A2 · Elementary · Travel · 155 words · ~2 min read

🚙 Planning a Budget Road Trip

Language focus: Future · be going to & will

Before you read

Two futures share this story and they are doing different jobs. Going to covers what Marco and Elena have already decided; will covers what they are predicting or deciding as they speak. There is also a first conditional hiding in the last paragraph.

Marco and Elena are planning a budget-friendly road trip through Europe this summer. They are going to drive through France, Switzerland and Italy.

“We will save money if we camp,” says Elena. “And we are going to cook our own meals.” They set off in two weeks and plan to stop over in three cities.

Marco checks the map and the fuel costs. “We must not run out of petrol in the mountains,” he laughs. They book cheap campsites online.

It is going to be an unforgettable adventure. They will share the driving and take hundreds of photographs along the way.

They have been planning the trip since January, and they have already booked four campsites. Petrol is more expensive than last summer, so the budget is tighter.

If it rains for more than two days, they will stay in a cheap hostel instead. Otherwise they are going to camp for the whole three weeks.

Key vocabulary (8 words)

budgetnoun: The amount of money you plan to spend.
routenoun: The way you travel from one place to another.
campsitenoun: A place where you can put up a tent and stay.
fuelnoun: Petrol or diesel that makes a vehicle run.
bordernoun: The line between two countries.
adventurenoun: An exciting and unusual experience.
affordableadjective: Cheap enough for you to pay for.
journeynoun: An act of travelling from one place to another.

Phrasal verbs in this story

set off — To set off means to begin a journey.
stop over — To stop over means to stay somewhere briefly during a journey.
run out — To run out means to have none of something left.

The grammar in this story

going to for the itinerary

“They are going to drive through France, Switzerland and Italy.” “We are going to cook our own meals.” The route and the meals are settled before anyone speaks. Going to is the default future for plans that already exist, which is why travel English is full of it.

will for predictions and shared decisions

“We will save money if we camp.” “They will share the driving.” These are expectations rather than fixed arrangements. Will never changes form, always takes the bare base verb, and shortens to ’ll in speech.

First conditional: present simple + will

“If it rains for more than two days, they will stay in a hostel.” The if half uses the present simple even though it is about the future, and the result half uses will. You can swap the order — They will stay in a hostel if it rains — and drop the comma when the if clause comes second.

must not versus run out of

“We must not run out of petrol.” Must not marks something genuinely to be avoided. Run out of means to use the last of something, and it always needs of before the noun: run out of time, run out of money.

Phrases you can reuse today

We are going to drive through Italy.: A fixed plan in the itinerary.
We’ll save money if we camp.: Will plus a first conditional.
We must not run out of petrol.: Run out of always takes of.
Let’s stop over in Lyon.: Stop over = break a journey somewhere.

Comprehension quiz

What are Marco and Elena planning?
- A road trip
- A wedding
- A concert
Show answer
A road trip
Through which continent will they travel?
- Europe
- Asia
- Africa
Show answer
Europe
How will they save money?
- By camping
- By flying
- By staying in hotels
Show answer
By camping
When do they set off?
- Tomorrow
- In two weeks
- Next year
Show answer
In two weeks
“Stop over” means to…
- stay briefly during a journey
- cancel a trip
- drive faster
Show answer
stay briefly during a journey
They must not ___ of petrol in the mountains.
- run out
- fill up
- set off
Show answer
run out

Now use it yourself

Reading builds recognition; writing your own sentences is what turns it into something you can actually say. Three short tasks:

Plan a trip in four going to sentences and two will predictions.
Write three first conditionals about things that might go wrong on a journey.
What is the cheapest way to travel in your country?