Travelling is one of the most incredible activities in the world. You meet new people and learn about their cultures. You can travel by bus, by train, by plane or in your own car. Moving from place to place and looking for new adventure is… travelling.
Staying overnight
There are many cheap hotels all around the world and it’s not very difficult to find them. You shouldn’t have any problems with looking for the most expensive hotels, either.
The magazine Forbes published a list of most expensive hotels in the world. The cheapest room (from the 10 listed) you can book in the Burj Al Arab, an imposing hotel on the coast of Dubai. It’s fabulous! Parts of the hotel lobby are plated in 24-karat gold and in the Royal Suite there is an enormous rotating bed, a private cinema and an indoor Jacuzzi. Can you afford it? It’s only $10,900 per night, but it has a private lift!
On the top of the Forbes’ list is a 37,200-dollar-per-night Penthouse Suite at Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France. For that, you get four bedrooms, a private terrace with a Jacuzzi and fantastic views of the Mediterranean plus the comfort of knowing you’re getting the most expensive night’s sleep money can buy. (930)
Different types of travelling
Some people are so fascinated with travelling they can’t stop doing it. Edwin A Shackleton (UK) started flying as a passenger in 1943 and by July 2004 he had flown on a total of 806 different types of aircraft. Other people don’t want to use public transport and they are sure they can make it on their own. Let’s say you are to travel on a… windsurfing board. How far could you go? Flavio Jardim and Diogo Guerreiro (both from Brazil) are young and sportive men but their achievement is still very impressive. From 17th May, 2004 till 18th July, 2005 as part of the Blue Destination Expedition they travelled from Chui to Oiapoque on the Brazilian Coast. A total of 8120 km!
Travelling by car is not so unusual as long as Emil and Liliana Schmid from Switzerland don’t drive. Since 16th October, 1984 they travelled through 150 countries (587,000 km!) in their Toyota Land Cruiser.
Travelling in my own way
Not only can the distance be surprising. There are many different means of transport but Vasilii Hazkevich from Russia chose his unmodified tractor to travel 21,199 km! He was on his journey from 25th April till 6th August, 2005. On 29th May, 1998 David Smith Senior appeared in Kennywood Park in the USA. He wasn’t just a visitor. He was a cannon ball! He set his record by flying 56.54 m with the speed of 112 km per hour! David is a „professional cannon ball” and he loves his job. Five out of his eight children are doing the same job!
A taste of adventure
While travelling you may see many incredible objects. Imagine you are in Ontario, Canada and you are very, very hungry. If you are lucky, you may get to taste a fantastic omelette. In 2002 (11th May) the Lung Association made a 2.95-ton-weight omelette and they got in to the Guinness book of records.
The best dessert in the world? Well, nobody knows if it was the best but it was the biggest one for sure. On May 24, 2003 the world’s largest tiramisu was prepared. It weighted 216kg and was made by chefs at the Cafè Venezia, Marktheidenfeld in Germany.
Improve your vocabulary!
a backseat driver – (kierowca na tylnym siedzeniu) pasażer bez przerwy pouczający kierowcę
travel light – (podróżować lekko) podróżować bez dużego bagażu
hit the road – (uderzyć drogę) ruszyć w drogę, rozpocząć podróż
squeaky wheel gets the grease – (piszczące koło zostaje naoliwione) osoba, która nawięcej narzeka przyciąga najwięcej uwagi
whatever floats your boat – (cokolwiek unosi twoją łódź) rób to, co sprawia ci najwięcej przyjemności
wheels fall off – (koła odpadają) coś idzie źle lub nie działa
where the rubber meets the road – (gdzie guma (koło) styka się z drogą) chwila prawdy