiting to meet friends. There are shouts of the porters as they pull luggage along the platforms to the waiting trains, there is crowd at the booking office.

When travelling by air you have to get to the airport early in order to check in about an hour before your flight. If you have a lot of luggage, you can put it to the check-in-desk where someone will check your ticket and weigh your luggage. If you have excess luggage it can be expansive. Your heave luggage is put on a conveyer belt and carried away. A light bag is classified as hand luggage and you can take it with you on the plane