SPEAKING EXAM PRACTICE –

HOLIDAYS

PART 1
You’re members of a big family trying to decide where to spend your next holiday. You don’t have a
lot of money and you don’t want to travel far from home. You’ve read three texts that talk about
different types of holiday. Tell your family the most important points of your text. After you’ve
listened to each other, decide together the best kind of holiday for your family.

STUDENT A
Couchsurfing
Adam is on a mission: to visit every country in the world without paying for a hotel room. As a
member of couchsurfing.com, he uses the expanding online directory of people offering travellers a
free place to stay. Since its foundation in 2004, the site has attracted more than 500,000 users, living
across the world from the South Pole to Iraq.
The couchsurfing process is simple: you click on your destination on the website's map and a list of
local members appears. Members' profiles give you an idea of their personality, interests and
objectives for using the site. Travellers can then email whoever they like to ask for a place to stay,
and the host decides to agree or not. Those that can't offer a couch may offer to meet for dinner, a
drink or a day out instead.

When it comes to safety, Couchsurfing has the most advanced precautions, allowing users to verify
their identity through a small credit card payment or through established members. Hospitality Club
advises members to exchange passport numbers, and almost all sites have a reference system
where hosts and guests post short reviews of their experiences.

(Adapted from: www.guardian.co.uk)

STUDENT B
House swapping
House swapping is the practice that refers to the exchange of homes on a temporary or more
permanent basis. Home exchange can cover any type of residence including apartments, houses,
holiday cottages, boats, or recreational vehicles. It can include an exchange of the entire home or just
a room. Home exchanges are usually arranged via specific types of social networking services, most
of which charge a fee.
Summer is traditionally the high season for house swapping. It allows families to try a location for a
short period of time while saving money compared to the traditional vacation costs. It's estimated that
families can save approximately $5,000 by swapping their homes instead of booking hotels and
rental cars, although the perception and description of the home are not always realistic, and some
people may be uncomfortable with others using their home.
Not all travelers are interested in house swapping only to save money, but they also see it as a way
of meeting local people, seeing relatively untouristed regions and experiencing local culture. The
internet has made the process of finding a swap significantly easier with a growing number of
websites dedicated to house swapping.

(Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org)

STUDENT C
Volunteer travel & holiday
Giving something back to the world can be a very satisfying and life changing experience. Our
volunteer travel options and volunteering holidays are with specialists and responsible operators who
support local communities and the environment. There are many options to choose from, normally
related to animals, people and natural habitats.
Our projects on the Galapagos Islands, for example, are helping to repair and conserve the natural
habitat so that endemic fauna can grow. Our project is on San Cristobal Island where we work in
partnership with the Galapagos National Park and in consultation with a local NGO. There is an
enormous amount of work to be done: tasks vary from doing surveys, identifying and counting native
species and eradicating introduced plants.
However, it’s not all work and no play! Weekends are free to explore some of the sites around the
island, and to visit the nearby towns and villages for a taste of the local lifestyle.
As for the duration, we’d encourage anyone working with people to stay a month or more, to give you
the chance to build up relationships and move beyond any training you might need. Conversely, if
you’re planting trees, it doesn’t matter if you stay a day or a month.

(Adapted from: www.responsibletravel.com)

PART 2

Discuss and exchange opinions on the following topics:

  Have you ever considered going on holidays to “help the others”?

  Have you ever tried couchsurfing or house swapping? Why (not)?
 Should there be special hotels for families with children so that they don’t disturb other
 travellers?
  Would you like to go on holidays on your own?
 Which do you think is the most rewarding type of holidays one can go on?