Describe a time you changed a plan suddenly
You should say:
- When this happened;
- What made you change the plan;
- What the new plan was;
- And explain how you felt about the change.
Sample Answer
I’d like to talk about a time I had to change my plan during a trip. If memory serves correctly, it was last national holiday and I went to Hunan for a trip with my family. Since the city where I live isn’t too far from Hunan, my dad proposed to rent an RV and go on a road trip. We had never traveled by an RV, and it sounded like a total blast to go on a short vacation with this kind of vehicle. So my mom and I both agreed to this proposal right away.
The road trip was terrific on the first day. We visited some key tourist destinations in the RV. However, the next day, we were supposed to drive to Yuelu Mountain National Park. But when we arrived at the entrance, we found the road was closed because of a rainstorm a few days before. It was really a bummer that we had to turn back and change our plan. In the end, I searched online and decided to go to a small town nearby where there is a beautiful lake.
Luckily, the small town we visited unintentionally was extraordinarily beautiful. We even spent a night at a campsite next to a lake and had a BBQ there. So, even though the sudden change of our travel plan made me panic at first, the result was good. Like people say every cloud has a silver lining. Perhaps we should let it be when there is a surprise.
Vocab Highlights
if my memory serves me (well/right/correctly): used for saying that you think you have remembered something correctly
RA (recreational vehicle): a large motor vehicle that is designed to be lived in while traveling
blast /blæst/(n): a very happy experience that is a lot of fun
bummer /ˈbʌmər/ (n): a disappointing or unpleasant situation
turn back: to return the way you have come
every cloud has a silver lining: every difficult or sad situation has a comforting or more hopeful aspect, even though this may not be immediately apparent
let it/(one) be: to not interact with or bother someone or interfere with something; to leave someone or something alone