Hello, everybody, this is Jack from
tofluency.com along with - Kate - this is my
wife, Kate and we are being quite
ambitious because we have brought our
daughter along with us. So, we are going
to have a conversation in English and
this is going to give you the
opportunity to listen to a real
conversation both in British English and
American English and baby. And baby.
You'll hear some baby noises, no doubt. And
this is going to be on YouTube but we
might upload it as a podcast as well, so
if you are listening to the podcast, go
to tofluency.com/podcast and you'll
be able to get some materials for this
lesson. Now, our hope is not to edit this
video too much, we;re just going to have a
conversation and we are going to talk
about vacations.
Yep. And talk about traveling. Now, we
actually met while I was traveling back
in 2007. So, it's almost 10 years.
Oh my gosh. I can't believe that it's
flown by, hasn't it. It has, yeah. And, erm, we
have been living in America for about
six years now. How many vacations have
been up since we've been here?
Can you remember anything in particular?
That's a really good question. I think a
lot of times we end up traveling for and
visits to family more than we travel for
pleasure or to get away from it all.
Yeah, so because we because we live in
America, my parents are in Europe; my
sisters in Europe; your family is
elsewhere as well, when we tend to travel
we tend to go see family don't. Visit family.
Yeah.
Yeah, we do. Why don't you tell everyone about our
latest vacation? Our latest vacation?
For the holidays this year, we actually
went to Florida and we met up with your
parents and your sister in Florida and
we had more of a beach vacation.
Yeah it was fantastic went somewhere
really warm.
I've got some videos on this, you know,
everyone can take a look at the videos
we made from Florida, but it was great
to go somewhere different and not to go
somewhere cold for Christmas. I know!
Yeah, we've never done that before and it
didn't really feel like Christmas
because usually we associate it with snow
and cold weather and instead we were on
the beach on Christmas Eve.
Yeah, and Christmas Day. There were park rangers passing out
sunglasses.
yeah giving out free sunglasses. Yeah. But
it was fun because people were playing
Christmas music; they were wearing santa
hats and we went to the beach on
Christmas Day.
mhm. Which... it was really strange; it was
really strange to be honest but very
enjoyable.
Yeah it was. Yeah. And then, let's talk
about an ideal vacation now.
Because we are thinking about going
away this summer...
where would your ideal place be? Where
would you like to go? I don't know. I have
always wanted to travel or somewhere
really kind of difference and obviously
somewhere that feels safe especially
with the children where we don't have to
get a lot of vaccines before we go.
That's such a good point. But I would love to visit a
country with some different cultural
traditions and food. I've always wanted
to go to Morocco. Morocco? Very cool!
Yeah, we we nearly went, didn't we, while w we
were living in Spain.
Yeah. But we just never made it there. That was
the time to go when we were, you know,
I mean, I think that once you start a family
family, you realize that the time to go
was any time before you had kids.
Yeah, exactly, and that's why you'll hear
people say and to anyone who's just
about to have kids, you know, take
advantage and this time right now but,
you know, you can do stuff with kids like
make these videos and podcasts... so,
yeah... you say Morocco, anywhere
else? I would love to explore
Australia more
as well, and you have a cousin who
actually lives in Australia.
Yeah. That would.. it would be fun to visit them and
we've been talking a lot with our son
about koala bears and kangaroos and
different animals that live in
Australia, so that would be fun,
yeah, and I would love to travel around
Asia as well. Yeah, I haven't really been
out that way at all.l I haven't been to
anywhere in Asia. I haven't been to Australia,
I think the farthest east I've been is
probably Germany.
Wow. Yeah and that's western Europe, so...
but you have been all the way down to
Patagonia in South America. Yes.
So, you've just traveled in a different
direction. But i feel like I'm so glad
that I have a partner who loves to
travel.
Yeah. That we found each other because we
can go on my adventures and we can maybe
take some trips now while Thomas is
little. But I would love to take him
and Emma, who's chiming in, on some
neat vacations when they get older and
just travel and experience life in
different parts of the world.
Yeah, it's a strange time for us because
it seems like we're just dealing with,
you know, emergency situations when we
travel and this year, though, when we went
to Florida, Thomas was excited about it.
We could show him pictures and we could
talk about it in terms of what we were
going to do and he got excited about
that.
Yeah. And he talks about it now. He's
developing those memories and we took
some great photos while we were there too.
Yeah, so, yeah. And I think, as the
children get older,
we're going to have great times and we can
do very specific things, and they'll get those
memories - they will have those memories.
Yes. Where did you travel when you
were a little? Do you have memories of
traveling? We went to France a lot and we
went to Spain a lot and and well, you
know, my memories when I was young - you
always make fun of me because I talk
about my memories all the time.
Yeah, by the way, Jack has an incredible
memory - you
well kind of well. When was your
earliest memory from? how old were you?
I don't really know to be honest...
no, there was that memory where I
remember being in my mom's arms when I
was six months old or I had to be six
months old because they were in their old house.
I remember seeing our neighbor and my
mom was talking to the neighbor.
Yeah. And I remember... I remember that
little ,you know, snippet - that tiny bit of
memory but it's not that clear. I know, but
six months old, that's incredible. I think
that'll mean that Emma will start to
remember life, potentially, in just a
couple of months because she's almost
four-months-old. Yeah, she is. Emma, are
you gonna remember this? Today? She might
remember this. Or at least, she'll have the video
to look back on. We always
went to France; we went to Spain a
lot and when I think I was about 11 or
12 when, maybe younger, when we got
a caravan. So. it used to take us three days
to get to the south of France and we
would spend about two weeks there. We went to
place called Canet Plage, which is near
Toulouse and we went there every
summer for about five years, I think.
And we've met the same people, it
is really cool because as a kid you want
to be around other kids
and there were a bunch of a children there who we
could play with. They had a great pool;
they had sports going on. The beach was
really close by. My sister liked it
because she was getting to the age where
she could go out and it was that kind of
place but, you know, it was
safe - it was great.
We really enjoyed it. How was it
traveling with your family, especially
as you got to be older in such a
small vehicle and sleeping in it.
I remember one trip especially when
... there was a big heat wave in France
and we we just poured water over our
heads because we didn't have air
conditioning
in the car - super hot and the other thing
France at that time and I don't know
if that's changed - but they didn't have proper
toilets. They had like holes in the floor.
I bet that that has changed. I imagine it has.
You know, that's what I
remember about it.
And then one year, we went down with
another family.
And a friend - one of my sister's friends
came as well and I went in the car with
the other family they had a conditioning. And it
was such a big difference. Yeah, I
can imagine that's something that we
take for granted, I think. Yeah, no one in
the UK had air conditioning in a car
it was very very rare.
Wow. It must be... because it doesn't get that hot.
So, people don't feel like they need it.
Yeah. Okay, we're back and I just asked a
question about.. what you did for vacation.
Where did you go when you were when you
were a kid? When I was a kid we actually
took a family beach vacation every
summer. My family and family friends
would rent a house on an island called
Block Island which is an island the coast of
Rhode Island and New England and we
would drive and take a ferry to the
island and we just had a great time. We
would go to the beach every day; we would
grill seafood at night.
Yeah, it was a really special memory
for me. And was not like every
summer?
Yeah, it was every summer for probably
five or ten years. Oh, really? Yeah, my mom
actually grew up going there when she
was a kid too, so she had memories of the
place and all the different areas to
go and it was just a really neat... (thing to to do) When
was the first time you went abroad?
Do you remember? The first time that I went
abroad, I was probably about 10 years
old. My dad decided to start working for
an airline because he really wanted to
show us the world
and so he was working for a British
airline and he got a free ticket
- all right, that's fantastic - every year
So, he took he took my sister and I
both on a trip to England. Did you go to Scotland
too? We did. Was that the same trip?
I think so.
Well, no. That was a different trip. That
was a trip that we took
all as a family together, but my
father actually passed away when I was
in collage, so the fact that we had
that trip together just meant so much. It
was just a special special thing to have
done with him. Great, and do you
remember the journey? I do. What was
that... because going to the UK or anywhere in Europe
you're doing the overnight flight.
from America. That is challenging. uh-huh
Do you remember that? I think, I mean, I'm sure
that I was tired but I think it was just
the most exciting thing that had ever
happened to me and just the novelty of
everything - being able to look out an
airplane window; eating pretzels - a
little packet of pretzels like it was
just all magical It was so much fun. I remember
the first time I came to America
because my uncle, you know my uncle used
to work in America? And he
got us on a flight and it was economy class
but we went to the check out and
then went -they just said our last name, Askew?
Askew? We'll see what we can
do because my uncle used to fly back and
forth to the UK and back to America
all the time, so they - my sister didn't
come on that trip - I think was 14. No, this
is second time.
no no - sorry, I'm getting confused - we
came when i was ten and and that's when -
we did - we got bumped up to first class
yeah - and it was just amazing.
I remember it very clearly. I think
because my dad works for the airline too,
we get bumped up - not all the way up to first
class but to premium economy. We were
in business class and it was
an experience. Yeah. Have you seen some of
those recent pictures of the new
like business class on these luxury
jets?
No, but.... they have like, you know. spas
and showers and a circular bar - there's a
lot going on with them now, obviously,
very very expensive, but and I think if
you get - some people I've have seen on
Facebook get on these flights or at least,
you know, getting the first preview...
some YouTubers, and it just looks
incredible. That sounds great.
that would make flying with my children
worth it.
Yeah, no, definitely. It's hard, isn't it,
with small children. Yeah - the flying - it can
be you. It can be hard - you just never know
what you're gonna get,
ever day is different. No, but you know,
it's good. We feel very grateful to be
able to do it, you know. to go on
these vacations.
So, you mentioned Morocco
before as an ideal place to go on
vacation - where is your ideal..
I was gonna...
tell me about it. I was thinking
about this, you know, while we've been
having this discussion but i think
probably...
Australia. I think it would be Australia or
Japan. I think somewhere in Asia maybe -the
the problem is when I start to think
about these like ideal vacations then I
think about the practical side of things -
with children, you know, because
it is completely different. When I went
travelling I was on my own I had a tiny
backpack and I went away for nine months
and, you know, I could go on a bus for 42
hours. It was fine - kind of - you know, but
it's something I could do, but now it's
thinking about those things -
forgetting about children, is it easier
to travel on your own with me? Oh,
so much easier on my own.
I was worried that you were going to say that.
Explain!
Well, when you're on your own
you... you have your stuff and that's
it.
If you feel tired and down, you know,
or if you're like, you just don't talk to
someone, you can
just do that and. If you wanna be...
if you wanna be outgoing, then you can, you
know, just just meet other people and
then you just make your own decisions
but, yeah, it's more fun traveling
with someone. It is. That's the other thing.
'Cause you get to share your experiences
and just talk to somebody about what's
going on.
Yeah, definitely. Well, cool. Well, shall we
wrap it up?
Yeah, let's wrap it up. Do you have a question for the
audience about vacations?
Yeah, I mean - I've put you on the spot - absolutely
I always have questions, you know that. Okay, so give
everyone a question that they can answer
either if you're watching on YouTube
leave a comment below and if you're
watching or listening to the podcast
then just go to tofluency.com/
podcast and find this episode. What's your
question? Now I have to pick just one question. Okay, here's
my question: if you could travel to
anywhere in the world, where would it be?
And what is your number one bucket-list
destination?
Yeah, you're number one place to go. And
also i'll ask question too just as, you know, a
bonus one. When you go travelling do you
prefer to take a lot of stuff or do you prefer to
travel light?
Oh, it's a good one. Even though you wouldn't think it, I
prefer to travel light?
Yeah. Like almost dangerously light.
It's so much better.
You always take clothes that you don't
need - but what about you guys? Let us
know. So, yeah if you have enjoyed this video
please share it with your friends, please
give it a thumbs up. If you're watching on YouTube,
go to the description - i'll give you some
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lesson and subscribe if you're new. If you're listening to
the podcast, toflency.com/
podcast and check out the lesson notes.
So, thank you for watching or listening, speak
to you soon!
Yeah, thank you, it was great to be here
and to introduce y'all to Emma who was
not born yet last time that I had a
conversation like this with Jack. No,
yeah, time goes quickly. Okay, bye everyone!
Bye!
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