Travel mishaps

Colloquial English sections give you a break from the textbook classroom voice. You'll listen to people speaking quickly, using idioms, slang and connected speech — just like in the street, in a café or on the BBC. Today's topic: three travellers tell us about their worst travel disasters.

Tick (✓) anything on this list that has happened to YOU while travelling. Then find someone in the class who has ticked the same box and ask: “Tell me what happened!”

You'll hear three short interviews. Before listening, predict which of these words you'll probably hear and which you won't.

(Spoiler: spaceship and ostrich are not in the recording — everything else is.)

Listen once for gist (general meaning), then again for the detail questions.

A. Listen for gist

1. Which speaker takes the MOST responsibility for what went wrong, and which one blames bad luck the most?Show answer
2. Rank the three stories from MOST to LEAST stressful in the moment, with one piece of evidence each.Show answer
3. What attitude do all three speakers share by the END of their stories?Show answer
4. Which TWO stories end thanks to a stranger's kindness — and how is that different from the first story?Show answer
5. Each speaker uses one colloquial expression as a 'punchline'. Identify it for each story.Show answer

B. Listen for detail

1. Reconstruct the EXACT timeline of speaker 1's morning: what time did she leave home, arrive at the airport, and discover the problem?Show answer
2. The Iceland speaker says they were 'running on fumes'. What does this idiom mean here, and what TWO things were running low at the same moment?Show answer
3. Why didn't the Iceland couple use the satnav as a backup? Give the precise reason mentioned.Show answer
4. On the night train, WHEN exactly did the speaker realise the bag was gone, and what was her first reaction (her own words)?Show answer
5. What practical detail did the embassy provide BEFORE issuing the emergency document, and how did the speaker pay for things in the meantime?Show answer
6. Identify ONE moment in any story where the speaker contradicts or corrects themselves mid-sentence. Why is that typical of natural speech?Show answer
7. What is the implied 'moral' of each story (one sentence each)?Show answer

Match each colloquial expression from the interview to its meaning. Tap to check.

• an absolute nightmareShow answer
• to have a (complete) meltdownShow answer
• to end up + -ingShow answer
• in the middle of nowhereShow answer
• to lose the plotShow answer
• to cost an arm and a legShow answer
• to nick (sth)Show answer
• the lotShow answer
• to sort sb outShow answer
• fingers crossedShow answer

Use it

Complete each sentence with one expression from the box.

1. The taxi from the airport ___. Eighty euros for ten minutes!Show answer
2. We took the wrong road and ___ at a sheep farm.Show answer
3. When she saw the empty boarding gate, she ___ in the middle of the airport.Show answer
4. Someone ___ my backpack on the train — wallet, passport, ___ .Show answer
5. The hostel manager really ___ us ___ when our booking disappeared.Show answer

When native speakers tell stories quickly, they squeeze words together. This is called connected speech. You don't need to copy it, but you DO need to recognise it.

Tip: NEVER write “gonna” or “shoulda” in formal writing — emails, essays, exams. They only belong in speech, texts, and dialogue in fiction.

Solo task — record a 90-second voice note (phone or laptop) telling the story of your worst travel mishap. You MUST use at least FIVE expressions from section 4. Then listen back and tick which ones you actually used.

Now record the SAME story again in exactly 30 seconds. Keep the punchline. Drop everything else. You MUST still land at least THREE colloquial expressions from section 4. Compare both recordings — which one sounds more natural?

Turn your story into a 100-word Instagram caption. Start with a hook line, use at least three colloquial expressions, and finish with a one-line lesson learned.