OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This ESL lesson plan for adults on traveling with kids offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for upper-intermediate B2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Share and compare their experiences with various types of travel and discuss opinions on travel-related ideas.
• Learn and practice vocabulary related to family vacations, stress, bonding, and holiday preferences.
• Watch a stand-up comedy video about traveling with children and complete comprehension tasks.
• Practice using the present perfect and past perfect tenses through guided exercises and storytelling.
• Create and share real or imagined travel stories using targeted grammar and vocabulary in a fun, conversational format.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

In this conversation ESL lesson for adults on travel, students begin by exploring four types of travel—group tours, solo adventures, trips with friends or partners, and family holidays. They discuss which ones they have experienced and compare the pros and cons. Then, they read and react to different statements about traveling, such as whether a holiday with toddlers still counts as a holiday, and express agreement, disagreement, or mixed views. After that, students imagine the stressed-out thoughts of a father on vacation and fill in his inner dialogue using vocabulary about parenting and travel struggles. To wrap up the section, students talk about what it might be like to travel with small children and share personal insights or predictions about the challenges.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

The viewing activity features a short comedy clip in which comedian Jim Gaffigan talks about the chaos and emotional toll of traveling with five kids. Through funny and honest reflections, he pokes fun at dads who look miserable on vacation and the strange things people say when planning family trips. Students first answer short questions based on the content of the video to check comprehension. Then, they complete a multiple-choice activity where they choose the correct interpretations of different parts of the performance.

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

After watching, students discuss their impressions of the performance and share their views on traveling with children. They then consider what makes a trip enjoyable or frustrating. Next, they analyze a written message from a father who uses present perfect and past perfect tenses to describe the early days of his holiday. Students identify the verb tenses used and break down their structure and purpose. In the next part, students complete a voicemail transcript using the correct forms of the present perfect simple, present perfect continuous, past perfect simple, and past perfect continuous to describe a chaotic family road trip. They then listen to the recording and review the answers together.

EPIC TRIPS & TRAVEL FAILS: WHAT'S YOUR STORY?

In this final section, students use the grammar and vocabulary they've learned to create or share their own travel stories. In Option A, students invent or retell a travel experience, choose a key moment, and describe it as if speaking to a friend—incorporating several perfect tenses in the process. In Option B, students respond to discussion prompts asking them to reflect on surprising or memorable moments from trips, practicing how to use perfect tenses to describe what had happened beforehand or what has been happening so far. This storytelling-based task allows students to personalize the topic and use English in a realistic, expressive way.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS CONVERSATION ESL LESSON FOR ADULTS ON TRAVEL

This conversation ESL lesson for adults on travel helps students speak confidently about different travel experiences, which many adults can relate to. It brings humor into the classroom with an engaging video that encourages listening and discussion. Students work with common and useful verb tenses in a guided yet creative way. The structure of the lesson ensures grammar practice stays connected to real-life communication. Teachers can expect high student engagement and a mix of accuracy and fluency development through accessible, relatable themes.