My husband and I don’t have much experience with traveling. So, we’ve usually opted for package or group tours rather than self-guided tours.
Recently, we went on a package tour with our children to Vietnam’s Da Nang. The trip was being sold on a TV home shopping channel. The guide suggested optional tours that required extra fees beyond the scheduled itinerary. I was caught off guard because I hadn’t expected this. Fortunately, our children had a blast doing optional activities like the “basket boat” ride and the “Ao Dai show.”
But doing the optional activities in addition to the scheduled itinerary was physically exhausting. Plus, the cost was the same for both children and adults, so the extra expenses added up. Next time, I’d like to plan ahead and try a self-guided trip, so we can enjoy plenty of downtime.
opt for sth - choose it or decide to do it in preference to anything else
itinerary - a detailed plan or route of a journey
catch someone off guard - to surprise someone by doing something that they are not expecting or ready for
downtime - time when you relax and do not do very much, especially time when you are not at work
우리 부부는 여행 경험이 별로 없다. 그래서 자유 여행보다는 패키지여행이나 단체 여행을 선택했다.
최근에 아이들과 함께 베트남 다낭으로 패키지여행을 다녀왔다. TV 홈쇼핑 채널에서 판매하는 상품이었다. 가이드는 예정된 일정 외에 추가 비용을 지불해야 하는 옵션 투어를 제안했다. 예상치 못한 일이라 당황했다. 다행히 아이들은 ‘바구니 배’ 타기, ‘아오자이 쇼’ 같은 선택관광을 즐거워했다.
하지만 예정된 일정 외에 선택 관광까지 하는 것은 체력적인 부담이 있었다. 게다가 아이와 어른의 비용이 같아서 추가 지불 경비도 상당했다. 다음엔 준비해서 휴식도 충분히 즐길 수 있는 자유 여행을 가고 싶다.
- My parents don’t have much experience with computers. / I don’t have much experience with dating.
- It’s a bit cheaper if you go on a package tour. / I went on a package tour because of safety concerns.
- I enjoyed plenty of downtime over the weekend. / My husband prefers to enjoy of downtime, but I want to go sightseeing.
A: Didn’t you go on a family trip recently?
B: Yes, we took a package tour to Vietnam.
A: I see.
B: But the schedule was a bit tight, so it was a little rough on the kids.
A: That can happen, especially if you add optional activities.
B: That’s what we did. I think we’ll go on a self-guided trip next time.
