Casa ESL · conversation questions

28 ESL Conversation Questions About Travel

Travel questions unlock past tenses, comparatives, and dreams — three things every learner needs to practise.

Warm-up questions A1–A2 · beginner

  1. Do you like travelling?
  2. What countries have you visited?
  3. Do you prefer the beach or the mountains?
  4. How do you like to travel — plane, train, or car?
  5. What do you always pack in your bag?
  6. Who do you usually travel with?
  7. What is the most beautiful place in your country?
  8. Do you take many photos when you travel?
  9. What city do you want to visit next?
  10. Do you like trying new food when you travel?

Discussion questions B1–B2 · intermediate

  1. Tell me about a trip that went wrong. What happened?
  2. Is it better to plan every day or improvise? Why?
  3. What place surprised you the most, and how?
  4. Would you rather one long holiday a year or many short ones?
  5. What have you learned about your own country by leaving it?
  6. Describe your perfect weekend trip from where you live now.
  7. Hostels, hotels, or staying with locals — what does each teach you?
  8. What tourist attraction disappointed you?
  9. How do you get to know a city fast — first three things you do?
  10. What souvenir actually meant something to you?

Debate & depth C1–C2 · advanced

  1. Has tourism destroyed the places it loves? Use a real example.
  2. Is "finding yourself" through travel a myth sold to the middle class?
  3. Flight shame: personal responsibility or corporate deflection?
  4. Should fragile places (Venice, Everest, Machu Picchu) cap visitors — and who decides?
  5. Does living abroad change your identity permanently? How?
  6. Digital nomads: cultural exchange or gentrification with laptops?
  7. If borders opened completely tomorrow, what happens in ten years?
  8. What is lost when every city has the same coffee shops?

Teaching tips

  • Great for past simple vs present perfect drills: "Have you been…?" → "When did you go?"
  • Map exercise: students plan a three-stop trip and justify the route to the group.
  • Vocabulary seeds: itinerary, layover, off the beaten path, souvenir, jet lag, landmark.

Practise these with a real teacher.

One-on-one conversation lessons, A1 to C2 — friendly, structured, and personal.

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