Conversation Topics / Travel
Travel Conversation Questions for Adult ESL Classes
Twenty ESL conversation questions about travel for adult learners (A2–C1). Part 1 is grounded in real trips — how people travel, plan, and cope with problems on the road. Part 2 zooms out to trains and planes, holiday crowds, and what travel does to places and families. Each part opens with a vocabulary warm-up and fills about thirty minutes.
Reviewed by Brando Oxley · 6 Aug 2026
Part 1
Trips, Plans, and Journeys
Focus: sharing experience, describing, comparing, planning, and giving advice
Think of one thing people pack for a trip, one verb connected to travelling, and one place people go on holiday.
Describe each word without saying it directly. Your teacher or partner must guess the word.
EXPERIENCE
What is the most memorable trip you have taken? What made it special — the place, the people, or something unexpected?
DESCRIBE
Describe a place in your country that visitors usually miss but locals love. How would someone get there?
COMPARE
Would you choose a fast train or an airplane for a four-hour journey? Compare comfort, cost, and time door to door.
PLAN
Plan a three-day trip in your country for a visitor on a small budget. Where do they sleep, eat, and go?
PREFERENCE
Do you prefer planning every detail of a trip or deciding things day by day? What has experience taught you?
EVALUATE
What is the most common way to travel between cities in your country? Is it good value for ordinary people?
ADAPT
What transportation problems occur during major holidays in your country, and how do travellers cope?
PROBLEM-SOLVE
Your flight is cancelled and the next one leaves tomorrow. Talk through what you would do, step by step.
ANALYZE
Why do some people love travelling alone while others never would? Which are you, and why?
ADVISE
What three pieces of advice would you give a foreign friend travelling in your country for the first time?
Part 2
Trains, Crowds, and What Travel Changes
Focus: analyzing, reflecting, discussing, improving, connecting ideas, and creating solutions
In one minute, think of two ways to travel between cities, two things you do at an airport or station, two words describing a good trip, and one travel problem.
ANALYZE
Does your country have high-speed rail? Would you like it to? What would change for smaller cities along the line?
DISCUSS
Do you think governments should spend large amounts of money on railways? Who benefits most from big transport projects?
IMPROVE
How could a new railway station or airport change a smaller city in your country — for better and for worse?
CULTURE
When do many adults in your country return to their hometowns, as Japanese families do during Obon? What pulls people back?
REFLECT
How does moving to a big city affect family traditions in your society? What is gained and what is lost?
BALANCE
Tourism brings money but also crowds and rising prices. How should a popular destination balance visitors and residents?
DEFINE
What is the difference between a tourist and a traveller? Is the distinction real or just marketing?
EVALUATE
How should companies respond to important traditional festivals — close completely, stay open, or something in between?
CONNECT
What has a journey taught you about yourself or your own country? Share one concrete example.
CREATE
Design a one-week rail journey across your country for foreign visitors. Which stops tell your country’s story best?
Lessons on this topic
Full reading + discussion lesson plans that pair with these questions.
