Speaking Lesson Plan: Problems During the Vacation
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1. Vocabulary (B2–C1)
- lost luggage
- flight delay / cancellation
- overbooked hotel
- pickpocketing / theft
- getting lost
- language barrier
- food poisoning
- sunburn / heatstroke
- missed connection
- scam / tourist trap
- credit card doesn’t work / no cash
- bad weather
- wrong booking dates
- traffic jam
- strikes
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2. Vocabulary Exercises
Exercise 1: Match the Problem with the Solution
- Lost luggage → Go to the lost and found desk
- Food poisoning → Go to the pharmacy / drink water
- Getting lost → Use Google Maps / ask locals
Exercise 2: Odd One Out
1. flight cancellation – pickpocketing – food poisoning – overbooked hotel
2. traffic jam – flight delay – scam – strikes
3. sunburn – heatstroke – rain – lost luggage
Exercise 3: Ranking
Rank travel problems from the most annoying to the least annoying. Explain why.
Exercise 4: Mini-situations (What’s the problem?)
1. You go to your hotel at night and they say there are no free rooms.
2. You want to pay in a café but your credit card doesn’t work.
3. You’re in a foreign city and don’t understand the signs or language.
4. You planned a beach holiday but it rains every day.
5. You are going to the airport but your taxi is stuck in traffic.
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3. Discussion Questions
Personal Experience:
- Have you ever had a travel problem that turned into a funny story later?
- What was the most stressful travel situation you’ve experienced?
- Do you usually stay calm or panic when something goes wrong on vacation?
Problem-Solving:
- If your luggage is lost, what are the first things you would buy?
- If your flight is delayed for 10 hours, how would you spend the time?
- How would you react if you were scammed by locals?
- Do you think travel insurance is necessary? Why/why not?
Reflective:
- Do you agree with the saying: “Problems make travel more memorable”?
- Do you think travel problems can teach us life lessons? Which ones?
- Which is better: always planning carefully to avoid problems, or being
spontaneous and flexible?
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4. Role Play Scenarios
1. Lost Luggage at the Airport: Traveler explains the problem, airport staff
responds.
2. Overbooked Hotel: Guest complains politely, receptionist offers a solution.
3. Scammed Tourist: Tourist explains to police officer what happened.
4. Language Barrier: Tourist asks for directions but doesn’t know the local
language.
5. Bad Weather: Traveler complains, friend suggests alternatives.
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5. Additional Game: Problem Solver
- Display list of problems (lost luggage, food poisoning, rain, language barrier,
etc.).
- Student picks a random problem and proposes a solution.
- Teacher or partner suggests an alternative solution.
