The rise of solo travel
Lesson plan overview
This ESL worksheet focuses on the topic of solo travel and explores the benefits, challenges, and real-life experiences of traveling alone versus traveling with companions. It is most suitable for B1–B2 level learners and is ideal for lessons on travel, lifestyle choices, personal development, and cultural awareness. Students build essential vocabulary related to travel experiences. You can find more travel-related lessons here: travel lessons.
Speaking: Lead-in and Discussion
The lesson begins with a discussion about students’ best travel experiences and their associations with solo travel using descriptive words such as empowering, liberating, and unpredictable. Learners then work through a series of realistic travel dilemmas (e.g., different budgets, activity levels, or getting-ready time) and identify which problems they consider the worst. Then, students look at statistics related to solo travel, and discuss questions related to them. Finally, they discuss the advantages and disadvantages of solo travel vs travel with company.
Vocabulary: Solo Travel Expressions
Students learn and practise key expressions related to communication and travel dynamics, such as to compromise, to call all the shots, to clash with someone, to empower, at your own pace, itinerary, solitude, self-discovery, personal growth, cultural immersion, and self-confidence. They complete matching activities and sentence-based practice to reinforce understanding.
Listening: Solo Travel Hacks
Before they watch the video, students discuss advice they would give to solo travelers. Then they watch a video titled “Solo Travel Hacks” and complete comprehension tasks based on practical advice for solo travelers. The listening focuses on hostel experiences, safety tips, packing advice, and ways to meet people while traveling. Students identify key information, evaluate true/false statements, and summarize practical travel strategies shared in the video. After that, they reflect on which tips are most useful, evaluate personal comfort levels with solo travel, and discuss the advantages of hostels and independent travel experiences.
Speaking: Personal Reflection and Travel Choices
In the final speaking task, students compare different types of solo travel experiences such as beach holidays, hiking trips, city breaks, wellness retreats, road trips, volunteering, and adventure travel. They discuss which activities they would feel comfortable doing alone and justify their choices using functional language for expressing opinion, preference, and uncertainty.
For more speaking practice, you can use the printable discussion cards and extend the lesson with real-life travel scenarios and role-plays.
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Pre-class activities
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In-class activities
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Additional resources
Each video-based lesson plan includes links to additional resources (videos and articles), which are FREE can be found online (in the pre-class activities page. These links aim to extend the learning experience, enabling students to connect classroom knowledge with real-world applications.
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Teacher’s lesson plan
Student’s worksheet
Student’s interactive PDF
Conversation cards PDF
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