Making suggestions when travelling, in English

The last article gave you a few words and phrases you could use when making plans for travelling. We’re now going to expand on this by looking at useful phrases you can use when making suggestions.

If two or more people are trying to decide what to do when travelling, use We could … or Shall we … ?.

     We could take a taxi instead.
     We could ask Tobias to take us there.
     We could leave tomorrow morning.

     Shall we travel overnight?
     Shall we leave our bags here?
     Shall we walk there?

To suggest what someone else can do when they are travelling, use You
could ….

     You could stay in an apartment in the city.
     You could take a boat there.
     You could buy a ticket online.

You can use How about … ? if you have an idea about what someone might do.

     How about taking an earlier flight?
     How about meeting them at the airport?
     How about doing a boat trip?

You can also use Why not … ? if you have an idea about what someone
might do.

     Why not ask Milos to take you?
     Why not get up and go early tomorrow morning.
     Why not drive there?

Good to know

How about + -ing
The verb that comes after How about … ? must be in the -ing form.

Useful words

a passport an official document that you have to show when you enter or leave a country
a mobile a telephone that you can carry wherever you go
hire to pay to use something, such as a car, for a short time
spend to pay money for things that you want or need
accommodation buildings or rooms where people live or stay
overnight happening through the whole night or at some point during the night
an apartment a set of rooms for living in, usually on one floor and part of a larger building
online using the Internet
a flight a trip in an aircraft
a trip a journey that you make to a particular place and back again
get up to get out of bed
drive to control the movement and direction of a car or other vehicle

Come back next time when we’ll look at how to ask for information or to get someone’s attention.

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