A Trip ThatWent Wrong
Storytelling practice · travel mishaps
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking
What's the worst (or funniest) thing that's ever happened to you on a trip? Just 30 seconds.
What are three things you ALWAYS pack? What's something you regret NOT packing once?
Have you ever almost missed a flight, train or bus? Tell the story briefly.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minStorytelling tenses — putting it all together
A natural past story usually uses three tools at once.
→ We were waiting at the gate when they announced the delay.
→ First of all, the taxi didn't show up. Then, while we were trying to call another one, it started pouring with rain.
→ By the time we finally got to the airport, the check-in had closed.
→ Eventually, they put us on a flight the next morning — and that's how we ended up sleeping in the terminal.
More detail
(1) Past Simple for the main events in order. (2) Past Continuous for background, atmosphere and interrupted actions. (3) Time linkers to glue everything together. Add reaction phrases and direct speech for life: 'I was like, no way!'
Question 1.We ____ (queue) for hours when they finally ____ (open) the gates.
Question 2.____ we got to the hotel, our room ____ already given away.
Question 3.We ____ (eat) on a tiny terrace ____ the storm started.
Question 4.____, after three buses and a long walk, we made it.
Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.
1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.
Quick check 1.Pick the most natural opening for a travel-mishap story.
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
to set off
to start a journey
"We set off at dawn to beat the traffic."
What time do you usually set off in the morning?
to get stuck
to be unable to move or leave
"We got stuck in traffic for 2 hours."
Last time you got stuck somewhere?
to end up + -ing
to finally be doing something, often unexpectedly
"We ended up sleeping in the airport."
Finish: 'On my last trip I ended up…'
a nightmare
informal: a very bad experience
"The whole journey was a nightmare."
Describe a travel nightmare in 30 seconds.
a complete disaster
a total mess / failure
"The picnic was a complete disaster — it poured."
Name something that was a complete disaster recently.
to lose track of time
to not notice how much time has passed
"I lost track of time in the museum."
Where do you lose track of time?
off the beaten track
away from tourist places, less known
"We stayed in a tiny village off the beaten track."
Name one off-the-beaten-track place you'd recommend.
to make it (just) in time
to arrive at the last possible moment
"We made it just in time for boarding."
When did you last make it just in time?
Discuss with a partner
- →Tell a 60-second travel-nightmare story.
- →Share a hidden, off-the-beaten-track place you love.
Finish the sentence about you
- The worst travel day I had was when …
- I made it just in time …
- We ended up …
Rank & justify
Rank these travel nightmares from worst → least bad.
- missing a flight
- losing luggage
- getting food poisoning
- no Wi-Fi for a week
60-second write
Write a 4-sentence travel story using 3 of today's phrases.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minIntonation for dramatic storytelling
- • ↘ So, picture this: ↘ we were waiting at the gate…
- • ↗ When SUDDENLY, the lights went out!
- • ↘ Honestly, ↘ it was a complete disaster.
- • ↗ And the next thing I knew, ↗ everyone was cheering.
- • ↘ In the end, we made it home. ↘ Just.
How to say it
Good storytellers vary their intonation. Drop the voice low for setup ('So, we were just sitting there…'), raise pitch on the surprise ('and SUDDENLY…'), then drop for the punchline ('…and that's how we ended up sleeping in the airport'). Pauses are as important as words.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minLost in the wrong country
Two summers ago, my friend Lara and I set off on what was supposed to be a relaxing five-day trip to Bratislava. We were exhausted at the airport and didn't really check the screens. While we were dozing on the plane, I noticed the announcement was in a language I didn't recognise. As soon as we landed, we realised — we'd boarded a flight to Bucharest. Different city. Different country. Honestly, it was a complete disaster at first. But we ended up staying three nights in Romania, completely off the beaten track, and it became one of the best trips of my life. In hindsight, sleeping through the boarding call was the best mistake I've ever made.
Question 1.Where did they plan to go?
Question 2.What was their mistake?
Question 3.How did the trip end?
Q1.They noticed the mistake before take-off.
Q2.They stayed three nights in Romania.
Q3.The writer regrets the trip.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minThe road trip from hell
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Sofia:Okay, you have to tell me about the road trip. Was it as bad as your texts said?
Ben:Honestly? Worse. We set off at six in the morning, and within two hours, the car broke down.
Sofia:Oh no. Where were you?
Ben:Completely off the beaten track. No signal, no shops, nothing. We were just standing on this empty road like, 'now what?'
Sofia:Please tell me someone stopped.
Ben:Eventually, this old farmer turned up with a tow truck. We ended up having lunch at his house, made it to the coast just in time for sunset. So… honestly, kind of magic in the end.
Question 1.What happened two hours after setting off?
Question 2.Where exactly were they?
Question 3.How does Ben describe the ending?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET — Speaking Part 2: extended individual turn
Task
Talk for about a minute about a topic such as 'a journey you remember'. The examiner wants connected speech, not a list of facts.
Strategy
Plan a SHAPE in your head, not a script: (1) when & where (2) what was happening (3) what went wrong / what changed (4) how it ended (5) how you feel about it now. Use at least 3 linkers and 1 reaction phrase.
Example
Strong opener: 'I'll never forget the time my flight got cancelled at midnight…' — then follow your shape. The structure makes you sound fluent even when you pause to think.
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.We ____ (set) off at dawn and ____ (drive) for ten hours.
Question 2.The roads were closed, so we got completely ____ in a tiny village.
Question 3.Honestly, the queue at security was ____.
Question 4.We ____ (talk) for so long that we ____ (lose) track of time.
Question 5.____, after a four-hour delay, we boarded the plane.
Q1.Correct: 'We were ended up sleeping in the airport.'
Q2.Complete: 'By the time we ____ (arrive), the museum ____ (close).'
Q3.Reorder: 'just / made / time / in / it / we' →
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 90–110-word travel-mishap story called 'The trip that went wrong (and right).' Use Past Simple, Past Continuous AND at least 3 linkers. Include one reaction phrase and finish with how you feel about it now.
Show model answer
Last spring, my cousin and I set off on a weekend trip to the coast. First of all, our train was cancelled, so we ended up on a four-hour bus. While we were standing in the queue for tickets, it started pouring with rain — a complete disaster. By the time we arrived, our hostel had given our room away. Eventually, the owner offered us his daughter's old caravan in the garden. It was tiny, but honestly, we lost track of time, stayed up half the night talking, and made it just in time for breakfast. In hindsight, the best 48 hours of the year.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
TWO-MINUTE TRAVEL STORY: Each student gets 60 seconds of silent prep, then tells a 2-minute real (or 80% real) travel-mishap story. Listener must count linkers + reaction phrases used. After both turns, partner asks 3 follow-up questions and retells the story in 30 seconds.
Useful phrases
- • So, picture this: …
- • We were just + -ing when…
- • By the time we…, …
- • In the end / Eventually, …
- • Honestly, it was a nightmare / complete disaster.
- • Looking back, it was actually…
- ASo how was the holiday in Greece?
- B_______________
- AHa! Tell me one thing that went wrong.
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Bring Unit 2 together: students should leave able to tell a real 2-minute story. ~30 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Record a 90-second travel-mishap story using Past Simple + Past Continuous + at least 3 linkers.
Write 8 sentences telling a real or invented trip-that-went-wrong story.
Watch a 2–3 min travel vlog in English and note 3 linkers + 2 reaction phrases the speaker uses.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Mix Past Simple + Past Continuous for stories with depth.
- Glue events with linkers: first of all, while, as soon as, by the time, in the end.
- Travel vocab: set off, get stuck, end up + -ing, off the beaten track.
- Use intonation: low for setup, high for surprise, low for punchline.
- Strong stories follow a shape: setting → action → twist → ending → reflection.