TravelBucket List
Speaking with Present Perfect & travel lexis
CEFR Pathway · You are here
Warm-up · Section 1
5 minGet talking
Name your top 3 dream destinations. Sell them to your partner in one sentence each.
Name 3 famous places you've never been. Which is the most embarrassing?
Finish: 'If I could fly anywhere tomorrow, I'd…' — defend your choice.
Grammar focus · Section 2
8–10 minPresent Perfect + travel — mixing experience & future plans
Travel talk naturally mixes tenses.
→ I've never been to Asia, but I'd love to go.
→ I've heard Vietnam is amazing.
→ I'm planning to visit Iceland next year.
→ I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights.
More detail
PRESENT PERFECT for experience: 'I've been to 12 countries.' / 'I've never tried…' GOING TO or WOULD LOVE TO for future dreams: 'I'm going to Italy next summer.' / 'I'd love to visit Japan one day.' WOULD = polite preference, often with 'love to'. ONE DAY softens future certainty. Pattern: experience (PP) → dream (would love to + V) → reason. 'I've been to Spain four times, but I've never been to the north. I'd love to see San Sebastián one day — I've heard the food is incredible.'
Question 1.I've ____ ____ to South America.
Question 2.I'd ____ ____ visit Tokyo someday.
Question 3.She ____ always ____ to see Machu Picchu.
Question 4.We're ____ ____ to Greece next month.
Question 5.I've ____ that the food in Vietnam is incredible.
Vocabulary · Section 3
5–7 minWords & phrases to own
Don't just read these — say one out loud, then use it about your life.
off-season
outside the busy time
"We travel off-season — cheaper and quieter."
Do you prefer peak or off-season travel?
a hidden gem
amazing but not famous place
"That café is a hidden gem."
Name a hidden gem in your city.
to wander around
walk with no fixed plan
"We just wandered around the old town for hours."
Which city is best for wandering around?
to splash out (on)
spend a lot of money on
"We splashed out on a fancy hotel for one night."
What did you last splash out on?
to soak up the atmosphere
enjoy the feel of a place
"We sat in the square soaking up the atmosphere."
Best place you've soaked up atmosphere?
a stopover
short stop on the way
"We had a 12-hour stopover in Dubai."
Have you ever had a useful stopover?
to immerse yourself in
fully experience
"I want to immerse myself in the culture."
Where would you immerse yourself in?
a once-in-a-lifetime trip
rare, unforgettable
"Antarctica would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip."
Your once-in-a-lifetime dream trip?
Discuss with a partner
- →Pitch your dream trip in 30 seconds using 3 vocab phrases.
- →Hidden gems in your country — convince your partner to visit.
Finish the sentence about you
- I've never immersed myself in… …
- I'd love to splash out on… …
- A hidden gem near me is… …
Rank & justify
Rank these destinations by personal appeal (1=most).
- Tokyo
- Patagonia
- Iceland
- Marrakesh
- New Zealand
60-second write
Write a 60-word travel pitch for your dream trip.
Pronunciation · Section 4
3–4 minWord stress in long travel phrases
- • A HIDden GEM.
- • OFF-SEAson DEALS.
- • WANder aROUND the OLD town.
- • SPLASH out ON a NICE hotel.
How to say it
Long phrases need clear primary stress to land. 'A HIDden gem.' 'Off-SEAson.' 'Once-in-a-LIFE-time.' 'Soak up the ATmosphere.' Practise saying the whole phrase as one unit with one strong beat — that's how natives chunk it.
Reading · Section 5
8–10 minMy top 3 bucket-list trips
I've been lucky enough to travel a lot, but three trips are still untouched on my bucket list. NUMBER ONE: Japan. I've never been to Asia at all. I'd love to wander around Kyoto in autumn, immerse myself in the language, and splash out on one ridiculous sushi dinner. NUMBER TWO: Patagonia. It's the kind of once-in-a-lifetime trip you only do when you have the time and the legs for it. I've heard the landscape is unreal. NUMBER THREE: Iceland off-season. Everyone goes in summer. I'd rather see it in February with northern lights and almost no tourists — a hidden gem version of a famous place. I haven't booked any of these yet, but I've been saving for the first one. Japan, see you in 2027.
Question 1.Which is the writer's first priority?
Question 2.Why does the writer want Iceland in February?
Question 3.Has the writer booked anything?
Q1.The writer has been to Asia.
Q2.Patagonia is described as easy.
Q3.The writer is saving for Japan.
Listening · Section 6
8–10 minTwo friends compare bucket lists
Listening audio
Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.
Show transcript
Maya:OK, top of your bucket list right now?
Leo:Easy — New Zealand. I've never been further than Australia.
Maya:Why New Zealand specifically?
Leo:I want to immerse myself in the landscape. Hike, camp, wander around for three weeks. What about you?
Maya:Morocco. I've heard the food is incredible and I'd love to soak up the atmosphere in Marrakesh.
Leo:Have you been to North Africa before?
Maya:Never. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I'm planning to go off-season next March.
Leo:Honestly? Both of those sound like hidden gems waiting to be ticked off.
Question 1.Leo's top destination?
Question 2.Why does Maya want Morocco?
Question 3.When is Maya planning to go?
Exam skills · Section 7
5 minCambridge PET — Speaking Parts 1 & 4 (personal + extended)
Task
Speak for 60 seconds about a place you've been and a place you'd love to go. Use 3 travel idioms.
Strategy
Stack three layers: 1) experience (PP — what you've done), 2) detail (PS — when/where/with whom), 3) dream (would love to + reason). End with a personal opinion. Vary tense — don't loop Present Perfect.
Example
I've been to Italy four times. I went last summer with my best friend; we wandered around Florence for ten days. I've never been to the south though. I'd love to visit Puglia off-season — I've heard it's a hidden gem and I want to immerse myself in the food. It would honestly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Practice · Section 8
8–10 minFill in the blank
Question 1.I've ____ ____ been to Asia.
Question 2.I'd ____ ____ go to Japan.
Question 3.It would be ____ ____ ____ ____ trip.
Question 4.I want to ____ ____ ____ the local culture.
Question 5.We're going ____-____ to save money.
Q1.Experience: 'I / never / be / Iceland' →
Q2.Dream: 'I / love to / visit / Japan' →
Q3.Future plan: 'we / go / Greece / next month' →
Writing · Section 9
5 minPut it in writing
Your task
Write a 140-word 'Top 3 trips on my bucket list' post. Use Present Perfect for what you've / haven't done, 'would love to' for dreams, and 3 travel idioms.
Show model answer
Three trips I'm dreaming about right now. NUMBER ONE: Japan. I've never been to Asia. I'd love to wander around Kyoto in autumn, soak up the atmosphere in tiny temples, and splash out on one ridiculous sushi dinner. NUMBER TWO: Patagonia. It's the kind of once-in-a-lifetime trip you only do when you have the time and the legs. I've heard the landscapes are unreal. I'm planning to go in early 2027 — properly off-season. NUMBER THREE: Morocco. I've stopped over in the airport but never explored the country. I'd love to immerse myself in Marrakesh for a week — markets, food, music. I've been saving for these three trips since last year. They feel less like dreams and more like a clear plan now.
Speaking · Section 10
10–15 minMake it a real conversation
BUCKET LIST PITCH · Pairs. Each partner pitches their top 3 destinations, 90 seconds each. Listener asks 'Have you ever been to / Why specifically / What would you do there?' After both pitches, agree on ONE joint trip you'd actually take together.
Useful phrases
- • I've never been to…
- • I'd love to…
- • I've heard it's a hidden gem.
- • It would be once-in-a-lifetime.
- • I'm planning to go off-season.
- • Let's immerse ourselves in…
- AHave you been anywhere amazing this year?
- B_______________
- AAnd where would you love to go next?
- B_______________
Optional · Teacher-led
Teacher Activities
Push for vivid pitches, not lists of country names. ~30 min total
Homework · Section 11
Take-homeTake it home
Write your own 'top 3 bucket list' post (150 words).
Record a 2-minute voice note pitching your dream trip.
Read 3 short travel blog intros; note one PP and one 'would love to' phrase.
Recap · Section 12
2–3 minWhat you've learned
- Mix PP (experience) + would love to (dream) + going to / planning to (real plan).
- Use 'I've never been…' to highlight gaps.
- Travel idioms add colour: hidden gem, off-season, immerse, soak up.
- Stress the strong word in chunks (HIDden GEM).
- Always give a reason for each dream — 'because…' not just naming places.