Good morning. I’ve been looking at your holidays to Australia in your brochure.
I’m thinking of going during the second half of next month.
Good morning. As you can see from our brochure,
we offer a wide variety of packages to various destinations in Australia.
Is there anything in particular that interests you?
Yes, my husband and I are very interested in the holidays in the Outback.
These holidays are becoming increasingly popular.
Would you like to arrange flights and accommodation with us, or just accommodation?
Can you arrange flights from Sydney?
Certainly.
OK, flights and accommodation then.
Right. You said that you wanted to travel next month.
Which date would you prefer?
I should point out that there are no daily flights available,
so if you have a flexible itinerary, that’s better.
Well, we arrive in Sydney on the 15th of April
and we were thinking of travelling to the Outback on the 18th of August, er… I mean April.
OK. There’s only one flight from Sydney to Alice Springs on the 18th, so I’ll book you on that.
It leaves at 10 in the morning, which is quite convenient.
Shall I book two seats for you?
Yes, please.
As for your stay in the Outback,
you can see from the brochure that we offer three packages:
budget, standard, and luxury.
The budget package is about 500 Australian dollars.
The standard package is about 700 and the luxury one is approximately 1,000,
though it does depend on exactly what you would like regarding extras.
Which one would you prefer?
Well, we can’t decide between the budget and standard options.
Ah, well, actually, just looking at my computer here,
on the date that you want to fly into Alice Springs,
there is no standard accommodation available. It’s fully booked, I’m afraid.
That’s OK.
We think that the cheapest one should be fine for us.
We don’t mind roughing it for a few days and we don’t expect to be spending much time at our accommodations.
We prefer the outdoors.
Right. Let’s look at the room options.
First of all, would you prefer a non-smoking room?
Yes. Neither of us smokes.
OK.
Oh, before I forget,
could you book everything in my husband’s name, please?
Yes, of course. Are you paying by credit card?
Yes.
In that case, I’ll need your husband’s name exactly as it appears on the card.
Of course. It’s John A. Smyth.
That’s Smyth with a “Y”.
John… middle initial “A”…
surname Smyth, S-M-Y-T-H.
Is that correct?
Correct.
Thank you. I’ll just check the price.
The room will cost $100 a night plus $10 tax,
so $110 per night in total.
Is that OK?
Yes, that’s fine. Book us for three nights, please.
Most of the guests like to participate in some special activities and trips while they’re staying in the Outback.
Is there anything that interests you and your husband?
Yes, there are several things we’d like to see and do.
We’d definitely like to visit the Cultural Centre.
Yes, that’s very popular.
It’s within walking distance of the accommodation and it’s free.
It’s also a great place to pick up souvenirs of your trip.
We were thinking about visiting one of the nearby farms.
There are two farms nearby – a sheep farm and a kangaroo farm.
There is also an opportunity to ride camels in the desert.
Have you ridden a camel before?
No, but it sounds like fun.
Could you give me some more details about the kangaroo farm and the camel ride?
Certainly.
The kangaroo farm includes information on how the animals are raised
whilst the camel ride provides information on desert flora and fauna.
Which would you prefer?
You can arrange to see the kangaroos in the wild if you like, rather than on a farm.
That sounds perfect.
OK, we’ll go on the camel ride and see the kangaroos in their natural habitat.
OK. I’ll arrange that for you.
I forgot to mention that the journey also includes a stop at a place of aboriginal artwork.
It’s a place well-known for its stone carvings of animals and mythical creatures.
That sounds great!
Are the carvings in the desert?
Yes.
Wonderful!
Well, that’s perfect then. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely trip,
but remember that you need to take care in the sun.
Yes. We’re really looking forward to our trip.
We really want to try to experience the Dreamtime under the stars.
Of course. That’s what a trip to the Outback is really all about.
Yes.
Now, how about the cost…
