05. Holidays and Traveling

1. What do y))u do in your holidays?_ For most holidays, I just stay home and rest and enjoy myself, but if it's a particularly long holiday I like to travel. If I stay home I can read and play computer games and do what I like to do. I can spend time with my friends, although often my relatives (ho hang) want me to visit them as well. So there is a lot to do.

2. Do you think holidays are becoming more and more important? _ Not necessarily, holidays have always been important to people. But of course the harder your work, the more important your holiday to you, because you need that relaxation more.

(To be honest, I'm not big on holidays. I don't really like all of the presure and attention that go with them. The honest truth is I do often use holidays as an excuse to get people together (otherwise some won't). I enjoy having fun and spending time with the people I love, and there are some people I only get to see on holidays.
Yes, because it gives you time to be with your family and friends. Many young people live away from their parents, so it's a perfect time for them to get together and have fun.)

3. Do you like to travel in your holidays or free time? _ If it's a long holiday, I love to travel, especially to places I have never been to before; it's an adventure and you see so many great and beautiful and strange things. I really enjoy traveling because when you have a change of scenery (phong canh) and a change of environment for a while, it helps you to relax and is good for your health.

(I love traveling! There are so many places I want to see and so many things I want to do, but lack of funds (thieu tien) has been a big obstacle (chung ngai vat)! One day though I waill travel to the four corners of the world and beyond, with nothing but a knapsack (ba lo) on my back ...
I love travelling, I've been to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. I hope to visit Europe with my husband in the near future.)

4. What kind of places do you like to travel to? _ I like to travel to exotic places, different countries, and places with beautiful natural scenery. However I don't often have the opportunity to go to places like that. So instead I like to go places where I can enjoy myself with my friends and where are fun things to do together.

(I like the mountains myself. Nothing makes me happier than to be exploring (kham pha) a new backwoods trail.
I love to go around the world and explore. But if I were to choose a region (vung), it would be Europe, Every part of Europe interests me. Specifically, I like to go to Rome, Paris and Vatican city. I love to travel - going to new places and seeing things I've never seen before (chua bao gio thay truoc day)). My favorite places to travel to are beaches.)

5. Have you ever been to the seaside? _ Yes, I've had several vacations on the seaside. There is a beach not too far from where my family lives, so every time I go to visit my family, we spend a lot of time on the beach.

6. Why do some people take their holidays at the seaside? _ I guess they like to swim, lie on the sand, tan and go sailing on the sea. Plus there are usually a lot of nice restaurants near the seaside and it is a good opportunity to enjoy fresh seafood.

7. Do you want to live near the sea? _ No, I don't like the sea. It's so salty (man) and deep and there are all kinds of fish and other creatures (sinh vat la) swimming about in it. On the other hand, the air is often quite clean near the sea and the weather very pleasant compared to father inland. So if I was concerned about my health I would probably choose to live near the sea.

Vocabulary:
check-in desk (n)
backpack (n) ba lo
sunbathing (n)

sunbathe (v) tam nang
to get a suntan (v)

suntan lotion (n) kem chong nang
to get away from it all
destination (n)
route (n)
travel agency (n)
tour guide (n)
package holiday (n)
self-catering holiday (n) tu phuc vu
to go sightseeing (v)
board (boat/plane) (n)
hitchhike (v) di nho xe
to set off (v) to start/ to go somewhere.
campsite (n)
tranquil (adj) yen tinh

    tranquil sea; tranquil life.
awesome (adj) dang kinh ngac
stunning (adj) tuyet voi, long lay
courteous (adj) lich su, nha nhan
lobby (n)
adjacent (adj)
frequent (v) hay lui toi
to be located (v)
basic utilities (n)
homely (adj) gian di, chat phat
all year round
to hang out (v) lang thang
disco (n)
spa (n)
cafeteria (n)
maid (n)
guesthouse (n)