This Business English lesson plan on business travel has been designed for business professionals or other adults and young adults at an intermediate (B1/B2) to advanced (C1/C2) level and should last around 45 to 60 minutes for one student.
People have travelled for business purposes since the emergence of commerce. Nowadays, instead of a caravan pulled by a camel along the silk road, we take these trips by car or plane. Many businesses are departments dedicated to these experiences. For some, business travel can be a stressful time; for others, it can be the opportunity to have an exciting new experience. In this Business English lesson plan on business travel, students will have the opportunity discuss and express their opinions on issues such as the pros and cons of business travel, their experiences travelling for work, and what to pack for a business trip.
For advice on how to use this English lesson plan and other lesson plans on this site, see the guide for ESL teachers.
PRE-CLASS ACTIVITIES
Reading activity
Before the English class, send the following article to the students and ask them to read it while making a list of any new vocabulary or phrases they find (explain any the students don’t understand in the class):
INC | 12 Surprising Benefits of Business Travel
The article looks at a number of ways business travel can be beneficial, including exploring new places, escaping a routine, and meeting new people. At the start of the class, hold a brief discussion about what the students thought about the article. What do they think about the issues raised in the article? Do they agree with what was written? Can they think of any ways they might add to the content of the article?
Video activity
To save time in class, the English teacher can ask the students to watch the video below at home. In the class, the students will answer a number of conversation questions directly or indirectly related to the content of the video.
The video for this class, by Mr Porter, is called “How to Pack for a Business Trip” which looks at the essentials needed for a business trip and how to avoid creases in your clothes.
IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES
The focus in the class is on conversation in order to help improve students’ fluency and confidence when speaking in English as well as boosting their vocabulary.
This lesson opens with a short discussion about the article the students read before the class. Next, the students can give their opinion on the quote at the beginning of the lesson plan – what they think the quote means, if they agree with it and how it could relate to business. This is followed by an initial discussion on the topic including how often the students have to travel for work purposes, common reasons why people take business trips, and any negative experiences they have had while travelling for work.
After this, students will learn some vocabulary connected with business travel such as red-eye flight, jetlag and travel expenses. The vocabulary is accompanied by a cloze activity and a speaking activity to test the students’ comprehension of these words.
If the students didn’t watch the video before the class, they can watch it after the vocabulary section and answer the conversation questions. Before the conversation, ask the students to give a brief summary of the video and what they thought about the content.
Finally, there is a more in-depth conversation about business travel. In this speaking activity, students will talk about issues such as problems people can encounter at the airport, what to consider when booking a hotel, and whether they would apply for a job specifically because it involved a lot of travel.
HOMEWORK
After the class, students will write a memo to memo to staff members explaining the company’s travel expenses policy. The writing activity is designed to allow students to practise business-style writing as well as improving their grammar with the feedback from their teacher.
