📙 Part 2: Describe a long journey you had and would like to take again

This episode's vocabulary

Stand Out (phrasal verb) – To be clearly noticeable or memorable. → One journey really stands out in my memory.

Go It Alone (idiom) – To do something without other people. → I had to go it alone when my friend couldn’t come.

Pack A Book (verb phrase) – To take a book with you for a journey. → I packed a book to read on the train.

Lock In (phrasal verb, informal) – To concentrate fully on a task. → I managed to lock in and focus on my work.

Lesson Plans (noun) – Detailed outlines of what will be taught in a class. → I wrote lesson plans during the journey.

Organise Files (verb phrase) – To put documents in order. → I organised my files while travelling.

First Class (noun) – The most comfortable and expensive travel option. → I was sitting in first class for the journey.

Catering Service (noun phrase) – Food and drink provided during travel. → The catering service included free meals.

Unwind (verb) – To relax after stress or work. → The journey helped me unwind properly.

Upgrade (verb) – To move to a higher level of service. → It didn’t cost much to upgrade to first class.

Smooth Journey (noun phrase) – A trip without problems or delays. → The whole thing was a smooth journey from start to finish.

Solo Travel (noun phrase) – Travelling alone. → Solo travel can be surprisingly enjoyable.

Travel Comfort (noun phrase) – The level of ease and relaxation while travelling. → Travel comfort matters more to me now.

Time Well Spent (phrase) – Time used in a useful or enjoyable way. → Working on the train felt like time well spent.

Repeat Experience (noun phrase) – Something you would like to do again. → It’s definitely a repeat experience for me.

Questions and Answers

Maria: You should say when, where you went, who you had the journey with, why you had the journey and explain why you'd like to have it again.

Rory: Well, I've taken a lot of these in my time and enjoyed them. But one that stands out really clearly in my mind is when I went to London at the end of May, well, this year, 2025, for Mighty Hoopla, which is a music festival in Brixton, a part of the city in the South. When it comes to who I went with, it was supposed to be with my best friend, but unfortunately, he wasn't feeling well. So I had to go it alone.

You'd think that would make for a pretty dull trip. But thankfully, I packed a book and my laptop with me. So here I was able to actually do quite a few things on my way down South. I was actually incredibly productive now I think about it, even more than I'd planned to be since it was just me in a single seat in first class. So I was able to lock in and really focus. I wrote out lesson plans and organised my files from work and then for my upcoming trip to Oxford. Oh, and I got to email various people involved in different projects. Not only was I able to do work, or at least my work in peace, but I managed to get some entertainment in as well. I watched a few videos on my laptop and played video games, all in this big comfy chair that I had to myself. I'd swapped it with people who were sitting next to me because they wanted to sit next together and I didn't have anybody to sit next to.

On top of everything else that I talked about, this was first class, so I got a catering service which served free meals and drinks on a regular basis throughout the day. This trip takes a few hours, so it's kind of necessary. I hadn't done that before, but my friend had arranged it for me. So I was very grateful for that. It meant that despite the inauspicious start, I could actually unwind for once. That's part of the reason I'd like to do it again. It was a really pleasant experience all round and it didn't cost a great deal to upgrade to first class. So whenever I get the chance, I always try to do that now.

If I hadn't been able to do that, it would have been decidedly less relaxing. The train was absolutely mobbed and people in economy were being loud and obnoxious. So that would have been just horrendous.

Discussion

Maria: Yay! Thank you, Roy, for your story.

Rory: Hopefully, it took you on a journey through vocabulary and grammar.

Maria: So, dear listener, a long journey you had. Journey meaning like a trip. A long trip you had and would like to take again. So you can talk about, I don’t know, your holiday. Maybe you travelled somewhere, right? On holiday or by plane, by boat, by car, or just maybe it was a short trip to the countryside.

Rory: Maybe the trip that you took to get to your IELTS exam because some people have to travel a very long way.

Maria: Yeah, I'd like to take it again.

Rory: Maybe not for IELTS next time.

Maria: And you can start off with, I've taken a lot of trips, but one that stands out really clearly in my mind is when I went to London. So, you know, like, I have taken a lot of trips, but the one I remember vividly, the one I really remember in my mind clearly, so the structure is like, but one that stands out, one meaning trip, journey, but one that stands out clearly in my mind is when I went to London, when I travelled by car, when I went to my family in the countryside. And Rory talked about May, Mighty Hoopla, which is a music festival in Brixton, so in Great Britain, right? So he went to this festival the second time, right? It was your second time.

Rory: I think it was my third time, actually.

Maria: Oh, your third time.

Rory: Yeah, first time using first class though.

Maria: And we change the topic, when it comes to who I went with. I had to do it alone.

Rory: I had to go it alone. You could do it alone, but you could also go it alone, but that just means you did it by yourself.

Maria: You might think it was a dull trip because I was alone.

Rory: But I didn't. I had a great time.

Maria: Yeah, but I had a great time. I had packed a book, past perfect, because I had packed a book and my laptop with me, so I was busy on my way. I was incredibly productive on my way then, so I was like very productive. I was even more productive than I planned. Wow. It was just me in the first class. I was able to lock in and really focus. So Rory locked himself in. He locked the door. He didn't allow anyone in.

Rory: Didn't lock the door. Maybe I locked the door of my mind. If you lock in, you're concentrating.

Maria: Yeah, I was able to lock in, so I was able to concentrate and focus. Yeah, it's actually a good idea to work on the train, because you've got nowhere to go, and you can really get things done. I wrote out plans. I organised my files. I emailed different people. So yeah. Or dear listener, you can say that I was travelling with friends. We had fun. We played board games. We were drinking. We were laughing. Yeah, so past continuous. Or we were sleeping all the way there. Rory used inversion. Not only was I able to do my work, but I also managed to get some entertainment.

Rory: It's been a while since we dropped inversion into this.

Maria: Yeah, I know.

Rory: Not only this, but also that.

Maria: Yeah, so I was able to do my work and I had some fun. So we asked a question. Not only was I able to do my work, but I also did that. I watched some videos on my laptop. I played video games. How long was the journey? It seems like two days.

Rory: I think it was six hours or so. That's a long journey for me, because in this country, it usually takes you two hours to get anywhere.

Maria: On top of that, so that means that we are adding.

Rory: In addition.

Maria: Yeah, in addition. But you know, in speaking, we should use informal phrases. So in addition is a bit formal. Furthermore, but on top of that, besides also, I got a catering service.

Rory: Yes.

Maria: So Rory was served meals and drinks on a regular basis throughout the day. So he was eating and drinking all six hours. I hadn't done it before. So past perfect, I booked this trip and I hadn't done it before. So it was the first time I had ever travelled in where, where, where, where, where did you travel?

Rory: London to Brixton in London. I was in business class or first class, I should say. Yes.

Maria: I was really grateful for that because my friend had arranged it for me. Past perfect again. So I was very grateful, thankful because my friend (before) had arranged it for me. So first action, my friend arranged, and then I was grateful. So please make sure once or twice you do use past perfect to show a range of grammar structures. I could actually unwind for once. Unwind, relax.

Rory: It's difficult to unwind on the train usually, because there's so much happening.

Maria: C2, dear listener, band nine vocabulary unwind. So relax. Oh no, C1 in this meaning. Relax. Allow your mind to be free from worry. Watching videos helped me to unwind or I could really unwind for once on a train. Roy, you've used this interesting word. In a what?

Rory: Oh, inauspicious.

Maria: Yeah.

Rory: Do you not know what that means?

Maria: Well, showing signs that something will not be successful or positive.

Rory: Yes. So my friend couldn't make it because he was sick. And I was like, oh God, it was just going to be me by myself. But then it turned into, oh, it's me by myself.

Maria: Yeah. And very often we say like after an inauspicious start, we won the game, right? So at the start, it didn't seem successful or positive, but then we won. So after an inauspicious start and I'd like to do it again because I could unwind. It was a really pleasant experience all around. So throughout the journey, it didn't cost a great deal to upgrade to first class. So I upgraded my trip. Oh, wow. Interesting. I thought like first class is normally pretty expensive.

Rory: No, it was actually okay.

Maria: So I got the chance to try it. It was very relaxing, pleasant. And usually people on the train are loud and obnoxious, like annoying.

Rory: They were definitely loud.

Maria: Unpleasant, rude, obnoxious, loud. So you can't really relax. But that trip was great.

Rory: Quality even, you could say.

Maria: Yeah, it was a quality. I had some quality time.

Rory: It was a quality day.

Maria: Right, dear listeners, so you should decide what trip I want to talk about. Like the card says long journey, six hours, eight hours, a day, two days. Maybe you travelled somewhere for a week. Well, by train, for example.

Rory: It could be a cruise.

Maria: Yeah. So like anything. Thank you very much for listening and we'll get back to you in our next episode. Okay? Bye!

Rory: Bye!

Make sure to subscribe to our social media to see some of the “behind the scenes” stuff:

Our Instagram: bit.ly/instagramswi

Our Telegram: bit.ly/telegramswi