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Views #1421 | Intermediate (B1)

Traveling with Kids

John talks about traveling with kids and how it differs from traveling alone or without children.

Sarah: Okay, John. I was curious about a trip you've taken. Have you ever taken a really, really awesome trip?

John: Yeah. I've been on a lot of awesome trips but I didn't know that trips could be so awesome until I went with my kids.

Sarah: Really? It went well?

John: Oh yeah. It went very well. It's more fun, I think to take kids with on a trip.

Sarah: Where did you go?

John: I went to Thailand.

Sarah: Wow.

John: My first trip with a kid was with my daughter to Thailand. We did everything. We rode on elephants in Chiang Mai, and we went down south and went to the beach. I wasn't worried about anything because of having kids with us. Yeah.

So I wonder what would have been different if I didn't have kids. I probably would have stayed up too late, and I wouldn't have woken up in the morning. In that way, I think kids can help you have a better vacation. You can use your time better because kids are definitely going to wake up early. So you can't waste the morning.

Sarah: You said you rode an elephant.

John: Yes.

Sarah: With your daughter? Didn't you think that was dangerous?

John: Well, I was nervous about it at first. I thought, maybe it would be too dangerous but we had very good guides to help us. So I asked the elephant trainers, "Do you think it's safe enough for my daughter to ride the elephants?" And the trainers told us, yes, it would be very safe. And the trainers were right there with us together, from the start to the end. So there was never any risk.

Sarah: Was there anything that you wanted to do but you decided you couldn't do it?

John: Well, maybe there are some things that younger people would do if they don't have kids like going out to a dance club late at night. But I wasn't too interested in doing that anyway, so I don't consider that I missed it. Besides a dance club late at night, I don't think there's anything else I skipped. Maybe an amusement park. When you have a baby or a toddler, you can't go to an amusement park and go on a roller coaster. But after the kids are older, you can do that, too.

Sarah: So when you went to Thailand, you had one daughter, do you have more kids now?

John: Yes. Now, I have a daughter and a son.

Sarah: Is it hard to travel with two kids?

John: Oh, it's a little harder than traveling with one kid but it's not twice as hard. There are two kids now but it's not twice as hard as traveling with one kid. Also, you find that lots of people want to help you. So if you have too many bags, for example, someone will help you carry your bags. Or if you need to feed your kids because babies can't feed themselves, right, well you just have to learn some skills like give one kid some toys while you feed the first child and then switch. So give toys to the other kid and feed the second one. So you learn lots of tricks like that so you can make traveling easier.

Sarah: Well, it sounds like you have a great time traveling with your kids. Thanks for telling me about it.

John: Oh yeah. I want to go on more trips with my kids. I can't wait for our next vacation.

Answer these questions about the interview.
Audio Lessons about Phrases and Vocabulary

curious

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I was curious about a trip you've taken.

When you are curious about something, you want more information about it. Notice the following:

  1. I was very curious as a child.
  2. She was curious about his past history.

guide

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We had very good guides to help us.

A guide is a person who helps people by showing them things in a new area. Notice the following:

  1. I had a nice guide on my tour.
  2. I would love to be a travel guide.

trainer

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I asked the elephant trainers.

A trainer is a person who controls animals and coaches them to do things. Notice the following:

  1. There were many animal trainers at the circus.
  2. I always wanted to be a horse trainer.

toddler

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When you have a toddler, you can't go to an amusement park.

A toddler is a young child, usually about two to four years old. Notice the following:

  1. Our son is still a toddler.
  2. Toddlers are very hard to teach.

skip

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I don't think there's anything else I skipped.

When you skip something, you do not do it out of choice. Notice the following:

  1. I skipped class a lot in college.
  2. I try to skip over commercials when I record TV shows.

feed

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Babies can't feed themselves.

When you feed something or someone, you give it food or material. Notice the following:

  1. I need to feed my dog.
  2. What time do you feed your baby?

Vocabulary Quiz

guide • trainer • curious
feed • skip • toddler
  1. He is about the stars.
  2. My daughter is three, still a .
  3. Let's lunch. I am not hungry.
  4. Can you my cat while I am gone ?
  5. I used to be a dog .
  6. I hired a bilingual on my trip.


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Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
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