Describe an occasion that the vehicle you took broke down in your travel
You should say:
- Where you wanted to go;
- When it happened;
- Who you were with at that time;
- And explain what impacts this breakdown had.
Sample Answer
I’d like to talk about the time I went on an RV road trip. Unfortunately, we suddenly had a flat tire when we were driving on the road. It totally rained on our parade.
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, such as Fenghuang Ancient Town and Yuelu Academy. But the next day wasn’t so nice. When my dad was driving on a highway, we suddenly felt like the ride had become really bumpy, so he pulled over to the side of the road. And we found a flat tire when we checked out the vehicle. My dad had to call the rental company and ask for roadside assistance.
We were stuck there for almost four hours and had to give up our plan of visiting a beautiful small town along the route. It was such a bummer that the RV broke down on the highway and wasted so much of our time. So since then, I prefer public transportation when I travel, which is way more reliable.
Vocab Highlights
rain on someone’s parade: prevent someone from enjoying an occasion or event; spoil someone’s plans
RA (recreational vehicle): a large motor vehicle that is designed to be lived in while traveling
if my memory serves me (well/right/correctly): used for saying that you think you have remembered something correctly
pull over: (of a vehicle) move to the side of or off the road
bummer /ˈbʌmər/ (n): a disappointing or unpleasant situation