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Lowe's. We help. You save. Hello and welcome to the English Like A Native podcast.
My name is Anna and you're listening to week 31, day 4 of Your English Five A Day, the second season.
This series is all about helping you to build a daily habit so that over time you can find your English voice.
Be yourself in English. Have the ability to express your thoughts, your ideas and your feelings in English without hesitation.
All you have to do is turn up on a regular basis.
And if you want to go a step further with this resource, then you can consider becoming a plus member or joining one of the many courses that I have on offer.
I'll leave a link for all the resources in the show notes.
But for now, let's focus on today's episode, starting with a snapshot.
When Anwar received his promotion, his boss offered him the trip of a lifetime to Japan as a reward for his excellent work.
A few years back, he had dreamt of visiting Tokyo, so he immediately started planning his itinerary with all the temples and museums he wanted to see.
The night before his departure, he packed his rucksack with excitement, knowing this adventure would change his life forever.
OK, let's deep dive now into the vocabulary, starting with the noun phrase...
The trip of a lifetime. The trip of a lifetime.
This is actually a very common phrase. Trip, we spell T-R-I-P, of a lifetime.
L-I-F-E-T-I-M-E. The trip of a lifetime.
The trip of a lifetime is a very special or unforgettable travel experience.
Usually something that you'd only do once in your life because perhaps it's very expensive or it takes a lot of planning.
For example, for me, I'm here in the UK.
A trip of a lifetime would be going to the Galapagos Islands because that's a very expensive trip and it takes a lot of planning and it's not something I could do often.
Also going to Australia from the UK, going to Australia is extremely expensive and it's not something you can do easily because it's such a long way.
So it's not a yearly trip. It's a trip of a lifetime.
So here's an example sentence. They saved for years to go on the trip of a lifetime through Europe.
What would your trip of a lifetime be? Next, we have the noun reward.
Reward. We spell this R-E-W-A-R-D. A reward.
This is something good that you receive or experience because of what you have done.
I often try to reward my children for good behavior, to encourage more of the same.
And many parents and caregivers, teachers, people who work with children will have reward charts.
So they can show and display the rewards that a child receives.
And that just continues to reinforce the learning.
So here's an example sentence. She got a bonus at work as a reward for her efforts.
Next we have the phrase, a few years back.
A few years back. A few, few is F-E-W, years, Y-E-A-R-S, back, B-A-C-K.
A few years back. This is a phrase that we use that means several years ago, but it's an unclear amount of time.
So it could be, Two years, three years, four years, five years ago, a few years back.
So you might say, I visited Rome a few years back and it was beautiful.
So it's unspecific. Next, we have the noun itinerary.
Itinerary. We spell this I-T-I-N-E-R-A-R-Y.
Itinerary. Itinerary. It's a bit of a mouthful.
Itinerary is a plan of a journey, which includes the places you'll visit and when you'll visit them.
So if you are planning to spend a week in Barcelona, then you'll make a plan of all the places you want to visit while you are there and what days you'll visit them.
I've just been to the Isle of Wight. I spent a week there.
And although I didn't have a very meticulous plan, I did have a few items on my itinerary.
And so there were a few days where there were certain activities like a guided tour that I had to attend at a certain time in a certain place and it was all booked.
That was my itinerary. Here's an example sentence.
Our holiday itinerary includes three cities in five days.
Next, we have the noun rucksack. Rucksack.
We spell this R-U-C-K-S-A-C-K. Rucksack.
A rucksack is a shoulder bag with straps attached. where you can carry the bag on your back, often used for hiking or travelling.
I am more likely to be out with a rucksack than a handbag because that's the kind of person I am.
I'm a practical person. I like to be comfortable.
I like to have everything I need and I find handbags not as practical as a rucksack.
They can't hold as much and it's easy to slip off your shoulder or I prefer to have a bag secured on my back.
So a rucksack for me is my bag of choice.
How about you? Here's an example sentence.
I packed my rucksack with snacks, water and a map for my hike.
Okay, that's our five. Let's do a quick recap.
We started with the noun phrase, the trip of a lifetime, which is that special, unforgettable travel experience that you might only do once in a lifetime.
The trip of a lifetime. We had the noun reward, which is something good that you receive or experience because of what you've done.
Your reward. We have the phrase a few years back, which is a short, unclear time in the past, usually several years ago.
A few years back. We have the noun itinerary, which is a plan of a journey that includes the places you'll visit and when you'll visit them.
Your itinerary. And we have the noun rucksack, which is the bag with shoulder straps that you carry on your back.
A rucksack. Okay, let's do this now for pronunciation purposes.
Please repeat after me. The trip of a lifetime.
The trip of a lifetime. Reward. Reward. A few years back.
A few years back. Itinerary. Itinerary. Rucksack.
Rucksack. Fantastic. What's the good thing that you receive when you've done something good?
A reward. Yes, brilliant. And if you go on an unforgettable holiday, you have an unforgettable travel experience, something that's very special that you'll only do once in your life.
What is that called? The trip of a lifetime.
Yes. And what's a good phrase to use when you want to talk about something that happened several years ago, but it's an unclear amount of time?
A few years back. Yes. Brilliant. What kind of bag do I prefer?
I don't like a handbag. What do I like? I like the bag that you carry on your back.
It's called a rucksack. Fantastic. And finally, when I go on holiday, I make a plan of all the places I'm going to visit and when I'll visit them.
What is this plan referred to as? An itinerary.
Very good. Okay. Let me now recap the snapshot.
When Anwar received his promotion, his boss offered him the trip of a lifetime to Japan as a reward for his excellent work.
A few years back, he had dreamt of visiting Tokyo, so he immediately started planning his itinerary with all the temples and museums he wanted to see.
The night before his departure, he packed his rucksack with excitement, knowing this adventure would change his life forever.
OK, now it's time to listen out for our vocabulary once again as we head into Storytime.
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Laetitia stared at the email on her laptop screen.
She blinked a few times and read it again, carefully focusing on each word.
She lifted a hand to cover her open mouth and shook her head.
She couldn't believe it. After working 60-hour weeks for three years at the marketing company, her boss had finally recognised her hard work.
The reward was more than she could have imagined.
A month off work and £5,000 to spend on the trip of a lifetime.
A few years back, Laetita had dreamt of travelling to New Zealand.
She'd seen photos of the stunning mountains and lakes, but it always seemed impossible on her salary.
Now, suddenly, it was within reach. She spent the next week planning her itinerary.
She would fly to Auckland, then travel south through both islands.
The plan was to see the glowworm caves, go bungee jumping in Queenstown and hike some of the famous walking tracks.
She had never done anything so adventurous.
The morning of her departure, Laetita checked her rucksack one final time.
She'd packed light, just the essentials plus her camera to capture every moment.
As the taxi pulled up outside her flat, her hands were shaking with excitement and nerves.
The flight was long, but Laetitia didn't mind.
She spent most of the journey looking through guidebooks and imagining the adventures ahead.
When the plane finally landed in Auckland, she felt like a different person already.
The first few days passed in a blur. She explored the city, visited art galleries and took a ferry to nearby islands.
But the real adventure began when she picked up her rental car and headed south.
Driving through the countryside felt like being in a fairy tale.
Rolling green hills stretched as far as she could see, with sheep dotting the landscape.
She stopped frequently to take photos, amazed by how different everything looked from home.
In Rotorua, Laetita visited the bubbling hot springs and watched traditional Maori performances.
She tried foods she'd never heard of and struck up conversations with other travellers from around the world.
Her confidence grew with each passing day.
The highlight came in Queenstown. Despite her fear of heights, Laetitia decided to try bungee jumping.
Standing on the platform looking down at the river below, she almost changed her mind.
But something inside her said, Jump! And she did!
The feeling of free-falling was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
When she finally stopped bouncing and hung, suspended above the water, Laetita started laughing.
She'd done something she never thought possible.
As her month in New Zealand came to an end, Laetita felt sad to leave but grateful for the experience.
She'd pushed herself beyond her comfort zone, met wonderful people and seen incredible places.
On the flight home, she looked through her photos and smiled.
This trip had changed her more than she'd expected.
She was already planning her next adventure.
And that brings us to the end of today's episode.
I do hope you found it useful and entertaining.
Until next time, take very good care and goodbye.
