Describe a long journey you travelled by car

Band 8 Sample

I would like to describe quite a long but exciting journey that I went on last week by car from my hometown, Hue city, to the capital city, Hanoi.

I had three travelling companions in the car with me, who were three of my close friends and we had agreed on gathering at my house at 5am, which was our point of departure. Actually, I’m quite an early riser, so I found it quite easy to get up that early and be ready on time.  And luckily, the weather that day was really nice, so we were able to leave the windows down for most of the trip. The fresh air and tranquillity of the countryside made me feel really relaxed but energetic at the same time.

After driving all day, we arrived in Hanoi quite late, by around 6:30pm and continued to drive around the lake a few times, until about 7pm, when the sun began to set and the streets became a little quieter. After that, we stopped at our favourite cafe to sip on some coffee and reflect on our long day.

I really enjoyed that car trip because of several reasons. To begin with, it was a great chance for me to see my country from a very different angle, a road trip with my mates. Usually I would take the train or a plane to complete that journey. So this was a great way to see things, stopping whenever we liked, if we saw something that interested us, for example. This car trip also helped me to refresh my mind by just hitting the open road and leaving all my worries behind. It was also a really great opportunity for me and my friends to enjoy each other’s company and exchange stories along the way from our daily lives. You know, we are often too busy to meet regularly, so chances like this are really valuable.

Vocabulary highlights:

1. travelling companions – people to travel with
2. gathering – to come together
3. point of departure – place to begin a journey from
4. an early riser – someone who wakes up early every morning eg. at 5am
5. tranquillity – calm, peaceful and quiet
6. sip on – to drink slowly
7. reflect on – to think about
8. mates – friends
9. refresh my mind – to be mentally relaxed
10. hitting the open road – going for a drive somewhere out of the city
11. enjoy each other’s company – to have a good time with someone