Shadowing Practice: Why Off-Season Travel Is Disappearing - Learn English Speaking with Video

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41 sentences
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Travel patterns used to be very predictable.
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In the summer, airlines knew that a lot of customers would want to be flying over to Europe.
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That is still the case.
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But it is also very hot and it is very crowded.
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And especially since COVID, travel patterns have been changing dramatically and customers are starting to go to Europe all year round.
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You're seeing a lot more demand in what's called the shoulder seasons, like the spring, even early spring when it's a lot cooler and then going into the fall.
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So especially since COVID, these changes in travel patterns have become more pronounced.
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There's remote work, there's digital nomads, and people that are prioritizing travel.
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There are also things that are driving travelers away from maybe the peak summer months, not just the prices of hotels and flights,
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but the crowds and the incredible heat at a lot of major tourist attractions.
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For a lot of people, going to Rome in the summer is very stressful.
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It is very hot.
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There are crushing crowds that go during the summer, especially to some of these Mediterranean summer,
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the more that pushes people to fly more in an off peak time because it'll be a better experience for them.
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For the airlines, they're trying to make as much money as possible.
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Costs have gone up.
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Of course, fuel prices have gone up this year.
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But margins in this business are razor thin.
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And for airlines, they need to put those aircraft on the most lucrative routes that they can
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And what we've heard from CEOs from major airlines is international is where it's at.
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So what airlines are doing is that they're starting their seasonal flights to Europe earlier.
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In many cases, American is a good example of that.
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We recently debuted some service to Scotland and they're starting that earlier in the spring.
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There are also year round flights to major cities and major hubs that travelers can bounce off of to Rome, Barcelona and those places.
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And those are becoming more year round destinations.
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When airlines are looking to purchase aircraft, they have to think about how are we going to use this airplane year -round because it's an expensive piece of machinery.
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They know in the summer they won't have a problem sending these wide bodies to Europe.
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That's not going to be an issue for them.
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Now they can stretch that further into the shoulder season.
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A lot of those planes are larger.
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They have more premium seats that can cost thousands of dollars more than seats in coach.
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And you can get thousands of dollars more than running them on a domestic route.
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And they're putting those to work on international routes to cater to that demand.
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And it's not just to Europe.
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We're seeing it also with Japan flights and new destinations throughout Asia as well.
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It doesn't mean that domestic travel is dead.
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That's very popular.
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even at these fairs that we've seen this year with fuel prices going up.
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And it doesn't mean that traditional vacation destinations throughout the Caribbean and Mexico are dead either.
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There's strong demand there as well.
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But airlines are looking to grow and they're looking to grow their profits and they're looking to cover their costs, which have been going up and up and up over the years.

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Context & Background

The world of travel has experienced significant changes in recent years, particularly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, travel patterns were predictable, with peak seasons attracting a substantial number of travelers during summer months. However, the landscape has shifted remarkably, causing many travelers to seek out off-season and shoulder season travel opportunities. In this video, the speaker discusses how new trends in travel, combined with the evolving needs of travelers, have led to a demand for more flexible travel schedules and experiences. Understanding these changes can aid language learners in engaging with contemporary discussions around travel.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “travel patterns used to be very predictable” - A useful phrase to describe how habits or behaviors have changed over time.
  • “it's a lot cooler” - Great phrase to discuss weather changes and preferences.
  • “pushing people to fly more in an off-peak time” - Useful for expressing alternatives and strategic decisions.
  • “margins in this business are razor thin” - A creative way to explain slim profit margins in any context.
  • “strong demand there as well” - Effective for discussing varying levels of interest or popularity.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To enhance your speaking skills while learning English, consider adopting the shadowing technique, particularly with this video on evolving travel trends. Here’s a simple guide to improve your English pronunciation and comprehension:

  1. Listen carefully: Watch the video multiple times. Pay attention to the speaker's intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation.
  2. Repeat phrases: Start by pausing the video after each key phrase. Say it out loud, attempting to mimic the speaker’s tone and pace. Phrases like “travel patterns used to be very predictable” should be your initial focus.
  3. Gradually increase your engagement: As you become comfortable, try speaking along with the video without pausing. This practice, known as shadowspeak, will solidify your speaking ability.
  4. Record yourself: To track your progress, record yourself shadowing the video. Listen back to compare your pronunciation with the speaker’s. This step is vital for understanding areas needing improvement.
  5. Integrate into daily life: Use the phrases you've learned in your conversations or writing. Consider how you might discuss off-season travel with friends or how you could include these learnings in your IELTS speaking practice.

By consistently practicing these steps, you'll not only improve your English through active engagement with contemporary topics but also boost your confidence in speaking. Shadowing videos like this one is an effective way to learn English with YouTube while enhancing both vocabulary and pronunciation.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going onhave been changing · have been going
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhave become · have gone · we've heard

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →