Travelling essay

11. TRAVELLING

Travelling means going from one place to another for some time. People travel for many reasons.
It is a good way to learn new things, to understand other cultures, traditions, and languages.

When people want to relax, they travel for a holiday. Popular destinations are exotic countries where people can lie by the sea and enjoy night life at the parties. They can also meet new people, taste local meals and admire history and culture, natural beauty and historical monuments.
Some people travel because of education. Many students go abroad for some time to try another educational system and to gain more experience in their studying programs. They usually return with new language skills and they are able to find a better job. A lot of people need to travel to work, because they have not many job opportunities in their homelands.
Travelling for fun is popular nowadays. People in the past didn’t have much money to travel and also they have problems with government if they wanted to go abroad.
In English we use many expressions for travelling. For example, journey, trip, voyage or expedition.

Before our travel we should organize some important things. Some people make an itinerary. An itinerary is the plan of travel. Firstly, we have to decide how to get to the destination. Than we should have valid passport and visa. We can also change money, but it is good not to carry a lot of cash with us, so it is better to take a credit card. It is important to know local customs in order to know how to behave in foreign country. Moreover, we should take some other information about the country. For example, we should know about people who live there, about language and cuisine. If we travel to exotic destination, we should ask our doctor for advice about necessary medicaments or vaccinations. Before travel we can also ask neighbours to oversee our house or flat when we are away.

TRANSPORT - doprava
Car is the most common way of transport. Almost every family nowadays owns a car. Although only a few people can travel in one car, they don’t have to follow timetable, they aren’t limited by anything. You can stop whenever, wherever and for however long you want. They have privacy in their car. They can leave whenever they want or they can make a small trip if the destination is boring.

Disadvantages are that people have to take care of the car and make sure there is enough petrol and oil. There could be traffic jams on the roads. It is difficult if your car breaks down in another country. It is very expensive to rent a car, and you also have to pay insurance. It is one of the most dangerous kinds of transport because drivers can fall asleep if they drive for too long. Drivers are responsible for others. They need a garage and if they haven’t got one they have to park it in front of the house or hotel and it can be stolen.

Coaches/ buses – advantages are comfort, you can watch TV, sleep, lean read, watch the countryside, get to know new people and it is quite fast. It is also cheap.
Disadvantages are that you have to wait at the stop, you have to follow the timetable, you can’t stop whenever you want, you have to book a seat on a coach the day before your departure, you have to sit in one place for a long time, you don’t have privacy, and you can feel sick.

Plane: advantages are that it is the fastest kind of transport, most comfortable, convenient for long distances, the safest. On a plane meals and drinks are served. Airports are well-organized, usually not very crowded and not noisy.
Disadvantages are that it is the most expensive kind of transport, you have to book a seat before your flight, you have to get another kind of transport to get to the airport, airports are only in big cities, your luggage can be lost, the flight can be cancelled because of weather or someone can hijack your plane.

Boat/ ship: advantages are that it is very comfortable, you can get food and drinks there, there are bars, casino, theatre, swimming pool, night parties and it’s like sailing hotel.
Disadvantages are that a ship can wreck somewhere in the ocean, you can feel seasick, you have to book the ticket long time before, it can be uncomfortable because of weather.

Trains: advantages are that you can have your own compartment, it is fast, comfortable, there is a sleeping coach, restaurant coach, you can walk in the corridor, stand by the window.
Disadvantages are that it is quite expensive, dirty, noisy, crowded and depending on the timetable, you don’t have privacy.

TRAVELING NOWADAYS, IN THE PAST AND IN THE FUTURE – cestovanie v minulosti, súčasnosti a budúcnosti
Many years ago, people used to travel on horseback or in carriages pulled by horses, and it took them several weeks or days to reach their destination. Often their journeys were very dangerous and they travel under threat of being attacked by outlaws, locals, gangs or pirates (during their sea voyages)
Their journeys were aimed at finding a job, visiting relatives or delivering a message, but mostly not for fun. Today, tourism is a part of the service or tertiary sector of a country’s economy.

Travelling abroad today is much easier than it was in the past. People who live in the European Union do not need visa or even passports when they travel to the countries of the union, they only need their identity cards. However, there are countries outside the EU which we still need visa to go there. People usually travel abroad for holidays but very dilated, especially amongst young people, is travelling for study or for work. More and more secondary school and university students spend a year or a semester abroad. It is one of the greatest ways to learn something about country, language and culture. Very popular also is working abroad because there are better paid jobs and more opportunities. And also travelling abroad for holidays has many advantages and will be also great experience. Longer-term trends, including a rise in global wealth, improving transport technology, cheaper flights and the use of the Internet as a travel tool will make it possible for more people around the world to travel than ever before.

People nowadays travel mostly for pleasure. They can spend their holidays in different destinations. We can choose a mountain region, a holiday by the sea, interesting, exotic and remote places and much more. Activities depend on destination, customer and also the personality of the traveller. It’s up to our wishes and dreams. We can choose hiking or climbing in mountains, in winter also skiing and snowboarding. In summer we prefer relaxing by the sea, swimming, sunbathing on the beach. For excitement there are many adrenalin-based activities like sphering, river bugs, cliff jumping, rafting, scuba diving and others. People choose these activities because they feel free and it’s funny. Nowadays it is also modern to give an adventure holiday as a gift to someone. Today’s tourists are leaving the European style hotels for more authentic experiences, like horse riding through the bush. Sitting by the fire at night after a typical dinner of meat stew, pumpkin leaves and wild spinach, they listen to the local people telling folk stories.

Future tourists will also want to do different things. While sun-and-sea tourism still dominates, overcrowding and time pressures mean that the standard two-week holiday is becoming less popular. Rather than spending two weeks on a beach, Americans and Europeans take shorter but more varied trips, causing the rapid development of adventure travel, ecotourism, cultural tours, spa holidays, cruises and sports vacations in ever more distant places. Western travellers choose more exotic, individualised experiences. However, in the future people may not be restricted to holidays on Earth.

VIRTUAL TOURISM – virtuálna turistika
A virtual tour is a simulation of an existing location, usually composed of a sequence of video images. They also may use other multimedia elements such as sound effects, music, narration, and text. Virtual tours can be especially useful for universities and in the real-estate industry, looking to attract prospective students and tenants/buyers, respectively, eliminating for the consumer the cost of travel to numerous individual locations. With the expansion of video on the internet, video-based virtual tours are growing in popularity. Virtual tours can also allow tourists to see and explore locations to assess whether they would like to visit a region, city or specific site prior to physically travelling there.

SPACE TOURISM – vesmírny turizmus
This is ordinary members of the public buying tickets to travel to space and back. Many people find this idea futuristic. Many people are prepared to save much money to get the chance to visit space and stay in an orbital hotel. For them space is an extremely exciting place to go to and it also represents the future of the human race. Hotels in orbit will probably offer the services you expect from a hotel - private rooms, meals, bars. But they'll also offer two unique experiences: views - of the Earth and space - and the endless entertainment of living in Zero-G - including sports and other activities that make use of this. And there are further possibilities such as space-walking.

ECOTOURISM - ekoturizmus
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting protected areas, intended as a low-impact and often mall scale alternative to standard commercial (mass) tourism. Its purpose may be to educate the traveller, to provide funds for ecological conservation, to directly benefit the economic development and political empowerment of local communities, or to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights. Generally, ecotourism focuses on socially responsible travel, personal growth, and environmental sustainability. Ecotourism typically involves travel to destinations where flora, fauna, and cultural heritage are the primary attractions. Ecotourism is intended to offer tourists insight into the impact of human beings on the environment, and to foster a greater appreciation of our natural habitats. Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the negative aspects of conventional tourism on the environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, an integral part of ecotourism is the promotion of recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation, and creation of economic opportunities for local communities. For these reasons, ecotourism often appeals to advocates of environmental and social responsibility.