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Unit 3 · Travel & Experience · Lesson 15

Why We Travel

Learn how to talk about WHY you travel and what it changes. Practise 'so that', 'in order to', 'because of' and 'as a result' so you can reflect at B2 level — in writing and in conversation.

CEFR B255–65 minReasons & purposeCore

Warm-up · §1

5 min

Get talking

discussion
Why this trip?

Think of one trip you've taken. What was the real reason you went — and was it the reason you told people?

reflection
What changed?

Has a trip ever changed your mind about something? What and why?

activity
Travel for…

Rank: escape, learning, status, rest, romance, meaning. What's your top reason today?

Grammar focus · §2

8–10 min

Reasons, purpose and result — the B2 reflection toolkit

Open in Reference Centre

Quick rule

REASON answers 'why?' · PURPOSE answers 'what for?' · RESULT answers 'so what?'. Pack one of each into a B2 reflection.

Pattern builder

  • Reason (clause)

    because + subject + verb

    e.g. I went because I needed a reset.

  • Reason (noun)

    because of / due to + noun

    e.g. I went because of a family invitation.

  • Purpose — short

    to + infinitive

    e.g. I went to learn Spanish.

  • Purpose — formal

    in order to / so as to + infinitive

    e.g. I went in order to immerse myself.

  • Purpose — outcome

    so that + subject + can / could

    e.g. I went so that I could speak it every day.

  • Result

    As a result, / Consequently, / which meant that…

    e.g. It changed how I see home. As a result, I moved.

Compare

Spoken / informalWritten / formalCommon mistake
I went 'cause I needed a break.I travelled in order to take a step back from work.I went because of I needed a break. ✗
I went to learn Spanish.I went so that I could become fluent in Spanish.I went for learn Spanish. ✗
So I rethought everything.As a result, I reconsidered my priorities.Because that, I rethought. ✗

Examples

  • →

    I went to Japan to challenge myself.

  • →

    I went to Japan in order to learn a different way of living.

  • →

    I went so that I could see a country I'd only read about.

  • →

    I learned a lot because the homestay forced me to speak every day.

  • →

    I learned a lot because of the homestay, which forced me to speak every day.

  • →

    I came back exhausted. As a result, I rethought how I travel.

Common mistakes

  • I went because of I needed a break.

    ✓ I went because I needed a break. / I went because of work pressure.

    'Because' + clause. 'Because of' + noun.

  • I went for learn Spanish.

    ✓ I went to learn Spanish. / in order to learn Spanish.

    Purpose = 'to / in order to' + infinitive, not 'for' + verb.

  • So that I learn Spanish.

    ✓ So that I could learn Spanish.

    'So that' usually pairs with 'can / could / would' in B2 reflection.

Natural English

Strong reflective writing pairs an emotional reason with a practical result: 'I went because I was burnt out. As a result, I quit my job.' The contrast is what makes it land.

Deep dive (full explanation)

Reflective B2 language has three jobs: state a REASON (because / because of / due to), state a PURPOSE (so that / in order to / to + infinitive), and state a RESULT (as a result / which meant that / consequently). Mixing the three in one short paragraph is exactly what examiners reward — and what makes you sound thoughtful rather than just descriptive. The key trap: 'because' takes a clause; 'because of / due to' takes a noun. Mixing them up is the most common B2 error in this area.

Question 1.Choose the correct sentence:

Question 2.Correct purpose form:

Question 3.Correct 'so that' pattern:

Question 4.Most natural result linker:

Question 5.Correct 'because of' use:

Answer all items, then check.
Conversation Builder
Say it naturally

Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.

1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

3.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build
Tap words below to build the sentence…

Quick check 1.Choose the correct sentence:

Quick check 2.Correct purpose form:

Answer all items, then check.

Vocabulary · §3

5–7 min

Words & phrases to own

Open in Reference Centre
1

to broaden your horizons

to widen your view of the world.

2

a turning point

a moment that changes the direction of your life.

3

to step out of your comfort zone

to do something unfamiliar or difficult.

4

self-discovery

learning who you really are.

5

to gain perspective

to see your own life from a distance.

6

burnout

exhaustion from too much work or stress.

7

to recharge

to rest until you feel strong again.

8

a fresh start

a chance to begin again.

9

homesick

sad because you miss home.

10

wanderlust

a strong desire to travel.

Activate it now

Make the words true about you — that's how reflective language sticks.

  1. Make it yours#1

    Describe one moment that was a real turning point for you. Use 'turning point' and 'as a result'.

    a turning pointto gain perspective
  2. Complete#2

    Finish: 'I last stepped out of my comfort zone when ___ . As a result, I ___ .'

    to step out of your comfort zone
  3. Your view#3

    Agree or disagree: 'Travel doesn't change you — it just shows you what was already there.'

    self-discoveryto broaden your horizons
  4. Discuss#4

    Can you really recharge on a holiday, or do you just delay the burnout?

    burnoutto recharge
  5. Rank#5

    Rank by likelihood: travel for self-discovery, escape, status, learning, romance, rest.

    wanderlustself-discovery
  6. Quick write#6

    Write one sentence using 'because of' and 'a fresh start'.

    a fresh start
Matching
Match each expression with its plain meaning.

Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Answer all items, then check.
Categorise
Sort these into how you would actually use them when talking about reasons, purpose & result.
Answer all items, then check.

Pronunciation · §4

3–4 min

Linking + stress in reflective sentences

Reflective sentences are long. To stay clear, native speakers chunk them: a short pause after the linker ('As a result, ↘ I moved'), and they stress the CONTENT words ('TURNING point', 'GAINED PER-spective'), not the grammar words. Practise chunking with a comma-sized breath after each linker.

  • As a re-SULT, ↘ I re-THOUGHT how I TRA-vel
  • In OR-der to BROAD-en my ho-RI-zons
  • Be-CAUSE of the HOME-stay, I SPOKE every DAY
  • It was a real TURN-ing POINT for me

Reading · §5

8–10 min

I Didn't Go to Find Myself. I Went to Lose Myself.

Listen to the passage

Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.

When I tell people I spent six months travelling alone, the first thing they say is, 'Ah, so you went to find yourself?' I always answer the same way: 'No. I went to lose myself.' I'd been working too hard for too long. I wasn't unhappy, exactly. I was just thin — emotionally thin. Everything felt like another task. I went away in order to stop being the version of me my calendar had built. I wasn't looking for a deeper self underneath. I just wanted that surface self to be unreachable for a while. The trip didn't deliver epiphanies. It delivered ordinary days. I cooked badly in a small kitchen in Granada. I missed a train in Berlin and spent the afternoon in a launderette. I had a long, slightly awkward conversation with a stranger on a bench in Lisbon and never saw him again. As a result, by month four, I stopped checking my email and stopped wanting to. When I came back, nothing about my life had been solved. The job was the same. The flat was the same. But I had a different relationship with the speed of the days. Because of those ordinary months — and not in spite of them — I stopped treating my own time as something to be optimised. People still ask if I 'found' myself. The honest answer is: I didn't find anything new. I just put down a few things I'd been carrying. That, it turns out, was enough.

Question 1.Why did the writer go travelling?

Question 2.What kind of experiences did the trip deliver?

Question 3.What changed after she came back?

Question 4.What does she say she did, instead of 'finding' herself?

Answer all items, then check.
True / False / Not Given
Decide if each statement is True or False

Q1.The writer was very unhappy before the trip.

Q2.She had life-changing epiphanies on the trip.

Q3.She stopped checking her email by month four.

Q4.When she came back, her job had changed completely.

Answer all items, then check.

Listening · §6

8–10 min

Two friends reflecting on what travel has changed in them (about 1:45)

Listening audio

Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.

Show transcript

Sara:Do you think those six months in Vietnam actually changed you?

Marc:Yeah, honestly, I do. Not in a dramatic way — I didn't have some big epiphany — but it was a real turning point.

Sara:In what way?

Marc:I went in order to escape burnout, basically. I'd been working sixty-hour weeks. As a result, I'd forgotten what a slow day even felt like.

Sara:And the trip fixed that?

Marc:It didn't fix it. It just showed me it was fixable. Because of the slower pace there, I gained a bit of perspective on my own life. I stopped seeing rest as lazy.

Sara:And now?

Marc:Now I still work hard, but I take a proper holiday twice a year so that I never get back to that point. It's a small change but it's stuck.

Sara:So would you say travel broadens your horizons or just gives you a break?

Marc:Honestly? For me, it did both — but the break was the bigger gift. I came back with a fresh start, not a new identity.

Question 1.Why did Marc originally go travelling?

Question 2.What did the trip 'show' him?

Question 3.What change has stuck since the trip?

Question 4.What was the 'bigger gift' for Marc?

Answer all items, then check.
Tick what you hear
Tick every reason / purpose / result expression you actually hear.
Answer all items, then check.

Exam skills · §7

5 min

Strategy focus — Reason + purpose + result in extended Writing & Speaking

Open in Reference Centre

Task

Reflective B2 tasks ('Describe a time that changed you', 'Write about an experience…') reward learners who use a mix of reason, purpose and result linkers. Repetition of one ('because… because… because…') drops the band.

Strategy

Plan three sentences before you start: REASON ('I went because…'), PURPOSE ('in order to…'), RESULT ('As a result, …'). Drop them anywhere into your answer. That single trio is enough to move the response from B1 to B2.

Example

I took a year out because I'd been working non-stop since university. I went in order to step out of my comfort zone and live somewhere completely different. As a result, I came back with a fresh start — same job, but a very different relationship with it.

Practice · §8

8–10 min

Fill in the blank

Question 1.I went ___ I needed a break.

Question 2.I went ___ the homestay.

Question 3.I went ___ challenge myself.

Question 4.I went ___ I could improve my Spanish.

Question 5.It was a real ___ point in my life.

Question 6.___ a result, I rethought how I work.

Answer all items, then check.
Sentence transformation
Type a short answer (1–3 words)

Q1.Reason (clause): 'I went ___ I needed a reset.'

Q2.Purpose: 'I went ___ order to learn Spanish.'

Q3.Result: '___ a result, I changed jobs.'

Answer all items, then check.

Writing · §9

5 min

Put it in writing

Your task

Write a 130–170 word reflection titled 'A trip that changed something in me'. Use AT LEAST: one reason ('because / because of'), one purpose ('to / in order to / so that') and one result ('as a result / which meant'). Use two unit-vocabulary items (e.g. turning point, comfort zone, perspective, fresh start).

Your answer

0 words Restoring…
Show model answer

A trip that changed something in me Two years ago I spent three months travelling alone in Vietnam. I didn't go because I was unhappy. I went because I'd been working sixty-hour weeks and I'd forgotten what a slow day felt like. I needed to step out of my comfort zone and remember who I was outside of my calendar. The trip didn't deliver dramatic moments. I cooked badly. I missed trains. I had long, slightly awkward conversations with strangers I never saw again. But in order to gain real perspective, I think you need ordinary days, not adventures. As a result, I came back with a different relationship with my own time. My job hadn't changed. My flat hadn't changed. But I stopped treating rest as something I had to earn. It was a real turning point — quieter than I expected, but it stuck.

Speaking · §10

10–15 min

Make it a real conversation

Useful expressions in Reference Centre

ROLEPLAY — The Reflective Interview. Your partner (or the teacher) asks: 'Has a trip ever changed something in you?' Answer for 60–90 seconds using one REASON, one PURPOSE and one RESULT structure. Then swap roles. Listener notes which linkers were used.

Useful phrases

  • • I went because…
  • • I went because of…
  • • I went to / in order to…
  • • I went so that I could…
  • • As a result, …
  • • which meant that…
  • • It was a real turning point.
  • • I came back with a fresh start.
Dialogue completion
Pick the most natural B2 line for each turn.
  • FriendSo why did you take a year out?
  • You_______________
  • FriendAnd what were you hoping to get from it?
  • You_______________
  • FriendDid it work?
  • You_______________
Answer all items, then check.

Optional · Teacher-led

Teacher Activities

Optional teacher-led activities for live classes. ~25 min total

Homework · §11

Take-home

Take it home

writing

Write the 150-word reflection above and self-mark it against the success criteria.

speaking

Record a 90-second voice note answering 'Why do you travel?' using at least one reason, one purpose and one result structure.

vocab

Write a true sentence using each: turning point, comfort zone, gain perspective, burnout, recharge, fresh start, wanderlust.

listening

Find a 3-minute TED talk on travel or change. Note one 'in order to' and one 'as a result' you hear.

Recap · §12

2–3 min

What you've learned

  • You can give reasons with 'because + clause' and 'because of + noun'.
  • You can express purpose with 'to / in order to / so that + can/could'.
  • You can express results with 'as a result / which meant that / consequently'.
  • You can use reflective vocabulary like 'turning point' and 'gain perspective'.
  • You can write a short B2 reflection that examiners will reward.
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