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The Schengen area represents a territory where the free movement of persons is guaranteed. The signatory states to the agreement have abolishedto abolishabolished all internal borders in lieu ofin lieu ofin lieu of a single external border. Here common rules and procedures are applied with regard to visas for short stays, asylum requests and border controls. Simultaneously, to guarantee security within the Schengen area, cooperation and coordination between police services and judicial authorities have been stepped upto step upstepped up.

Who does not like holidays? When we leave for holidays, we become tourists. Tourism is not only traveling for recreational purposes - it has many other aspects: political, economic, social or cultural. Tourism entailsto entailentails all the actions of people who travel and stay somewhere for leisure, business and other purposes for no more than an uninterrupted year in places outside their usual surroundings. Tourism is an inseparable element of human history. It is difficult to even determine its beginning. To understand the concept of tourism, it is worth defining those who practise it. For this purpose, we use the word visitors.

The term “visitor” means any traveling person (and therefore migrating) for a period not longer than 12 months, if the main purpose of the journey is different than starting a gainful activitygainful activitygainful activity, paid in the city or country visited. The journey should be one to a place outside the normal surroundings of a person, so commutingto commutecommuting to work or school do not count as tourism. Among international visitors, we can distinguish two categories: tourists and one‑day visitors. One‑day visitors do not stay in collective accommodation facilities or in private accommodation in the visited country. Tourists are also visitors, but they spend at least one night in the country visited. The purpose of their stay may be: rest, sightseeing, business, visiting friends or relatives, shopping for private use, etc.

There are many types of tourism. For example, we can go for two or three days for a bicycle trip in a part of Poland or a two‑week stay to a foreign country. These differences result from the various goals that you want to achieve when traveling. Types of tourism can be distinguished, among others, on the basis of:

• the number and age of participants,

• the duration of the visit,

• the season,

• the type of accommodation,

• the mode of transportation,

• the manner of organisation,

• the area visited,

• the impact on the environment.

The socio‑economic effects of tourism development can be seen through the prismprismprism of favorable changes in the form of: increase in income from tourism, employment growth, improvement of living standards of the visited communities, improvement and development of infrastructure, development of entrepreneurship, etc.

One should, however, be aware of the occurring adverse phenomenaadverse phenomenonadverse phenomena accompanying the development of tourism and the places where this development takes place. These include, for example, the degradation of the natural environment by tourists or the disappearance of local traditions (folk culture).

Five stages of travel

1. Dreaming

Every holiday starts with a dream – you see an advertisement on TV, a movie location, you read a book about people living someplace far away. Travelers love to dream about their next vacation.

2. Planning

Nowadays this stage usually happens online – we browse websites dedicated to travelling, read travellers’ blogs, ask for advice on social media.

3. Booking

This, too, often takes place online – from the mode of transportation (be it a plane, a train, a bus or a taxi), through accommodation (a hotel or a private location like Airbnb or a travellers’ community like couchsurfing.com), to adventures and activities you wish to try on your vacation - all of these can be found online. Before you book make sure to read some of the reviews other travellers have left about the service provider.

4. Experiencing

Don’t worry if something doesn’t go exactly as planned – remember it’s vacation: time to relax and have some fun, and not stress about anything. Be careful though, nothing spoils a journey as much as being robbed or hurt.

5. Sharing

All kinds of content (including pictures, video, reviews and blogs) are so easily shared online – it’s a great way for people to show where they’ve been and inspire others to visit the same places.

Even if we spontaneously set off on a journeyto set off on a journeyset off on a journey without any special preparation, certain matters can not be ignored. A trip without a valid passport, necessary vaccinations or travel insurance is not the best idea. First of all, we have to decide how to travel. For example, if we organise our own transport and book our own accommodation, or we decide to entrustto entrustentrust it to an intermediary, i.e. a travel agency. At the planning stage, make sure that your trip organizer is reliable. It is best to use the services of well‑known tourist enterprises registered in the Polish Chamber of Tourism. To find out if the organizer of tourist events works legally, which means that his company is registered in the Central Register of Tourism Organizers and Tourist Agents maintained by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, we can check it on the website: turystyka.gov.pl

A few months before the journey you should check the visa requirements of the countries you wish to visit. It may take up to a couple of weeks to get certain visas.

Vaccinations are a very important thing! No matter what travel option you choose, first of all you need to think about health. If you are going to tropical countries, do not forget to visit a specialist in tropical diseases – you will learn everything about vaccinations, antimalarials and what medicine you should pack with you. It is also worth remembering the basic principles of first aid, because you cannot always count on fast professional help. Going to the tropical parts of the world, we are much more exposed to infectiousinfectiousinfectious diseases than when traveling in our own climate zone. Sanitary conditions and medical care at a low level are conduciveconduciveconducive to the easy spread of dangerous diseases. That is why it is important to properly prepare for the trip, which will ensure the safety and comfort of travel and minimize the risk of health complications.

Think about the documents you will need for your journey. Make sure your passport and credit cards are valid. It is a good idea to scan the most important documents and mail them to yourself – just in case you lose the original documents (the passport, credit cards, boarding passes, vaccination confirmation, ID, driver’s license, insurance confirmation, important phone numbers). It is also important to decide how you will use your money when abroad. In some countries finding an ATMATMATM is very difficult. Remember never to keep all your money and cards in one bag.

If you are going to one of the EU member states or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, remember to apply for a European Health Insurance Card in one of the National Health Fund offices in you area. An EHIC lets you get state healthcare in the above mentioned countries and Switzerland at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. EHIC is free and you only need to fill in a simple application to get it. The EHIC does not replace travel insurance. Before a journey it is worth buying one that best suits your needs and holiday plans.

When planning an independent trip abroad, it is also good to read current warnings for travelers (including on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). This is an indication of which regions of the world are not safe and what the threats are (e.g. terrorism, military conflicts).

During your journey – first of all, get to know the place and the culture, visit places of interest and rest. However, be reasonable. First of all, adjust your behavior and outfit to the place where you are. Particular attention should be paid to this piece of advice, among others, in the temples. Often, signs suggest what you can wear and what is prohibited. For example, the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches do not allow entering in short pants, and women should cover their arms. The regulations in mosquesmosquemosques are even stricter – women can only have their face, hands and feet exposed – whereas in synagogues men should have a headgear. When traveling abroad, you must also respect the laws and customs of the country of residence.

The outfit should also be appropriate for the natural conditions in the country you are visiting and the activities that you are planning (e.g. mountaineering). For example, clothing and shoes should be above all comfortable and at the same time adequate to the current temperature and other weather conditions. In the mountains, you should stick to the designated trails, watch the signposts. Be aware of special conditions: avalanchesavalancheavalanches in winter, storms in the summer.

There is no doubt that traveling is a pleasure for many people, an opportunity to get to know new places and people. After all, travelling is educational. For the journey to be enriching, however, you have to prepare yourself for the trip and the way. You will then remember the journey for a long time.

Exercise 1

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Ćwiczenie alternatywne: Na fotografii znajduje się sztuczny zbiornik wodny otoczony palmami. W tle widać drapacz chmur przypominający żagiel. Polecenie: Imagine you are travelling to Dubai. What do you have to do before the journey?

Ćwiczenie alternatywne: Na fotografii znajduje się sztuczny zbiornik wodny otoczony palmami. W tle widać drapacz chmur przypominający żagiel. Polecenie: Imagine you are travelling to Dubai. What do you have to do before the journey?

Imagine you are travelling to Dubai. What do you have to do before the journey? Write down your suggestions on the interactive board.

Keywords

Schengen area, tourism, visitor, cognitive/leisure/qualified/business/religious/medical tourism, stages of travel, vaccinations, travel insurance, Polish Chamber of Tourism, Central Register of Tourism Organizers and Tourist Agents, EHIC

Glossary