No man needs a vacation so much as the man who has just had one.

No one needs a summer vacation more than the person who just had one.

Elbert Hubbard

For a person dreaming of a vacation, it doesn’t matter at all what this wonderful period is called. Vacation, break from work, holidays... However, there is still a difference. We are all familiar with English words such as vacation(vacation, holidays) and holidays(holidays). They are very close in meaning, but you should carefully use them in speech. Both words describe a time when you don't have to go to school or work. But under the word vacation often involve traveling somewhere. And here holidays can mean not only vacations, but also holidays: Christmas ( Christmas), Independence Day ( Independence Day), Thanksgiving Day ( Thanksgiving Day). Recently the concept has become very popular staycation (stay + vacation). Can you guess what this means? Right. You spend your vacation or summer holidays at home and don’t go anywhere.

So, have you already planned your summer vacation? Then be prepared for all sorts of questions from friends, colleagues and acquaintances about your upcoming vacation. You can also ask these questions to your English-speaking friends yourself. We have collected the most popular questions for you in the following table:

Phrase	Translation
What are you going to do for your vacation?	What are you going to do during your vacation?
Do you have any plans for the summer holiday?	Do you have any plans for summer holidays?
Holidays are coming. What are your plans?	Holidays are coming soon. What are your plans?
What are you going to do there?	What are you going to do there?
Do you have a place to stay in... (Prague)?	Do you have a place to stay in... (Prague)?
How long will you stay? / How long do you plan to stay?	How long do you plan to stay there?
Will you be staying at a relative’s?	Will you be visiting relatives?
Do you have a destination in mind?	Any thoughts on where to go?

Phrase	Translation
How was your vacation?	How (was) your vacation?
How did you spend your summer vacation?	How did you spend your summer holidays?
Where did you go?	Where did you go?
Did you go with... (your parents)?	Did you go with... (your parents)?
Did you go alone?	Did you travel alone?
Did you take any pictures?	Did you take photos?
What did you do in/on the holidays?	What did you do on vacation?
How were your holidays? / How were the holes?	How (was) the holidays?
When did you go there?	When did you go there?
Who did you go there with?	Who did you go there with?
How did you get there?	How did you get there?
Who did you meet along the way?	Who did you meet along the way?
Where did you stay (at night)?	Where did you stay (for the night)?
How long were you there?	How long did you stay there?
What was the weather like?	What was the weather like there?
What did you do during the day / in the evening?	What did you do during the day/evening?
Did you buy any souvenirs?	Have you bought souvenirs?
Was the entire trip very expensive?	Was the whole trip very expensive?
Did you eat the local food?	Have you eaten local food?
Do you recommend it?	Do you recommend this place?

Find out even more interesting phrases and words about summer holidays by watching the following video. Pay attention to subtitles and correct pronunciation.

• To have a blast- light up, have a great rest.
• To upload pictures to (social networks) – post photos on (social networks).
• Pending assignment- unfinished task.
• To complete- complete, complete.
• To miss the deadline- miss the deadline.
• Good grades- good grades.
• To take a boat trip- boat.
• Peaceful place- quiet place.
• Relaxing– relaxing.
• Hectic schedules- busy schedule.
• Tough life- not an easy life.
• To apply for a ...-day leave– apply for...-day leave.
• To approve- approve.
• A series of disasters- a series of bad luck, troubles.
• The flight got delayed- The flight was postponed.
• To break down (a car/taxi) – break down (car/taxi).
• To get sick from the bad food- poisoned by poor quality food.
• I needed that break.“I needed this break.”
• Goodness! - My God!
• I'm sorry to hear that! - Sorry!
• It all sounds so bad! - How terrible it all is!
• It was hell! – It was a nightmare!

It's always nice to send a postcard to friends and acquaintances that you bought on vacation somewhere at the foot of the Colosseum or in a souvenir shop in the center of Havana. And if you sign it in English, it will be doubly interesting. The following material will help you talk about your vacation in English.

Perhaps the school holidays are ahead of you. In that case, this video is just for you. When you return to class, it will be easy for you to tell your teacher about the summer holidays in English.

List of useful vocabulary from the video:

• A couple of weeks- a couple of weeks.
• To go on treks- go camping.
• Economical packages– economy tours.
• Airfare– air ticket cost.
• Accommodation– housing.
• No-frill airlines– low-cost airlines.
• It’s been years since I last went there.– Many years have passed since my last visit.
• It was awesome! - It was cool!
• My folks were around.– My parents were nearby.
• You will definitely love the place.– You will definitely like this place.
• It seems you had a good time.- Looks like you had a good time.
• It’s a great choice around this time of the year.– An excellent choice for this time of year.
• Do you have any good deals for next week? – Do you have any great offers for next week?

If you think that an essay on the topic “How did I spend my summer?” (an annual hit in our schools) is not asked anywhere else, you are mistaken. In English or American schools, our essay looks something like this:

When describing summer, we often use the following expressions: “relaxing like savages,” “baking in the sun,” “swimming like a dolphin.” Undoubtedly, the English language is also full of bright summer speech patterns. We bring to your attention some of them.

Idioms about summer holidays in English

1. To soak up some sun– sunbathe, soak up the sun.
   

   In Florida, they spent a lot of time lying on the beach and soaking up the sun. – In Florida they spent a lot of time lying on the beach and sunbathing in the sun.

2. To line something up- organize, prepare, order.
   

   They are trying to line everything up for a summer trip. - They are trying prepare everything for a summer trip.

3. To hit the town– light up, relax to the fullest (colloquial version).
   

   It was Saturday night, so we decided to hit the town! – It was Saturday evening, so we decided relax to the fullest!

4. To kick back– relax.
   

   During her trip to Hawaii, my niece kicked back on the beach. It was great! – During her trip to Hawaii, my niece was relaxing on the beach. That was great!

5. A summer fling– summer (resort) romance.
   

   Brenda and Patrick's summer fling ended up in a happy marriage. – Brenda and Patrick’s holiday romance ended in a happy marriage.

Now you know how to talk about your vacation or summer vacation in English. In conclusion, we suggest that you download a document that contains all the words and expressions on the topic, as well as take a short vocabulary test.

(*.pdf, 257 Kb)

​

Summer vacations are the best period to relax and spend the time with your family and friends. And I always look forward to them every year. I would like to tell you about my past summer vacations. I must say that this summer was really wonderful. The weather was fantastic. It looked like summer, it felt like summer. The days were sunny, hot and very long.

Before my holidays started my mother had already planned our trip to St. Petersburg for 10 days in June. She had arranged all hotel and travel bookings beForehand, so we went to this beautiful city by train. St. Petersburg is really amazing and full of historical world-famous sights. Its unique architecture can take your breath away. We visited the Hermitage Museum, Winter Palace, Kazan Cathedral, Peterhof Grand Palace and its fabulous gardens. We also walked along the river Neva and took a canal cruise to see the views and draw-bridges of the city.

After out trip I decided to stay at home for a couple of weeks and enjoy the time with my friends. We had a lot of fun together going for long walks, riding our bikes and playing football. Sometimes we sunbathed and played volleyball on a river beach.

In July I went to visit my grandparents who live in the country. They have a nice house and a big garden there. I brought some books and text-books with me there because I had to do my summer homework in Maths and Literature for school. Although my granny let me sleep as long as I wanted, I tried to help her around the house. I watered the plants in the garden, picked up ripe berries, fruits and vegetables, fed the chicken and collected their eggs. Sometimes I cooked in the kitchen. In the evenings I went to the club to see a movie, play the guitar, play chess or table tennis.

In August my family also went on a three-day camping trip with our friends. I’d say it was a special time for me and I really enjoyed that great opportunity to escape from the city life. We barbecued meat and fish, picked up berries and mushrooms, swam in a beautiful lake, went fishing and admired picturesque landscapes from our campsite. I slept in a tent, brushed away flies and mosquitoes. And I liked drinking pure spring water.

Now, when the vacation is over, I am back to school and I have a lot of sweet unforgettable memories about my eventful summer.

Translation

Summer holidays are the best time to relax and spend time with your family and friends. And I always look forward to them every year. I would like to tell you about the past summer holidays. I have to say, this summer has been truly wonderful. The weather was fantastic. I saw real summer, I felt this summer. The days were sunny, hot and very long.

Before the holidays started, my mother had already planned our trip to St. Petersburg for 10 days in June. She booked the hotel and transport tickets in advance, so we went to this beautiful city by train. St. Petersburg is amazing and full of historical, world-famous attractions. Its unique architecture will take your breath away. We visited the Hermitage Museum, Winter Palace, Kazan Cathedral, Peterhof Palace and its stunning gardens. We also walked along the embankment of the Neva River and went on a canal cruise to see the beauty and drawbridges of the city.

After our trip, I decided to stay home for a couple of weeks and relax with my friends. We had a lot of fun together, we walked for a long time, rode bicycles, played football. Sometimes we sunbathed and played volleyball on the river beach.

In July I went to visit my grandparents, who live in the countryside. They have a nice house and a big garden there. I took some books and textbooks with me because I needed to do my summer math and literature homework for school. Although my grandmother allowed me to sleep as much as I wanted, I tried to help her with the housework. I watered the plants in the garden, picked ripe berries, fruits and vegetables, fed the chickens and collected their eggs. Sometimes I cooked food in the kitchen. In the evenings I went to the club to watch a movie, play the guitar, play chess or table tennis.

In August, my family also went on a three-day camping trip with our friends. I would say it was a special time for me, I really enjoyed the cool opportunity to get away from city life. We roasted meat and fish over a fire, picked berries and mushrooms, swam in a beautiful lake, went fishing and enjoyed the picturesque scenery from our vacation spot. I slept in a tent, chasing flies and mosquitoes. And I fell in love with clean spring water.

- Hello, Vanya!

- Hello Sasha! Glad to meet you!

– And I’m so glad! Well, tell me how you spent your summer holidays?

– Oh, I spent them very interestingly. My parents and I went on vacation to the sea.

- Really? And where exactly did you travel?

– To Ukraine, to Crimea. At first we lived in Alushta in a boarding house. We swam in the sea to our heart's content and basked in the sun. My dad and I even fished from the pier.

- Did you catch something?

- Sea ruff! But it’s impossible to eat him, so we let him go.

– And then you traveled somewhere else?

Yes, we went on excursions to Yalta, Sevastopol, Sudak. I especially liked the ancient fortress in Sudak. Why am I all about myself and myself! How did you spend your summer, friend?

“My parents didn’t have money to travel, so I spent it at home. But I wasn't bored.

– What have you been doing for three months?

– I rode my bike and played different games with the guys. Football, basketball, volleyball - we tried it. Every day I went to the horizontal bars to do gymnastics. Do you see what muscles you pumped up?

- Oh, I wouldn’t mind having those too...

– I also read books, science fiction. After all, I had a lot of time. Now I am an expert in this genre.

- Well, then tell me what you read. And I tell you about Crimea. Sasha, do you agree?

- Agree!

(2 ratings, average: 3.00 out of 5)

Ready-made dialogue in Russian on the topic “Summer holidays”

Related posts:

1. - Dima, hello, son! Why are you sitting there so frowning? - Good evening, mom! Yes, I quarreled with Lena today. And the guys also said that...
2. - Dad, can I see you for a minute? - Yes, Vitochka, what? – Dad, please explain one thing to me. Summer holidays are for relaxation, right? They...
3. - Good morning, Lena! – Good morning to you too, Sasha! And I'm already having breakfast! I invite you too! - Thank you. I see grandma has so many delicious things...
4. - Katenka! - Yes mom? – Daughter, please stop throwing candy wrappers around the park! Look how ugly it is - there is green grass all around, dandelions, and here are your pieces of paper...
5. How to compose a dialogue in the Russian language Dialogue is a type of direct speech, which has its own specific features: 1. During a dialogue, information is exchanged between two...

Jeremy: - Hey dude! What's up? Where have you been all these summer holidays?

Edward: - Hi, Jeremy! I went to camp in Denver. It was the second time I spent my summer holiday with my classmates and my teacher. It was fantastic time of the year!

Jeremy: - What did you do there?

Edward: - Oh, there were a lot of daily activities. I didn't have any time to be bored. In the morning I went jogging with other guys along the coast and then we swam in the sea. After that we sang our traditional camp song and made secret pledges to the camp friends. We played outdoor games, made bonfires, played mock battles and football. Also we had some competitions in darts and bowling.

Jeremy: - I should be so lucky. Did you find a girlfriend?

Edward: - Yes, I did. Her name is Daria, and she is so cute. My mom told me that she had met my father in local summer camp too. I think that a camp is a world of childhood and freedom.

Jeremy: - Was it a special health camp? Did you get any treatments, gymnastics, massage sessions?

Edward: - No, I didn’t. It was an ordinary summer camp. My uncle said that a camp could be a mix of school and adventures. We went hiking and learned to cook porridge in a cooking pot. At the end of the camp all of us were awarded with certificates and special prizes. I was nominated as the most handsome and sportive guy in a camp. We had a prom after this nomination and I had got my first kiss!

Jeremy: - Oh, you lucky dog!

Edward: - Would you like to join us next year? Daria has a sister, and she is so cute too.

Jeremy: - I don’t know...it must be very expensive for my parents. How much is it?

Edward: - It was a vacation easy on the pocket-book - $300 per a whole month.

Jeremy: - I should ask my parents, but I really want to go to this camp.

Edward: - In that camp I was about two months and I didn’t notice when the time flew. It was an unforgettable holiday, I took many photos. I hope your family let you go to the camp.

Jeremy: - Great! How are you doing? Where have you been all these summer holidays?

Edward: - Hello, Jeremy! I went to camp in Denver. This is the second time I've spent my summer holidays with my classmates and teacher. It was an amazing time!

Jeremy: - What were you doing there?

Edward: - Oh, we did a lot of things there every day. I didn't have time to be bored. In the morning I ran with the other guys along the coast and then we swam in the sea. Afterwards we sang our traditional camp song and made secret promises to each other. We played outdoor games, burned fires, played war games and football. We also held darts and bowling competitions.

Jeremy: - I envy you with white envy. Did you find yourself a girlfriend there?

Edward: - Yes, I found it. Her name is Daria and she is very sweet. My mother told me that she and my father also met at summer camp. It seems to me that camp is a world of childhood and freedom.

Jeremy: - Was it a special health camp? Did you go to any procedures, gymnastics, massage sessions?

Edward: - No, I didn’t. It was a regular summer camp. My uncle said that camp could be a combination of school and adventure. We went hiking and learned to cook porridge in a pot. At the end of the camp, we were all given certificates and special prizes. I was awarded the title of the most handsome and athletic guy in the camp. We had a farewell disco after this nomination, and I got my first kiss!

Jeremy: - What a lucky guy!

Edward: - Would you like to join us next summer? Daria has a sister, and she is also quite cute.

Jeremy: - I don't know... it must be a little expensive for my parents. How much does it cost?

Edward: - It’s easy to save up for such a vacation yourself - $300 for a whole month.

Jeremy: - I need to ask my parents, but I really want to go to this camp.

Edward: - I spent about two months in this camp, and I didn’t even notice how this time flew by. This holiday was unforgettable, I took a lot of photos. I hope your family will let you go to this camp.

- Hello, Vanya!

- Hello Sasha! Glad to meet you!

– And I’m so glad! Well, tell me how you spent your summer holidays?

– Oh, I spent them very interestingly. My parents and I went on vacation to the sea.

- Really? And where exactly did you travel?

– To Ukraine, to Crimea. At first we lived in Alushta in a boarding house. We swam in the sea to our heart's content and basked in the sun. My dad and I even fished from the pier.

- Did you catch something?

- Sea ruff! But it’s impossible to eat him, so we let him go.

– And then you traveled somewhere else?

– Yes, we went on excursions to Yalta, Sevastopol, Sudak. I especially liked the ancient fortress in Sudak. Why am I all about myself and myself! How did you spend your summer, friend?

“My parents didn’t have money to travel, so I spent it at home. But I wasn't bored.

– What have you been doing for three months?

– I rode my bike and played different games with the guys. Football, basketball, volleyball - we tried it. Every day I went to the horizontal bars to do gymnastics. Do you see what muscles you pumped up?

- Oh, I wouldn’t mind having those too...

– I also read books, science fiction. After all, I had a lot of time. Now I am an expert in this genre.

- Well, then tell me what you read. And I tell you about Crimea. Sasha, do you agree?

- Agree!

Option 2

- Dad, can I see you for a minute?

- Yes, Vitochka, what?

– Dad, please explain one thing to me. Summer holidays are for relaxation, right? Are they for children to rest?

- Yes of course. Summer holidays are intended for schoolchildren to relax.

– Then why are we forced to study during the holidays?

– Vita, what does it mean – they force you to study?

- Well, what's wrong with that? At school, we were also assigned to read books during the holidays.

– There are as many as ten works on the list!

– Vita, they were given to you so that it would be easier for you to study during the school year.

– So that we get tired in the summer, or what?

- Why so rude? For example, in October you take some work on literature. Have you already read it this summer? And you already know what it’s about, who the main characters are.

- Oh, dad! After all, in the summer you really want to relax! I've read two books and I can't take it anymore! I can’t, that’s all!

– Vita, then it will be more difficult for you, you will have less time to read. See for yourself. So that you don’t get bad grades in literature later!

- Eh, Vita, Vita...