My Unusual Summer Holidays — Talking About Memorable and Out-of-the-Ordinary Experiences

1 What Makes a Holiday Unusual?

Think about your last summer holiday. Was it normal — beach, hotel, sunshine? Or was it something different?

Some people love holidays that are out of the ordinary. They don’t want a typical trip. They want something they will remember forever.

In this section, we look at words and phrases for talking about unusual holiday experiences. These are words that English speakers use a lot in informal conversation.

Here are some key ideas:

• A holiday can be unusual because of WHERE you go. Maybe you went somewhere very far from cities and people — somewhere remote, or in the middle of nowhere.

• A holiday can be unusual because of WHAT HAPPENED. Maybe something went wrong, or you stumbled upon something amazing by accident.

• A holiday can be unusual because of HOW you travelled. Maybe you went backpacking with just a small bag, or you decided to go somewhere without planning — a spontaneous trip.

• A holiday can be unusual because of HOW IT FELT. Maybe it was breathtaking — so beautiful it surprised you. Or maybe it was bizarre — very strange and hard to explain.

All of these ideas use the vocabulary in this lesson. Let’s explore them through a story and some conversations.

2 Story: Maya's Unusual Summer

Read the story. The bold words are the key vocabulary. Don’t worry about every word — just enjoy the story first.

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3 Key Vocabulary: How These Words Work Together

Now let’s look more closely at the words. This section shows you how to USE them — not just what they mean.

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WORD PARTNERSHIPS (Collocations)

Some words always travel together. Here are the most important ones from the story:

• make the most of + a situation / an opportunity / your time
→ ‘We made the most of the bad weather and visited a museum.’
→ You use this when something is not perfect, but you try to enjoy it anyway.

• run out of + money / time / food / energy
→ ‘We ran out of food on the second day.’
→ This means you had something and now you have none left.

• end up + -ing verb / in + place
→ ‘We ended up sleeping on the beach.’ / ‘I ended up in a tiny village.’
→ This means the final result was not what you planned.

• come across + a place / a person / something interesting
→ ‘We came across a beautiful waterfall.’
→ This means you found it by accident.

• go wrong — this verb has no object. You say ‘things went wrong’ or ‘something went wrong.’
→ ‘Everything went wrong on the first day, but it was actually fun.’

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ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE UNUSUAL HOLIDAYS

These adjectives are very useful for telling stories:

• remote — describes a place: ‘a remote village’, ‘a remote island’
• spontaneous — describes a decision or a person: ‘a spontaneous trip’, ‘a spontaneous person’
• breathtaking — describes a view or an experience: ‘a breathtaking view’, ‘a breathtaking moment’
• bizarre — describes a situation or an experience: ‘a bizarre experience’, ‘a bizarre situation’
• adventurous — describes a person or a choice: ‘an adventurous traveller’, ‘an adventurous decision’

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FIXED PHRASES

Some phrases are fixed — they don’t change. Learn them as a whole unit:

• off the beaten track — always this word order
• in the middle of nowhere — always this word order
• once-in-a-lifetime — usually before a noun: ‘a once-in-a-lifetime experience’
• get away from it all — ‘all’ is always at the end
• out of the ordinary — always this order

4 Dialogues: Talking About Unusual Holidays

Here are two conversations. These are the kind of conversations you might have with friends. Read them and notice how the vocabulary is used in a natural, informal way.

5 Vocabulary in Context: Useful Patterns to Remember

Here are some extra patterns that will help you use this vocabulary more naturally.

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TELLING A STORY — USEFUL OPENERS

When you start a holiday story in English, you can use these phrases:

• ‘So, last summer I decided to…’
• ‘You won’t believe what happened when I…’
• ‘It was completely out of the ordinary, but…’
• ‘I never planned to end up there, but…’
• ‘It was a totally spontaneous decision — I just…’

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EXPRESSING SURPRISE

When something unexpected happens, English speakers often say:

• ‘I couldn’t believe it!’
• ‘It was absolutely breathtaking.’
• ‘The whole thing was so bizarre.’
• ‘I had no idea I would come across something like that.’

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TALKING ABOUT PROBLEMS

Problems are a normal part of unusual holidays! Here is how to talk about them:

• ‘Things went wrong from the start, but…’
• ‘We ran out of money / food / time.’
• ‘The car broke down and we had to…’
• ‘We had to rough it for a few nights.’

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COMMON MISTAKE — Watch out!

Many learners say: ✗ ‘I ended up to sleep on the beach.’
The correct form is: ✓ ‘I ended up sleeping on the beach.’ — use end up + -ing

Also watch out for: ✗ ‘I came across a beautiful waterfall accidentally.’ — You don’t need ‘accidentally’ because come across already means ‘by accident’.

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HOW TO SAY IT IN A CONVERSATION

Here is a short, natural exchange using the vocabulary:

A: ‘So how was your summer?’
B: ‘Honestly, it was completely out of the ordinary. I ended up in this tiny remote village — totally off the beaten track. It was bizarre but also kind of breathtaking.’
A: ‘No way! How did you come across it?’
B: ‘My bus broke down! But I made the most of it and it turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.’