Travelling

Every day hundreds of people travel from one place to another. They travel to work, to school, or on business. Many people travel for pleasure and traveling has recently become one of the most popular hobbies. Travelling is also an interesting way of spending holidays. In every season of the year the airports, railways stations, seaports, bus stops are full of people tarvelling for long or short distances.

When people travel a long distance they usually travel by air. Travelling by air is exciting, fast, comfortable, relatively ssafe but rather expensive. In the 20th century it has become one one of the most important means of transportation. Especially during the last twenty years the number of airplanes and frequency of flifhts have grown enourmously. In such countries as the USA, where people have to travel long distances to get from one place to another, travelling by air has become quite common. It takes nearly six hours by plane to get from the western to the eastern coast of the USA. There are severalhundred American airlines, all of them private. They include the most popular and biggest airlines companies such as Paan American, trans world Airlines, Delta, ...

When people choose to travel by plane they usually go or telephone to the airlines or travel agency to get information about flights as well as about reservations and cost of air tickets. It is also asual to confirm the flight at least a week before travelling.

At the airport the passengers travelling with internationals or intercontinental airlines have to show their flight tickets and paaports. An official weights their luggage as passengers take only 20 kg of luggage free of charge. The passengers must also go through the customs. For air traffic safety both people and luggage have to be checked and metal objects have to be detected. Then the passengers can go to the waiting room. When the aircraft is prepared for flight the announcer call passengers to get ready and board the plane. In the plane the stewardess shows them their seats. Before the aircraft moves the notices flash up – „Fasten Your Safety Belts“ and „No Smoking“. On the runway the aircrew makes the last checks and when they get permissions from the control tower for flight the aircraft takes off. During the flight the stewardess offers thepassengers some meals, refreshments, drinks, cigarettes and sweets. The passengers can also read magazines supplied on board or just sleep.

From time to time they can hear informations about altitute, speed and approximate location of the plane. Before landing there are again „No smoking“ and „Fasten Your Safety Belts“ notices flashed on. Soon the airport lights can be seen as the plane descends and finally lands on the ground. The passengers disembark and go to the hall where they wait for their luggage. After showing the passports and visas to immigration officer and going through the customs check they are free to enjoy the country where they have landed.

Travelling by train is the most common from of travelling. In our country train are used by many people to and from work or school. They are cheap, less polutting, safe but not very clean and comfortable. This refers especially to slow trains which stop at every station. It can also be an advantage as the people have enough time to enjoy countryside. Fast trains and trough trains are more comfortable for longer distances. They do not stop at every station. There are also a sleeping car and the dining car in fast trains which make the travelling more pleasant. Our railway system urgently needs reorganizing and modernizing as it is one of the most neglected and old-fashioned ones in all europe. Speaking about train travel in europe we should not forget to mention the bulding of the Channel Tunnel. It extended the British railway system to the continental one. Direct trains links England with other European cities within 8 to 15 hours. In the past the train travel was very popular way of travelling all over the world but in the last decades it has been replaced by other forms such as travelling by planes, coaches and cars.

Coaches are buses for long distance travelling. They are fast, comfortable and the prices of tickets are quite resonable. In our country many people prefer coaches to trains. During holidays the travel agencies offer many coach trips to the mountains or seaside resorts. There are regular coach lines connecting the capital of our country with most of European cities including Paris and London. Travelling by coach to London, the passengers have an interesting experience of Channel crossing by a big ferry. Coach and cars drivers drive their vehicles aboard the ferry and after landing they continue their journey to London. The shortest sea crossing by ferry from Calais to Dover takes one hour and a half.
Many people consider car the most comfortable means of travelling and seein places. Other think it is just a necessity because it is quicker than public transport. But for many people motoring is a pleasure.

They enjoy driving a car at a high speed and do not think of the dangers of fast driving. It concerns especially the young drivers who contribute much to the accident rate which is very high in this country. The people`s opinions on cars differ quite a lot. They range from positive to negative ones : the cars are comfortable and quick. They are not safe and are rather expensive.

In spite of that, the number of cars on our roads and highways growns higher and higher every year. It is similar in other countries of the world. In the USA there are more cars per person than anywhere else (1,9 people per car). Each adult member of the family may have a cra. Many higgh school and college students drive their own cars to school and university every day. But many schools and universities forbid students to drive their cars close to school or at the campus. There are very strict laws for protecting school children in the USA which must be respected by drivers. The speed controls and strict alcohol tests have considerably reduced traffic deaths. The growing number of cars is a danger not only for people but also for environment of the country. Therefore there are very strict pollution regulations for cars in the USA.

Many young people of all countries of the world like travelling by bike. Some go to school by bike, others prefer cycling as a sport or a hobby. In recent years many young people go for holiday trips by bike which is both healthy and exciting. This type of travelling depends much on weather and therefore summer is the best season for cycling tours.