Valentine's Day: The Best Places to Elope in 2026

How are you going to celebrate Valentine's Day? With a romantic walk in a sunny, sheltered forest? With a candle-lit dinner at a rustic restaurant, or tucked-away in your sofa with fluffy pillows and a warm cup of tea?  Eva Sandoval has some travel ideas for the adventurous and affluent who want to elope and get married away from a crowded banquet -and for everyone else who uses their imagination to travel the world!

In the BBC story "Chosen by experts: Where to elope in 2026" B2 students will find lovey-dovery ideas for a Valentine elopement and interesting English expressions like: to elope, [to get] engaged, commitment, [to be] on the rise, soaring [wedding costs], stunning [locations], [increasingly] chic, cheesy, shameful, to trace [the shift back to the mid-2020s], wanderlust, [to push the idea into] the mainstream, to swap, a vow, thrilling, to splash out, wilderness, a no-brainer, to tie the knot, a loch, secluded [wilderness], untouristed, heather, [nuptials] hack, the red tape, alleyways, a cove, to unfold, a dip [in the Mediterranean], the vibe, the cliffside, laid-back [pace], a leap [of faith], overrun, touristy, off the beaten path, a rugged [landscape], a pristine [beach], a mezze [platter], [the coastline] dotted, to crave, to rough it, to be studded, a [major] draw, a melting pot, bougie, a cerulean [sea], to overlook [the ocean], a bliss, the scenery, unmatched, a moose, to blow [your] mind, a glacier, a waterfall, trooper, lush [volcanic topography].

You can also watch this 4:42 video with the Top 5 Adventurous Elopements in U.S. from Simply Eloped, which is recommende for B2 students and above.

Russia Tricks Africans to Die in Ukraine

African young men are being recruited with lies to end up fighting in the frontline in the Ukranian war, Larry Madawo reports for CNN. They are promised high salaries and Russian citizenship for civilian jobs, but they are sent to the most dangerous spots of the Ukrainian war instead, and they are even forced to carry out suicidal missions at gunpoint (Warning: some of the images in the video can be disturbing!).

This harrowing story of human trafficking is suitable for C2 students in the video version and for C1 students in the written version. In the video, students will encounter expressions like: to entice, to lure, to recruit, a land mine, to strap, to storm [positions], a can opener, to trace, traumatising, a [Kenyan] number (person), a growing [number of men], to glamorise, to brag, [to feel] trapped, shrapnel, an ambush, an armour [vest], buttocks, a grenade, to flee, (fled), aimed at [foreign fighters], a sign on [bonus], wounded, [to have] an issue, [to go] underground, a crackdown, to sign up.

In the longer, written story, C1 students will find interesting expressions like: to fight back tears, to reach [somebody], to end up, to serve [in the military], the frontline, a [Kenyan] number (person), a [racist] slur, a can opener, to breach, distraught, his plight, a last-ditch effort, to jolt, to hurl [racist slurs], to be deployed, to uncover [new details], a rosy [promise], a first-hand [account], to entice, to bolster [its ranks], to dupe [into becoming mercenaries], to follow suit, to be coerced, to flee, at gunpoint, a binding [picture of service], to lock [the serviceman into broad obligations], to reimburse, to trigger, to surrender [a passport], to disclose [sensitive information], a screenshot, the enrollment [procedure], to allege [racism], to admonish, pidgin [English], in the target [country], [forced] conscription, [countless] casualties, to rot, a limb, to spotlight, a send-off, committed, a [military] tag, to desert, to handle [firearms], a grenade, to chase [me away], to issue [him with a travel document], buttocks, a pipeline, a windfall, [plans] [to go] awry, to miscarry, a limp [hand], bait [for Ukrainian drones], an assault, a recruiter.

CGTN Africa, the division of the Chinese Global Television Network based in Nairobi, also covered this story last month, as you can see in this 6':37" video whose images are less explicit. This video can be recommended for C1 students: