Moon vacations possible by 2024

A website that provides price comparisons for flights, hotels and car hire across the globe has made some bold predictions for what travel will look like in a decade from now. Perhaps the most mouthwatering destination for 2024 holidaymakers will be a trip to the Moon or a stay in space. The site Skyscanner.com has just released a report of what holidays in the not-too-distant future might look like. The report is titled 'The Future of Travel 2024' and outlines a whole series of previously unimaginable vacation choices for the thrill-seeking traveller and those who just want to get there quicker. The report is a result of the collaboration between travel experts and international technology experts.

Holidays in space are perhaps the most spectacular of Skyscanner's predictions. Its report says: "Orbital space travel will be the next hot ticket, and commercial companies are lining up to make it a more affordable proposition." Indeed, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are already accepting bookings. The cost of a seat on the Virgin craft (round trip, of course) is $250,000. Skyscanner also predicts an explosion in the number of underwater hotel rooms, which it says will become a mainstream travel option. Other things to look forward to include a supersonic aircraft that will fly London-Sydney in two hours and the emergence of "danger-zone" tourism. We can also expect futuristic advances in shopping and dining.

3. FUTURE TRAVEL: Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Moon tourism
Intercontinental rail links
Airplanes 20 times faster
No passports
Drone air-taxis
Personal virtual tour guides

4. TOURISM: Students A strongly believe tourism is beneficial to local cultures; Students B strongly believe it isn't.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. DESTINATIONS: Rank these with your partner. Put the best destinations at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• the Moon   • hotels in space   • Great Barrier Reef resort   • Mt Everest summit hotel

• Antarctica resort   • Buckingham Palace   • Sahara desert   • heart of the Amazon

6. GLOBE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "globe". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if  a-h  below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	A hotel chain made predictions about travelling in the future.	T / F
b.	The article said there will be water on the Moon in 2024.	T / F
c.	The travel report should please people who want excitement.	T / F
d.	The report was written by travel and technology experts.	T / F
e.	The report says tickets for space travel will be heated.	T / F
f.	A seat on a Virgin Galactic space flight is $250,000.	T / F
g.	The report says underwater hotel rooms will be common in the future.	T / F
h.	The report says there will be little change to how we shop or dine.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	provides	a.	inexpensive
2.	hire	b.	forecasts
3.	predictions	c.	normal
4.	unimaginable	d.	joint effort
5.	collaboration	e.	eye-catching
6.	spectacular	f.	makes available
7.	affordable	g.	arrival
8.	explosion	h.	unheard of
9.	mainstream	i.	increase
10.	emergence	j.	rental

3. PHRASE MATCH:  (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	A website that provides price	a.	tourism
2.	car	b.	seeking traveller
3.	in the not-too-	c.	between travel experts
4.	the thrill-	d.	travel option
5.	the collaboration	e.	proposition
6.	lining	f.	comparisons for flights
7.	make it a more affordable	g.	in shopping and dining
8.	become a mainstream	h.	distant future
9.	the emergence of "danger-zone"	i.	up
10.	futuristic advances	j.	hire

 

GAP FILL

A website that provides price (1) ____________ for flights, hotels and car hire across the globe has made some (2) ____________ predictions for what travel will look like in a (3) ____________ from now. Perhaps the most (4) ____________ destination for 2024 holidaymakers will be a trip to the Moon or a stay in space. The site Skyscanner.com has just released a report of what holidays in the not-too-(5) ____________ future might look like. The report is titled 'The Future of Travel 2024' and outlines a whole series of (6) ____________ unimaginable vacation choices for the      (7) ____________ -seeking traveller and those who just want to get there quicker. The report is a result of the (8) ____________ between travel experts and international technology experts.		mouthwatering comparisons distant decade bold previously collaboration thrill
Holidays in space are perhaps the most (9) ____________ of Skyscanner's predictions. Its report says: "Orbital space travel will be the next hot ticket, and commercial companies are (10) ____________ up to make it a more (11) ____________ proposition." Indeed, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are already accepting (12) ____________. The cost of a seat on the Virgin craft (round trip, of course) is $250,000. Skyscanner also predicts an (13) ____________ in the number of underwater hotel rooms, which it says will become a (14) ____________ travel option. Other things to look forward to include a supersonic aircraft that will fly London-Sydney in two hours and the (15) ____________ of "danger-zone" tourism. We can also expect (16) ____________ advances in shopping and dining.		affordable lining explosion emergence spectacular futuristic bookings mainstream

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	What does the website provide for flights, hotels and car hire?
2.	What did the site say will be the most mouthwatering place to visit?
3.	What did the website release?
4.	What kind of traveller did the website mention?
5.	Who collaborated to make the report?
6.	What did the report say would be the next "hot ticket"?
7.	What are companies lining up to do?
8.	How much is a seat on a Virgin Galactic space flight?
9.	What will become mainstream in the future?
10.	How long might it take to fly from London to Sydney?

ROLE PLAY

Role  A – The Moon You think the Moon is the best place to stay. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): an Antarctica resort, Buckingham Palace or a hotel on the summit of Mt Everest.

Role  B – Antarctica resort You think an Antarctica resort is the best place to stay. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): the Moon, Buckingham Palace or a hotel on the summit of Mt Everest.

Role  C – Buckingham Palace You think Buckingham Palace is the best place to stay. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why): an Antarctica resort, the Moon or a hotel on the summit of Mt Everest.

Role  D – Mt Everest summit hotel You think a hotel on the summit of Mt Everest is the best place to stay. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their places. Also, tell the others which is the least interesting of these (and why):  an Antarctica resort, Buckingham Palace or the Moon.

TRAVEL DISCUSSION

2)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'travel'?
3)	How do you usually travel?
4)	How have holidays changed over the past century?
5)	How does a vacation to the Moon sound to you?
6)	What's the most mouthwatering destination for you?
7)	What's the best place you've travelled to, and why?
8)	Do you prefer a holiday with thrills or a holiday with time to relax?
9)	Why do we like to travel so much?
10)	What are the worst things about travelling?
12)	What would you do on a holiday in space?
13)	What would you take on a holiday to the Moon?
14)	How will holidays change over the next century?
15)	What is the attraction of staying in an underwater hotel?
16)	In what ways is tourism beneficial?
17)	In what ways is tourism harmful to local cultures?
18)	What is "danger-zone" tourism?
19)	Which dangerous country would you like to visit?
20)	What questions would you like to ask Skyscanner's CEO?

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	price ioosrcsapnm for flights
2.	bold stcnpriodie
3.	the most mouthwatering dttnineasoi for 2024
4.	just ersdaeel a report
5.	previously lmiianaguneb vacation choices
6.	the oncaaooirlltb between travel experts
Paragraph 2
7.	the most tpusalecrac
8.	omimelcacr companies
9.	a more fdeblfraao proposition
10.	an eonisloxp in the number
11.	a etamimsrna travel option
12.	tstcufriiu advances in shopping