2 . A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without travelling very far.

There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, parks, beaches and so on.

Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together, or spending all day at a pool.

Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has both its advantages and risks. Since you are not travelling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably cheap. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really expensive, so the farther you go, the more expensive it is. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distance or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.

For people from outside the city, Chengdu is the Land of Abundance with a soft dialect, adorable giant pandas, tea houses     1     (fill) with bamboo chairs and tea fragrance, spicy Sichuan cuisine, Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, bars in the Yulin community,     2     Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage Museum.

For the locals, Chengdu is their hometown with a charming dialect and delicious food in unattractive restaurants, where lovable “obedient” (服从的) husbands can     3     (find). It is a city       4     people enjoy the sweet taste of fresh pea shoots in spring, where they can relax and enjoy life, where they don’t get       5     (worry) and even earthquakes can’t stop them from finishing off the round of majiang (mahjong). Over the course of Qin and Han, Tang and Song dynasties, and up to the present day, Chengdu has kept a spirit that is unique       6     itself. It is a spirit of a vast vision, of perseverance and devotion when       7     (cross) the ancient road to Sichuan, of resilience (恢复力) and humour in the face of difficulty, of       8     (calm) and composure in daily life. It is a spirit of stubbornness and romance as seen in the story of Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun, of compassion (同情) for the people as embodied by Du Fu, and of bravery and       9     (determine) as the Sichuan Army showed in the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Today, Chengdu tells people that it has developed into a city of       10     youth for innovation and achieving dreams.

6 . If you walk along the streets, you will find children as young as seven years old walking to school or taking the public bus on their own. If you ride a public bus with a baby or young child, you will find at least three people standing up to give up their seats for you. And as a booming town with a young population, Xiamen has a lot to offer young families with kids.

There are lots of places of interest for you to enjoy. The following are some of them.

※A walking adventure on Gulangyu Islet: There you can have a round-the-island trip by fast boat and the Xiamen Underwater World has a dolphin and sea lion performance and brings you an enjoyment of around 400 types of underwater life from around the world.

Opening hours: 08: 00-18: 00 Click the map!

Price: 70 yuan (adults); 50 yuan (children above 1.4m)

※Wild rides at Guanyinshan Water Park: The park has a wave pool, which creates seven types of wave effects. It also has a hair-raising water ride that speeds down…

Opening hours: 10: 00-20:00 Click the map!

Price: 120 yuan per person; 60 yuan(visitors aged above 60 and below 1.4m)

※Xiamen Firefly Park: Last of all, young nature lovers will enjoy the wonder of watching more than 100, 000 fireflies light the dark night in the firefly park. Children will also learn the roles fireflies play in protecting the ecology by controlling the number of pests.

Opening hours: 19: 30-21: 30 Click the map!

Price: Free for children up to 16 years old

8 . You can travel alone, with friends, or with a tour group. They all have strong points and weak points.

The best thing about traveling alone is that you can do what you want to do. No waiting around in places you aren’t interested in, no missing a bus because your friend was late. This may sound selfish (自私的), but this is your experience. Your experience will be greatly improved by traveling alone.The main worry is loneliness, but believe me, it’s not difficult to talk to and meet people. Just remember everyone is in the same boat; everyone wants to meet new people, have fun and be friendly! There’s a problem of safety in some countries, especially for women traveling alone. You should always check the foreign office of your country for advice on safety. Buying a personal alarm (警报装置) is a good idea for women traveling alone.

Traveling with a friend does sound nice, but it depends on how well you get on. If you have similar interests or travel ideas, it should be wonderful. You will find it much cheaper to cook food in developed countries and share a room. However, a lot of people I meet traveling together don’t seem to be having as much fun and often go their separate (各自的) ways.

Tours are great when they go well. Some of my best memories (记忆) have been with tour groups. The key there is when they go well. A terrible tour guide, quiet group and terrible food can ruin our time. My advice would be never to do a tour that is too long except in countries with safety problems or poor transport.

All in all, traveling alone is the best, but it is good to mix it up. Invite a friend from home to meet you for a few weeks. Try a tour or two — some people love them — perhaps start with a day tour.

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10 . I’m Jason. Here’s what I did from June to August.

	In June, I went to Grandia, a beach in Valencia. I met a girl called Lara there. She told funny stories to make me laugh (笑). We had a wonderful time.
	In July, I went to Villalonga with my sisters. We put up our tents next to the River Serpis in the middle of the mountains. The views(风景) were very beautiful.
	In August, my parents and I went to London. I went there to learn English before. But it was my parents’ first time in London. We visited many interesting places. We had afternoon tea. I also visited my teachers when I was there.