SUPERSTITIONS ABOUT TRAVELING

1. Which of the following airlines don’t have row 13?

a. Continental Airlines
b. Air France
c. KLM
d. Iberia
e. All airlines have row 13!
2. In Turkey, why might someone throw a cup of water outside their house in the direction
of a traveler?
a. For good luck
b. To make their travels easy and smooth, like the flow of water
c. So they will never feel thirsty or hungry on their travels
d. A and b
e. None
3. In the Ukraine, what should you do if you leave your house for travel and suddenly you
remember you have forgotten something?
a. Turn back to get what you have forgotten.
b. Do not turn back after you have left. This is bad luck.
c. You can turn back, but only if you look in the mirror and frown.
d. A and b
e. B and c
4. In many countries, the number 13 is unlucky. In Asia, the hotel room you reserved might
not be on which floor?
a. 7
b. 8
c. 4
d. 2
5. In what country should you “sit on your luggage” before traveling, for good luck?
a. Columbia
b. China
c. Russia
d. France
6. If you are Cambodian, you may avoid traveling on this day of the week:
a. Tuesday
b. Wednesday
c. Saturday
d. Monday
 7. And if you want everything to go very well, the best day of the week is
a. Tuesday
b. Thursday
c. Saturday
d. Monday
8. Why do some Latin Americans run around town with a packed suitcase at exactly 12 AM
on December 31st?
a. This will ensure they have plenty of money that year.
b. They are taking the suitcases to poor families. They hope this will bring them
good luck.
c. This will bring lots of travel throughout the year.
d. They are throwing away their old clothes, as this brings bad luck.

Read these scenarios and make a conditional.

A. Giulia is from Italy. On a trip to San Francisco she was assigned a seat in row 17. Some
Italians are superstitious about the number 17, which in Roman numerals looks like “I
have lived.” She thought about saying something to the stewardesses, but thought it
might be silly. When Giulia arrived at the airport, her luggage never arrived! Giulia
blames her bad luck on the unlucky flight number and regrets not having changed her
seat.

If Giulia hadn’t

If Giulia had

B. Last year, Jorge traveled to Paris, London, Sydney, Barcelona, Cambodia, India and
Greece! Jorge’s family is Columbian, and he had seen his family run around town with
packed suitcases every New Year. Hoping that it would bring him luck and travels, Jorge
had been careful to increase his good fortune by running around his own neighborhood
in Los Angeles. It worked so well, he plans on doing this every year!

If Jorge hadn’t

If Jorge had

C. Lyuba is Ukrainian. She had to catch a 9:00 AM flight to Oslo, and from Oslo to LAX.
Lyuba woke up at 5:30 AM with plenty of time to get ready and make it to the airport.
All her luggage was packed and at 6:45 AM she was already saying goodbye and was out
the door. About 10 minutes later, Lyuba is in her taxi and she realizes she has forgotten
her carry-on! She asks the taxi driver to turn back, but he tells her that she should just
forget about her carry-on. Lyuba insists and she returns to get her carry-on. She ends up
leaving her house, for the second time, at 7:15 AM. Lyuba gets to the airport an hour
later. Ten minutes before 9 AM, the airport announces that all flights are cancelled until
further notice. Finally at 10 PM, the airport announces that the flight for Oslo is ready
for boarding. Lyuba arrives in Oslo the next morning, and of course, she has missed the
connecting flight to Los Angeles. She waits 8 more hours in Oslo and finally boards the
plane bound for LAX. Finally, at LAX, she waits patiently for her luggage. It never shows
up. Lyuba is very jet-lagged and upset because of all her bad luck. But at least she has
her carry-on!

If Lyuba hadn’t

If Lyuba hadn’t

If Lyuba had

If Lyuba had