Best Winter Sun Holidays & Places to Visit in 2023

Playa de los Cristianos (Tenerife) has been named the best winter sun holiday destination in Europe by Holydo, a holiday rental search engine in the UK. Spain tops the list of winter sun destinations, but other featured destinations are Agios Nikolaos in Greece, Siracusa in Italy, Luz in Portugal and Cala Rossa in France. A list of the sunniest cities in Europe has also been published by Holydo Magazine, and, surpisingly enough, Zaragoza ranks number 12 in Europe!

In this article, which is suitable for B2 students, you can find descriptive adjectives and other interesting words like: average, whopping, dreamy, charming, a coastal [town], to beat, to check out, waterfront [restaurants], nearby [abandoned castles], stunning [streescapes], breathtaking [beaches], impressive [cliffs], turquoise [waters].

If you are already looking for ideas to travel in 2023, or you just want to do a little bit of online travel while it is cold and foggy outside, you can read this article from Afar.com, an experiential travel magazine from New York and San Francisco, with the 12 Best Places to Travel in 2023. The article comes with a video with subtitles (see below), which can be watched by B2 students, where you will see words like: to await, a seaside [village], to prevail, renovations, a hub, steamed [crabs], seasoning, freight, freshwater, to hop, glaciated, lobster rolls, heritage, to boast, to sit [on the shores], endangered species, vineyard, highlights, to debut, a flea market, entrepreneurial, the culinary [capital], pumpkins, meadows, to strech for [618 acres], to rewild, a cheetah, wetlands, grasslands, conservation, to figure out, to showcase, snow-capped [peaks], a thriving [art scene].

 

The Magic of Christmas

Christmas is magic. This time of winter with short, gloomy evenings and eerie weather due to climate change, can still be transformed by the power of human imagination. An alternative Christmas commercial in the UK has caught the British people's imagination in the tough winter of 2022 and has become viral in the pre-Christmas season with a sad story, a melancholic song and a simple slogan. You can watch it here:

The video has no subtitles, but, thanks to my colleague Pablo A. you can find here a lesson plan with the transcript, which was originally published by Film English, and it is suitable for C1 students and above. In the commercial, you can find interesting words like: mate, poorly, [this one] is on me, cheers, get well soon, well wishes. Pablo A. has also passed me the script for the bacground song, Constellations by Ellie Holcomb, where you can find these words: to long for [you], underneath, a canopy [of stars], to collide, the mess [in my life], to see through, to lose your way, a desolate [place], to make a way, pinprick, and a transcript of the interview to Sam Teal, director of the add, and to young actor Ashton Sanders on BBC News, where you can find words like a portrayal, the cost of living crisis, to grip [the UK], a graveyard, a flashback, a go-kart, to refurb, a performance, the crew, amazing [presents], to take over [the world], to get wheeled in on [the go-kart], to make a bid on [the go-kart], to steer, smooth, bumpy, to marshal [local resources], to be on the telly positively, a barber shop, the landmarks, to get a go [at Christmas], the real thing, to whisper, crikey, tough, fancy [food], to deliver [a line], poorly, to pull [that] out, to focus on [that], to struggle, to get [it] wrong, to snap up [something], a by-election, to hire, a [creative] hub, to nurture [young talent], an apprentice, to mould, to get [a place] on the map, to deserve, best of luck, to smash [a record]. The BBC interview can be seen below:

Finally, you can read  here Time Out's list of the best 2022 Christmas commercial ads and watch the videos as well, for a full British TV Chistmas publicity experience.

"Goblin Mode" is Oxford Word of the Year

The Oxford Word of the Year 2022 has been chosen by popular vote for the first time in its two decades of existence from a short list of three finalists:  1) Metaverse; 2) #IStandWith; 3) Goblin Mode. The media has reported widely on the winning word, you can watch this video report by Al Jazeera, which is copied again below.

The video is short (2:41), and you can read the subtitles, so, it can be accessible to B2 students. You will find interesting words like: metaverse, #IStandWith, goblin mode, a short list, hashtag, unapologetically, self-indulgent, greedy, slovenly, to take off, a lockdown, usage, gleefulness, goblin, gargoyle, to burst forth, gaslighting, permacrisis, to vote with your feet, cold and miserable, pithy, thought-provoking, churros.

If you are a teacher or you are really interested in this topic, you can watch the Oxford Word of the Year Launch Event, a long video (57':56") with subtitles, where a panel of experts discuss the candidates for OUP Word of the Year. This video is suitable for C2 students and above. You can also take a look at the List of Oxford Words of the Year since 2004. 

Other dictionaries have also announced their own word of the year for 2022: "Gaslighting" has been chosen by Merriam-Webster, whereas "Permacrisis" was Collins Word of the Year and Cambridge Word of the year was "Homer". The senior body of linguists that started the first Word Of The Year competition (WOTY) is, apparently, the Amercian Dialect Society, and here you can check the ADS List of Words of the Year since 1990