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Vocabulary Quiz
backpacking • run out • hostels
fortnight • pricey
  1. A lot of the youth around here are almost as nice as hotels.
  2. Your present should come in the mail within a .
  3. We should start traveling home, because we are going to of money soon.
  4. This restaurant is a little for my budget.
  5. We are going for three weeks during winter vacation.
Comprehension Quiz
Answer the following questions about the interview.
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451 Life in Sweden
Ruth tells Todd about her time in Sweden.

  • Transcript
  • Audio Notes


When I was at university, I backpacked around Scandinavia for a month with a friend.

'Backpacking' is a common method of travel for young people or people trying to travel on a budget.  Most people who are 'backpacking' carry a large backpack and travel by ground transportation, such as trains and buses.  Notice the following:

  1. We backpacked through most of South America last summer.
  2. Backpacking is very common thing for people in their 20s.

ran out of money

We never actually made it to Finland, because we simply ran out of money.

You 'run out of money' when you spend all the money that you have.  Notice the following:

  1. We had some travel problems and actually ran out of money in the middle of nowhere.
  2. If you keep spending like this, you are going to run out of money in a week.

youth hostels

Everything was so expensive, so ended up sleeping in youth hostels or on people's floors.

A 'youth hostel' is cheap hotel, where young people can stay in dorm-style rooms.  These are very popular with backpackers.  Notice the following:

  1. The hotels are pretty cheap, but if you want a really cheap place to stay, I suggest the youth hostel down the street.
  2. A lot of youth hostels have communal kitchens for the guests to use.


We just had no money, so we couldn't eat really for a fortnight.

'Fortnight' is another way of saying 14 nights and days or 2 weeks.  Notice the following:

  1. It's hard to imagine that your life will be completely different in a fortnight.
  2. I haven't talked to you in almost a fortnight.


Stockholm is really nice, but it's also very pricey.

If a place is 'pricey,' it is expensive. Notice the following:

  1. This store is bit pricey.  Don't you think?
  2. Traveling in Mexico is actually kind of pricey.