An interactive ESP lesson plan based on travel. Get your students talking now! Lesson Objectives: 1. Talk about future travel plans (using the present continuous and be going to) 2. Identify important locations in an airport (restrooms, baggage claim, etc.) 3. Respond to questions commonly asked when checking-in and passing through customs at the airport 4. Read and answer questions about a travel itinerary

1. Going Abroad!
A Lesson on travel by Evanie Squires
Level: A2/A2+
Duration: 2 hours

2. Lesson
Sequence:
-Warm Up
-Making Future Plans
-At the Airport
-Meet Laura
-Travel Role-Play

3. Objectives:
By the end of this lesson you will be able to…
1. Talk about future travel plans (using the present
continuous and be going to)
2. Identify important locations in an airport (restrooms,
baggage claim, etc.)
3. Respond to questions commonly asked when checking-in
and passing through customs at the airport
4. Read and answer questions about a travel itinerary

4. Warm Up
Read the quote and discuss
the questions below with a
partner.
1. What does the quote
mean to you?
2. Do you like to travel?
3. How frequently do you
travel?
4. Where are you going on
your next trip?
“Traveling – it leaves
you speechless, then
turns you into a
storyteller.”
– Ibn Battuta

5. Making Future Plans
To talk about plans at a set time or place in the future we often use two different forms; present continuous
or be going to.
1. Present continuous
Affirmative: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing…
Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not/n´t + verb-ing…
Interrogative: (Question word) + am/is/are + subject + verb-ing…?
Examples:
I´m seeing a movie with a friend tonight. / They are arriving tomorrow morning.
We aren´t going to the party on Friday. / He isn´t leaving until Monday.
What are you doing later? / Is she coming to the office?

6. Making Future Plans - cont´d
2. Be going to
Affirmative: Subject + am/is/are + going to + verb…
Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not /n´t + going to + verb…
Interrogative: (Question word) + am/is/are + subject + going to + verb…?
Examples:
I´m going to see a movie tonight. / They are going to arrive tomorrow morning.
We aren´t going to attend the party on Friday. / He isn´t going to leave until Monday.
What are you going to do after work? / Is she going to come to the office?
*Tips:
1. You can often use be going to or the present continuous with no difference in meaning.
(Ex: I´m going to see a movie tonight. = I´m seeing a movie tonight.)
2. You cannot use the simple present to talk about arrangements.
(Ex: X I go out tonight. I´m going out tonight. )

7. Making Future Plans (Practice)
Are you ready to practice? Look at the pictures. What are these people doing next
week?
1.
Bill / not go / to work
Bill / go / on vacation
Bill is not going to work on Friday; he is going on vacation.
2.
I / not go / to a concert
I / go / to a party
3.
Jill / meet
4.
The Smiths / travel / to New York
5.
Sam and his wife / not watch / baseball
Same and his wife / watch / football
6.
Martin / attend / a conference

8. Making Future Plans (Practice 2)
Now let´s practice be going to. Look at the pictures. What are these people going to do? Use the sentence
starters to help you.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
Example: She´s going to do yoga.
Sentence starters: He ............. / She ............ / They ............

9. Making Future Plans (Practice 3)
Now use both be going to and present continuous to ask questions!
1. Are / us? / lunch / with / you / eating
2. to? / travelling / Where / they / are
3. we / stay? / going to / are / Where
4. When / returning? / he / is
5. tomorrow? / time / What / is / the meeting /
6. are / going to / you / stay / Who / with / over the weekend?
7. time off? / you / are / requesting / Why
8. Is / to the restaurant? / coming / he

10. At the Airport
Can you match the airport signs to the
words below?
 Baggage check-in
 Restrooms
 Elevators
 Baggage carts
 Customs/Passport control
 Gate
 Departures
 Train/Subway
 Taxi
 Bus
 Arrivals
 Baggage claim
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 12
11
1
0
9

11. Meet Laura
Hi! I´m Laura. I´m 27 and I´m a
journalist! I work at a publishing startup
called Nine Millimeters Press. I started
there about 6 months ago. It´s a really
interesting independent company
started by a travel blogger, Simon
Patterson. We publish an online
magazine about travel and we even
have our own channel on YouTube!
Yesterday I had my first assignment. I
went to Chicago O´Hare airport to
interview travelers. It was really fun!
Click on the next page to see more
about the interviews!

12. Meet Laura – cont´d
Look at the people in the
picture. Which person do you
think is:
 Returning home to Germany
for a funeral, after being
away for ten years
 Traveling to a work
conference in San Diego
 Going to shoot an action
movie
Click on the next screen to
check.

13. Meet Laura – cont´d 2
Listen to each person talk about their travel
plans. Did you guess correctly? Then,
listen again to complete the table.
Where are they
going?
Why?
1. Ryan
2.
Michele
3. Lucy

14. Travel Role-Play
Now you´re going to practice what
you have learned! You will be given a
scenario card with an explanation and
some extra material. Practice
checking in at the airport and getting
through Passport control/Customs.
Good luck!

15. Now I can:
 Talk about my future travel plans
 Identify important locations in an airport
 Respond to questions when checking in and going
through customs at the airport
 Read and answer questions about my travel itinerary

16. *All activities and supporting material were created by Evanie Squires. Images were taken from Google (licensed for re-use).
Thanks!