Otázka: Travelling, transport
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): ryssak
Moving thing
People travel because they need to work, to school or to some meeting point. Or they can travel for pleasure when they go on holidays or make some trip.
There are various ways of transport – by land, by air or by water. The cheapest way of transport is going on foot – walking – which is also very healthy. When people want to save money, they can try hitchhiking. Especially young people like to ride a bike or a motorbike.
Public transport
It means using some kind of vehicle (car, wagon, bicycle, bus, and tram) to move a person from one place to another.
- Travelling by train can be quite comfortable and very useful for a long distance. Moreover, trains don´t go everywhere. When we want to go somewhere by train, we go to the cash, we ask for single or return ticket, 1st or 2nd class. If we plan a long trip, we can book the ticket in advance. We must find from which platform the train leaves and at what time – according to timetable. At railway stations there are some public conveniences – toilets, waiting room, luggage room, restaurants and small shop with food. Travelling by train has many advantages. For example is relatively fast, if you haven´t delay, also you can rest while travelling and can sleep in a sleeping car. Thanks to new technology, trains are becoming faster, more punctual, more comfortable, cleaner and more reliable. On the other hand, the Czech railway company usually are delayed and sometimes you must change or wait for a connection. In addition trains in Czech Republic are often late, dirty and shabby.
- Bus travels a regular route at regular times during the day and into the night. If you want to travel bus, you must go to the bus stop, where there will be a bus timetable, and find out the time your bus arrive. In some cities and towns you pay the fare in cash when you get on the bus. In London is a typical red double decker. And they provide sightseeing tours for tourists. Bus has a many advantages. For example bus services link all major towns, cities and villages. On many routes cut-price fares are provided for students, pensioners and the disabled. Also modern buses are very comfortable. But travelling by bus isn´t so comfortable as travelling by train, because you can´t go to the toilet, sometimes you have to stand and buses are often overcrowded. The bus usually stops on the almost of villages. Old buses are very slow, uncomfortable and you risk of sitting next to an unpleasant person. When we travel at longer distance, the bus is called the coach.
- Travelling by car is usually more comfortable than the other vehicles because you haven´t a strict timetable. You can go anywhere and whenever you need to, also you can stop where you want and change your journey plan if necessary. It is speed, comfort and fast. But it is dangerous for a pollution of environment. A car is also expensive. There are high expenses on fuel and repair service. The travelling by car is dangerous traffic during rush hours. The special utilisation of car is a taxi. Taxi is an automobile with a driver available for hire. It is more flexible than other forms of public transport such as buses, streetcars and the underground that have fixed routes. It has a characteristic colour (such as yellow or another paint pattern) to identify it as a taxi; light on the roof to whether the vehicle is available for hire; a radio for the communication with the taxi firm; and a fare meter. When you get into the taxi, the driver trips, or starts, the meter, which counts how many miles or kilometres you travel. When you arrive at your destination, you pay the cab driver the fare that shows on the meter, plus a tip, or extra money for the service. But it is very expensive. One route around city costs near 50 crowns. The advantages of travelling by taxi are that you go directly to the front door of your destination. The driver may help you with your packages or luggage.
- Trams and commuter trains are fond is some of lager cities of the world. In the Czech Republic they are very traditional in Prague, Liberec, Pilsen and Brno. Trams (or street cars) are also used in cities like San Francisco in the US. If you want to travel on trams, you must go to the tram stop. It´s possible to buy a one-way or one-time ticket, but people who commute regularly prefer to buy a weekly, monthly, or yearly. The advantages and disadvantages of travelling by tram are similar to buses.
- People travel by plane at long distances, for example from Europe to America. It is very comfortable way of transportbut on the other hand, it´s very expensive. We should book the flight in advance if we want to get good connection. In Prague there is the Ruzyněaiport, in London there are two large aiports – Heathrow and Gatwick. Other transport means by air are: airship, balloon or hovercraft.
- If you are flying, you will have to go to the airport. Once you get there, you will have to check−in and get your seatassignment. Then you will have to go through passport control and security. At the security checkpoint, you will have to put your coat and any carry−on bags you are bringing on the plane through a scanner. You will then have to walk through a metal detector. After you go through security, find the gate where your plane is departing from and wait there until you board the flight for your trip.
- Travelling by sea is quite safe, but on the board there must be life jackets, life belts and life boats. People may take holiday cruise on some river or at sea. Some ships have all modern comfort you can imagine. A team of stewards and stewardesses clean the cabins and take care of the passengers. The ferries transport people across the Channel. Ferryboats are used to carry people and often motor vehicles over shot distances. Sizes vary from small boats can hold a few passengers to large vessels that can carry as many as 2,500 passengers.
Travelling can be a good fun, but also you can have many problems – like sickness, you can get a hurt, get lost or your plane can be late. It is important to have numbers of the office consulate, also the police, the ambulance or the emergency services. Also it´s better be book in hotels. Last year I was in France. Before it, I had hadn´t an experience with travelling alone and I was afraid. I travelled by plane and by bus. First journey was excellent. We had not any problem with our baggage. But the back journey was bad. The city bus was late. It was a big problem, because we have only 30 minutes to go to airport. Finally we were lucky and the plane waited for us.
When we travel abroad, we need a valid passport, foreign currency, we must pact our luggage. It´s better have a travel guide with information about the places we want to visti. Health insurance is also necessary. During our travels we can choose from different types of accommodation – we can stay in a hotel or in a hostel, in a cottage, in a tent or we can sleep in the open air.
If you want to fly, you can go to a travel agency, and they will arrange your airline ticket for you, or you can call the airline directly and they will book it for you.
