8.

Travelling

People often travel on business, for pleasure, for relaxation or even for education or for their
health. I love it too, but the fact is that I can’t afford to travel as much as I’d like to. I’ve
neither the money nor the time for it. But I usually go for a trip/journey at least once a year in
summer.

Társasutazás

In a package tour you travel with others and follow a prearranged itinerary (előre
megtervezett útvonal) covering all the famous landmarks. You pay a single, all-inclusive price
that covers everything such as transportation, meals, accommodation, sightseeing tours and
guides.

Egyéni utazás

With independent travel you pay as you go and during the journey you can change your
mind if you want to. But you can go in a travel agency and ask them to give you cost
estimates and secure reservation for you. It used to be long time ago. Nowadays people who
have Internet they manage all services and goods of the journey on the net. Lots of travel
agencies advertise themselves on different web-sites. You can browse among the pictures of
the accommodation; you can read some details about them and of course their prices are
shown for a night. You can book a room in a hotel or in an apartman and you can pay a
deposit, too.

I prefer individual travel to group travel. If you go on a package, you have to be adaptable
(alkalmazkadó), you have no time to look at everything you are interested in and the worst
thing is when you have a bad guide. He can spoil (elront) all your holiday. I can be my own
master, depend on nobody and can always do what I like. Although, package tours have some
advantages too: everything is arranged for you by travel agency from the necessary
documents to hotel reservations. And it doesn’t seem to be very romantic to arrive in a strange
town at night with no idea where to go.

Prepare
I plan my holiday well in advance and make a lot of arrangements. First of all I decide where
to go. Fortunately, we have unlimited possibilities to go practically anywhere in the world
only you need have enough foreign currency.

passport
It is enough to have a valid passport if you want to travel abroad. Passports expire from time
to time and people have to extend them or apply for a new one. Your passport entitles you to
go any country in the world without restrictions. As our country is a member of European
Union, today you don’t have to have your passport to step the borders at least your new type
of identity card may be needed. You don’t need a visa in none of the countries of Europe but
it is needed to the USA or Australia now yet.

Foreign currency
You need to have some foreign currency though, which you can get at a money changer, a
bank or a travel agency. The exchange rate is always changes for the forint’s value.
The things that you need for a holiday are always determined by the length, the time and the
type of the holiday. The general rule is that you should try to travel light and take the fewest
possible clothes with you. You must also pack your toilet goods in and don’t forget about
your camera either, provided you have one.

Controlling, check-point
Customs officials examine the luggage of out-going and in-going travellers. You may be
asked to show all the articles which you are bringing in with you. You must truthfully answer
any questions put to you by the Customs officer. There are goods liable to duty and you have
to pay taxes on them. If you have nothing to declare you tell the officer about it or if you are
at the airport you simply go through the green channel. If you have dutiable goods, you go to
the red channel and declare them. Most of personal belongings are exempt from duty. You
must pay duty on a large amount of spirits, tobacco, coffee, on electrical appliances etc. If you
try to smuggle and then a dutiable article is found in your baggage, you have to pay a fine and
your article may be confiscated.

Accomodation
Camp-sites
If you like sleeping in a tent in the open air then camping is the most ideal way of spending
your holiday. Apart from hot showers most camping sites offer other facilities like flush
toilets, drinking water, cooking areas, guarded parking places, electricity, bungalows,
restaurants, bathing and fishing facilities and sports grounds. It is so exciting to arrive at a
camp-site and pitch your tent wherever you want or park your caravan. Furthermore you can
cook your supper over the camping gas fire and you are close to the nature all the time. You
can enjoy absolute freedom and have none of the headaches of advance hotel booking. For a
ludicrously small sum you can enjoy a comfort. (nevetségesen kis összegért élveheted a
kényelmet. )
Camp-sites are usually situated beside clear streams, in green valleys between high
mountains, by a lake or pond, or at the seaside. All of outdoor sports are available including
water sports and hiking. Foreigners in Hungary can stay in well equipped, modern camping-
sites all around Lake Balaton in guest-houses, motels or hotels.

Balaton / Budapest
The most popular form of accommodation in the Balaton region is renting private rooms or
flats for a certain period of time. There are a lot of people letting their houses to foreigners in
summer. In Budapest, there are a lot of nice first-class hotels where people from abroad can
spend some pleasant and comfortable nights.

HOTEL
You can book a hotel room on the phone or you might as well book on the internet. If they
have vacancies or they are not all booked up, they can usually offer you a choice of
single/double rooms or suites, rooms with or without showers. While booking, you have to
make sure what room you want to take. It can be faced to the main street or it can be on the
ground floor/top floor. Besides you have to decide whether you want a breakfast or full board
or not. When you have arrived at the hotel you go up to the reception desk and show your
passport or I.D. to the receptionist. It can quite easily happen that he isn’t at the desk. In such
a case you can ring the bell. He will fill in a registration slip for you and write your name in
the hotel register. If you haven’t done it previously, it is good to ask him about the price of the
room per night and what meals and facilities this price includes. Then the reception clerk will
give you your key (ticket for the room) and the porter will show you to your room and he’ll
also take up your luggage (hotel valet). When you decide to leave, you give your key to the
receptionist, check out and settle your bill.

Hotels offer visitors service in the range of from 1 stars to 5 stars. It depends on your money,
which quality of the hotel can you afford.

The hotel with 4 or 5 stars is equipped with the most up-to-date technical and technological
facilities. All rooms have their own en-suites, bathroom and toilet. They all have central
heating and air-conditioning a colour TV with cable or satellite channels, a radio, a telephone
and safe for valuables to the guest.
The hotel with 2 stars has standard quality and is well equipped, but the hotel with only one
star is a minimum of service. Each room has a wash basin with hot and cold running water.
On every floor there is a bathroom and separate toilets for men and women.

Pensions
A pensions is a simple hotel-type accomodation possibility with min. 5 rooms and max. 4
beds in a rooms. Visitors are served breakfest, possibly even full board and basic services.

Hostels
Hosetls have more beds per room and have shared washing facilities and toilets. They are
mainly designed for short-term stays for larger groups (especially of young poeple) The
services offered are on of and two star quality.

Travelling by train
Train/rail: I hardly ever travel by train, perhaps once in a blue moon. However, I like
travelling by rail because it’s very comfortable and quick. Besides it’s an excellent way to get
to see the countryside too. And although the trains don’t always leave and arrive on the dot,
they are usually punctual.

Tickets can be purchased from railway stations and travel agencies. If you go on a day trip it
is better to buy a return ticket than a single one as you pay less and you don’t have to worry
about buying another ticket for your journey back. Children under the age of 14 get some
reduction, you just have to ask for a special children’s ticket at the booking office. I think that
the railway today still carries the bulk of passenger traffic. There are a lot of commuters who
can’t afford to use their cars every day so they choose to travel by train. Others choose the
railway because in a train they always have enough space to move about, and they can be
absolutely relaxed and calm on a train.

In Hungary you have the choice of following kinds of trains: express trains, fast and slow
passenger trains. Express trains are usually through trains while slow passengers trains stop at
every single station. You have to make a seat reservation for express trains, but not for fast or
slow passenger trains. In the hall, in front of the booking offices there are long queues of
people buying tickets. Some of them are already nervous because they are afraid of missing
their trains. Others are waiting patiently for their trains to be announced over the
loudspeakers. Unfortunately, there is a growing number of homeless people who find shelter
in the waiting rooms of railway stations.

Having bought a cheap fare, I go to the platform where I’m waiting for the train. You mustn’t
step over a yellow painted line because it is dangerous. Inside the first-class carriages you can
find very comfortable upholstered seats while in a second-class car the compartments are less
comfortable and the seats are covered with fake leather. That’s why the latter one is cheaper.
In each compartment there are luggage racks over the seats where you can put your trunks,
holdalls or suitcases. I like sitting facing the engine as opposed to sitting back to the engine. I
always choose a non-smoking compartment and preferably a seat by the window. During the
journey an inspector can come to clip every passenger’s ticket. Without having a ticket you’ll
possibly be fined by the ticket inspector on the train. You can go to the corridor and look at
the beautiful scenery. There are some people who are smoking; others are trying to get past
them while they go away to be more precise people are coming to and fro. If it is not a direct
train you have to change to get your real destination.

Apart from passengers, trains also carry goods of many different kinds. Railway transport is
still one of the cheapest ways of carrying freight over long distances. For example milk, coal,
cars and many other things are transported by loaded containers. Most railway accidents
happen at level crossings where there are no crossing gates and inattentive drivers go across
the track without checking if the signal is red or white. Sometimes trains go off the track it
can cause delays or even casualties.

Types of trains: slow train/passenger train/fast train

through train/direct train (direkt vonat)/non-stop express

freight train/goods train (teher vonat)

Airport

Air(port): Air travel is definitely the quickest way of transport. Air travel does save time. I
have flown once or twice in my life and the feeling of flying was really a memorable
experience for me. I wish I could fly more often. I enjoyed travelling in a jet because it was so
nice to be above the clouds, not to mention clear weather when you could see everything
underneath and everybody tried to look through the window and drunk in the sights.

MALÉV, the Hungarian Airlines operate flights to all important cities abroad all the year
around. Some internal flights have been started recently which enable you to get to another
town within Hungary in the shortest possible time.

Before boarding the plane the passengers must register at the check-in counter. While
checking in your luggage is weighed and the attendant attaches a special tag to it to prevent it
from getting lost or misplaced. If you exceed the baggage allowance you will have to pay an
excess fare. After the officer has checked your passport you go to the departure lounge where
you usually have to wait for some time before your plane is due to take off. It is wise to check
the flight list on the TV screens to see if your flight is going to be delayed or not. Departures,
calls for flights, delays, cancellations or changes are also announced over loudspeakers. When
your flight is announced you go to the right gate and boarding begins. Stewardesses greet you
on the board the plane. You show your boarding card to them and take your seat. They help
everyone to put the hand-luggage into the luggage-compartment, to sit comfortably in the
reclining seats and to adjust the safety belts.

Statistics show that air travel is safer than any other way of travelling. Air crashes are rarer
than serious accidents on the railways not to mention roads. The cockpit is full of modern
navigational equipment and the landing and take-off are controlled by computers. To be
hijacked – eltérítik / To ascend/descend – fel/le száll

Ship

Ship: I’ve travelled by ship several times on Lake Balaton, but most of these trips were
pleasure cruises. After we had bought the tickets we went to the pier and saw the ship entering
the harbour. Then it dropped anchor, we went on the board and the ship started. You can
enjoy the sight of the calm, green water and the white sailing boats on it as well as the
pleasant view of the surrounding hills and villages. In Hungary you can also take one of the
passenger boats which ply our big rivers or the ferries that cross them regularly. From May to
September there is a daily boat service on the Danube between Budapest Vienna, which takes
about five hours. On Lake Balaton a daily ferry run from Balatonfüred to Siófok every day.
(Tihany-Fonyód?)

Big ocean liners are like real floating cities with all modern conveniences. They can transport
several thousand passengers. The cabins are above and below deck. A cabin looks very much
like a compartment of a railway sleeping car. All cabins have portholes. In stormy weather
many passengers feel seasick when the stern dips down and the bow goes up. In case of
emergency like running aground, hitting an iceberg or sinking, on board a ship are available
life-boats, life-belts, buoys and other safety devices. When the ship approaches its destination,
it slowly slips into the harbour and the passengers disembark.

Types of watercraft: sailing ship, barge, trawler, yacht, kayak, tanker, submarine, ferry,
ocean liner, raft, paddle-boat, rubber boat To be shipwrecked – hajótörést
szenved

Coach, bus: Hungary has quite an extensive inter-city coach network reaching into all parts
of the country. The vehicles are comfortable and the service is reasonably rapid. Prices are on
a par with those for first-class rail travel. Most coaches are operated by a company called
Volán, but the number of privately run coaches is gradually increasing. At present they are
mainly hired for school trips or package tours. Unfortunately, they are often on a strike in fact
because they can. They demand to rise their salary if not they don’t transport the passengers.

Public transport
In my opinion the public transport is well organised in Hungary. In my town is solved by
buses.
Maybe the easiest way to travel in the city is if we use this possibility.
These are yellow and the bus company called Kisalföld Volán. The buses run quite frequently
and many routes. We have to buy a ticket to use it, but we can also buy season tickets. You
don't have to stand in line at the bus stops, you must get on at the first door, and show your
bus card or punch your ticket.
If you want to get off you press a button near on of the doors before your bus stop, to signal
this to the driver. I consider buses are pretty comfortable, but often crowded that’s why you
don’t have a sit. That’s really disturbing.
You can get tickets at the newsagents or terminals, or on the bus from the driver altought this
is more expensive.
If you are cought travelling without a vallid ticket, the ticket inspecter will fine you.
In BP there are other forms of public transport, for example trains, trolley buses and the best
form is the underground which is fast and doesn't polent the air or cause a traffic jam.
The underground,transports the people under the ground. In my opinion that’s the best way
because it’s the faster and most comfortable. It’s almost sure you have got a sit if you travel
by metro. Maybe underground is not the friendliest place, but it can be used to it.

Quality of the roads

In my opinion the traffic has got a medium level in Hungary. The roads aren’t too good,
because of the lot of potholes. The repairing of it is going on all the time. I think there’s a
simple explanation why are the roads somewhere in bad shape. Hungary is in the middle of
Europe that’s why our traffic role in Europe is pretty significant. We could say we’re the
centre of Europe. A lot of vehicles cross our country from different reasons. Several families
have got a destination which can be reached only by crossing Hungary. The other big part is
the eternity number of trucks. They’re transporting goods or other important ingredients to the
industry or to the buyer. So that’s why our roads are weighted and their quality is going down.

How do you get to school?

We live in Abda, near Győr. This village is not too far from Győr. It is only 8 km from the
city.
Ususally my parents take me to the town with car. We leave home very early in the morning
to avoid getting stuck in the rush-hour traffic. I get out of the car in the city center, and then I
have to take a city bus, which takes me to school. It takes more than 10 minutes to get to he
school from the citycenter.

If I go by bus to the citycenter from home, it’s not a big deal. Because the bus stop is near our
house. It takes 10 minutes to reach the bus stop. So I find it very comfortable. It takes 15
minutes for the bus to get into the town. It means I can be in town in a short time. It is worth
to me to go by bus to the town, because t is not so expensive because I am a student, so I get a
50% discount ticket. I generally buy a monthly pass. It is cheaper than the daily ticket.
Although there are some advantages. If you miss the bus, you have to wait the next one, it can
take much time. Maybe you can be late for the school. Furthermore the buses are crowed in
the morning, you can’t find any free place to sit down. It is very uncomfortabel to travel in a
standing position on an overcrowded bus.

Go by Car
I don't have a private car. I think it is expensive to maintain the car. Drága fenntartani. Man
should fill the tank with gasoline, which is very expensive. You should also have car
insurance. If your car breaks down, it cost much money to get the car repaired.

Even so (ennek ellenére) it is very comfortabe to drive a car because you do not need to
adjust. (nem kell alkalmazkodni). You can start when you want, so you can be flexible.

However there are also some disadvantage. It is very difficult to park in the city. There is very
little free parking in the city. If you want to stop in the city center, the parking fee is very
high. You also have to pay attention to the no-parking zone because you can get a fine. The
traffic jam is also a problem because it is difficult to calculate the travel time.