📙 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.