大阪府立大学英語講座 - Traveling with English

Making a hotel reservation is quite simple. It can be done through a travel agent, calling the hotel directly, or by yourself through on-line internet booking. On-line booking is often the cheapest. When appearing at the hotel, go to the reception desk, show your confirmation number and personal identification, and you're finished. Depending on the arrangement, if you are paying in cash, as is sometimes the hotel policy, a hotel may ask you to pay the full amount upon checking-in. Most hotels though will take your credit card number first and the total amount will be charged to your credit card account when you check-out. Please ask about the hotel's payment policy BEFORE you check-in!

Most cafes and restaurants in the United States accept personal checks, credit cards and cash. Outside of the U.S. few cafes and restaurants accept checks, although some large international hotels may accept a check accompanied by 2 pieces of identification. Unless you are in a remote area in any country, or in a financially poor country, credit cards and cash will be accepted. U.S. dollars are accepted in many countries, along with the Japanese yen through-out large cities of Asia, and of course, the euro through-out Europe.

Internet cafes can now be found in most north American and European cities, and the larger cities in the rest of the world. Often they are located near cafes and coffee shops. If you look around you can usually find internet cafes offering very good service for a low online fee. Unless your wallet is full, or it's an emergency, avoid hotel internet services as their fees tend to be outrageously high!

These days, when buying clothing, the service you receive can vary tremendously - from a clerk suggesting styles, colors, materials and the right fit for you to absolutely no assistance whereby you help yourself then bring the clothing to the cashier counter. If you want to save money, the "do it yourself" store may be for you.

All languages borrow words from other languages. Seldom though is the pronunciation "exactly" the same. It's fun though, when in another country, to recognize a word that's taken from your home country's language. Often the meaning will be the same as you are familiar with, but sometimes there's a slightly different feeling or understanding of what the word implies. This small change in meaning, when you use this word may lead to good natured humor among the local people. That's okay, have fun with it!

Restaurants the world over, commonly would like you to buy an alcoholic beverage prior to or accompanying your meal. Of course this assumes that your age is at least the minimum drinking age for that country. Some countries allow drinking at any age. Some countries allow no drinking anywhere. For most countries though, the minimum age varies between 18 and 21. Although most restaurants usually make a good profit from selling alcoholic beverages, do not feel that you must purchase a beverage of any kind, or wine bottle (in the case of this podcast). Often a glass of water might be fine for you. Enjoy your dining experience in the way that suits you.

Sending packages (parcels) back to Japan or to another country from abroad is often done in much the same way as sending from Japan. Registered mail forms are filled out by writing: your name and address, along with the person's name and address to whom you are sending the parcel. This form and parcel is then given to the clerk; followed by paying the required postage fee. Smile with a "Thank you" to the clerk and you've successfully completed your task. And if there are cookies in the package, your friend who opens it will smile too!

The dish "fish and chips" is quite popular in the British Isles, Ireland, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and the north eastern part of the USA. The fish is deep-fried, and the chips are deep-fried potatoes surrounded by a bread crumb batter. The type of fish fillet used differs from country to country. You may be served chips that are long and thin in the USA but thicker in England. Tartar sauce, vinegar, and ketchup are a few of the dressings used. 'Fish and chips', in a special tempura form, was brought to Japan during the Edo period by the Portuguese. Enjoy!