A Trip ThatWent Wrong
Storytelling practice — travel mishaps
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking
In 30 seconds, name your worst travel experience. One sentence per partner.
Have you ever lost something on a trip? What? Did you get it back?
Plane delays, missed trains, lost luggage, dodgy hotels — which is the worst?
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minBuilding a story: tenses + linkers together
A B1 anecdote uses three tools: 1) Past Simple for main events (We arrived, I lost, they laughed).
→ I was waiting at the gate when they announced the delay.
→ By the time we landed, my suitcase had vanished.
→ While the taxi driver was arguing, I was checking the map.
→ In the end, we laughed about it for years.
More detail
2) Past Continuous for background (It was raining, I was waiting). 3) Time linkers to connect them (when, while, as soon as, by the time, eventually, in the end). Best stories also use direct emotion: 'I couldn't believe it.' 'I was furious.' 'I just stood there.' Move quickly between actions — too much background slows the story.
Question 1.We ____ the train when the doors closed.
Question 2.____ ____ ____ I checked in, the flight was already boarding.
Question 3.I ____ my passport in the hotel lobby.
Question 4.____ we ____ for the bus, it started to pour.
Question 5.In the ____, everything turned out fine.
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.
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 miss a flight/train
be too late to catch it
"We missed our train by two minutes."
Have you ever missed a flight or train?
to get lost
not know where you are
"We got lost in the old town."
Where was the last place you got lost?
to break down
stop working (vehicles)
"Our car broke down in the mountains."
Has a vehicle ever broken down on you?
to end up
finally arrive at a result
"We ended up sleeping at the airport."
Finish: 'I ended up…'
delayed
happening later than planned
"Our flight was delayed by 6 hours."
What's the longest delay you've experienced?
a nightmare
very bad experience (informal)
"Getting through customs was a nightmare."
Name one thing that's always a nightmare.
to look back on
remember a past event
"Now I look back on it and laugh."
What past trip do you look back on fondly?
to make the most of
use something well despite problems
"It rained all week, but we made the most of it."
When did you last make the most of a bad situation?
Discuss with a partner
- →Tell a 'we ended up…' story.
- →Describe a delay or breakdown that turned into a memory.
Finish the sentence about you
- It was a complete nightmare when… …
- We ended up… …
- Now I look back on it and… …
60-second write
Write 4 sentences about a trip that went slightly wrong.
Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minStorytelling intonation — rising tension, falling resolution
- • We were just leaving ↗ when the taxi ↘ broke down.
- • I checked my pocket ↗ — and the passport ↘ was gone.
- • By the time we arrived ↗, the hotel ↘ was closed.
- • And in the end ↗, we slept ↘ on the floor.
How to say it
Good storytellers raise their pitch as drama builds, then drop sharply at the punchline. Practise: 'We were sitting there ↗, the rain was getting heavier ↗, and SUDDENLY ↘ — the bus drove past us.' The fall on 'past us' delivers the joke.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minThree days in Naples (sort of)
We booked a long weekend in Naples. It started badly: the flight was delayed by five hours, and by the time we landed it was 2 a.m. While we were queueing for a taxi, my friend realised she'd left her wallet on the plane. After 40 minutes of arguing, the airport staff eventually returned it. The next morning, our hotel had no record of our booking. We ended up sleeping in a smaller place around the corner — which, honestly, was nicer. On day two, the metro broke down while we were heading to Pompeii. We walked, got lost, and accidentally found the best pizza of the trip. Looking back on it, the disasters made the trip. Now we tell the story every time we meet.
Question 1.How long was the flight delayed?
Question 2.What did the friend leave on the plane?
Question 3.How does the writer feel now?
Q1.The hotel had their booking.
Q2.The metro worked perfectly.
Q3.They found great pizza by accident.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minTwo travellers swap disaster stories
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Mia:Worst trip you've ever had — go.
Ben:Easy. Iceland, three years ago. Our car broke down in the middle of nowhere.
Mia:Did you have a signal?
Ben:Zero. We were waiting for nearly four hours when a farmer finally stopped.
Mia:And he helped?
Ben:He towed us to his farm, gave us soup, and we ended up staying the night. Look back on it now — best part of the holiday.
Mia:Wow. I missed my flight to Madrid once and slept in a terminal, but yours is way better.
Question 1.Where did the car break down?
Question 2.Who helped them?
Question 3.How does Ben feel about it now?
Question 1.Mia's worst experience was:
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET — Speaking Part 4 (extended response)
Task
Tell the examiner about a trip that went wrong, for 1 minute, without stopping.
Strategy
Plan 3 chunks: setup (where + when), problem (what went wrong, in Past Continuous + Past Simple), resolution (how it ended + how you feel about it now). End strong: 'Now I look back on it and laugh.' Use 2 idioms (nightmare, end up, make the most of) for higher marks.
Example
Two summers ago, I went to Rome with my best friend. It was a complete nightmare at first — our flight was delayed, and by the time we got to the hotel, it was 1 a.m. and our room wasn't ready. While we were waiting in the lobby, we got chatting to another stranded couple and ended up going out for pizza together. Now I look back on it and that's the part I remember most.
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.We ____ ____ sleeping at the airport.
Question 2.The whole trip was a complete ____.
Question 3.Our flight was ____ by six hours.
Question 4.I look ____ ____ it and laugh now.
Question 5.We ____ the most ____ a difficult situation.
Q1.Past Continuous + Simple: 'wait at gate — they announce delay' →
Q2.Use 'by the time': 'arrive / hotel closed' →
Q3.End the story: 'In the end, we…'
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 140-word travel story called 'A trip I'll never forget'. Use Past Simple, Past Continuous, 3+ time linkers and 2 phrases from today's vocab.
Show model answer
Last summer, my friend and I drove to the coast for a long weekend. Everything was going well until, halfway there, our car broke down in the middle of nowhere. We had no signal. While we were waiting on the roadside, the sun was setting and we were starting to panic. After almost two hours, a kind couple stopped and offered to drive us to the nearest town. We ended up staying in a tiny guesthouse run by their cousin. The next morning, our car was fixed and we made the most of one short day at the beach. Now I look back on that trip and the breakdown is the only part I really remember. It turned a normal weekend into a story we still tell.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
DISASTER SWAP · Pairs. Each partner tells their best 'trip that went wrong' story for 90 seconds, using setup → problem → resolution. Listener asks 2 follow-ups in Past Continuous. Swap pairs. Class votes for the most dramatic and the funniest.
Useful phrases
- • It was a complete nightmare.
- • We ended up…
- • By the time we…
- • Out of nowhere, …
- • Now I look back on it and…
- • Honestly, it was the best part of the trip.
- AHave you ever missed a flight?
- B_______________
- AWhat did you do?
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Train polished anecdotes, not raw events. ~30 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Record a 2-minute voice note telling your best 'trip that went wrong' story.
Write a polished 150-word version of the same story for next class.
Find a travel blog post about a disaster; underline every past-tense form and linker.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Use Past Continuous for background, Past Simple for events.
- Connect with when, while, as soon as, by the time, eventually, in the end.
- Open with setup → middle with problem → close with resolution + feeling.
- Idioms add colour: a nightmare, end up, look back on, make the most of.
- Storytelling intonation rises with tension and falls on the punchline.