ESL Podcast 666 – Traveling to Less Popular Sites

　　Vanessa: Put away that guidebook. I want our vacation to be exciting and unique, not cookie cutter. Tourists all visit the same sites. I want to explore and go to some places off the beaten path.
Justin: That would be fine except we’ve never traveled to Podville before and we don’t speak the language. How are we going to make our way around if we don’t plan out our trip?
Vanessa: We’ll be fine. Stop worrying. We spend too much time planning. Let’s just fly by the seat of our pants.
Justin: You really want to just go unprepared? That’s just not sensible. Anything could happen.
Vanessa: I’m not going to lose sleep over it. We just need to meet some locals and they’ll be able to tell us about the hidden, secluded¹, and offbeat² sites. Those are the ones I want to see.
Justin: You can explore all you like, but I’m bringing some insurance.
Vanessa: What insurance?
Justin: I’m bringing two guidebooks and this phone number.
Vanessa: Phone number for what?
Justin: The phone number for the American embassy³. That’s where I plan to go for help when you get lost off the beaten path!
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 offbeat   

adj.不平常的，离奇的

参考例句：

• She adores old,offbeat antiques.她非常喜欢那些稀奇古怪的老古董。
• His style is offbeat but highly creative.他的风格很不寻常但非常有创造力。

3 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。