Travel and holidays
Words for planning a trip, the airport, hotels and sightseeing, and the difference between travel, trip and journey.
When you need it
Travel is one of the most common topics in school and exam tasks (Write about your last holiday), and it is the situation where you most often have to use English for real: booking a room, checking in for a flight, asking about a tour. Many of the words are international, but travel, trip, journey and holiday are divided up differently from Ukrainian подорож, поїздка, відпустка and Russian путешествие, поездка, отпуск.
Core words
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| holiday | a time away from work or school; American vacation | We're going on holiday in August. |
| trip | a visit to a place and back, often short | We had a great trip to the mountains. |
| journey | the act of travelling from one place to another | The journey takes six hours. |
| travel | mostly a verb; as a noun uncountable: air travel | I love travelling. |
| tour | a planned visit with a guide, or a trip to several places | We took a tour of the old town. |
| abroad | in or to another country; no preposition | Have you ever been abroad? |
The difference between the first four words is worth learning well. A journey is the travelling itself (a long journey by train); a trip is the whole visit, there and back (a business trip, a school trip); travel is the general activity. In British English you are on holiday, and the holidays often means the school holidays. In American English vacation is the usual word, and the holidays means the season around Christmas and the New Year.
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| book | as a verb: reserve a room, a table, a ticket | I booked a hotel online. |
| booking, reservation | the arrangement you made | I have a reservation for two nights. |
| passport, visa | visa is /ˈviːzə/ | Don't forget your passport. |
| suitcase | countable: two suitcases | My suitcase is too heavy. |
| luggage | uncountable: a piece of luggage | How much luggage do you have? |
| pack | put things in a bag for a trip; the opposite is unpack | Have you packed yet? |
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| flight | a journey by plane | The flight is at 6.30 in the morning. |
| check in | as a noun written check-in | You can check in online. |
| boarding pass | the card you show to get on the plane | Have your boarding pass ready. |
| gate | where you get on the plane | The flight leaves from gate 12. |
| departure, arrival | on airport boards: departures, arrivals | Meet me in arrivals. |
| delay | the flight is delayed, a two-hour delay | There's a delay of forty minutes. |
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hotel, hostel | hotel has the stress at the end: /həʊˈtel/; a hostel is cheap, often with shared rooms | We stayed in a hostel. |
| double | a double room for two people, a single room for one | I'd like a double room. |
| beach, sea, mountain | at the beach, by the sea, in the mountains | We spent a week by the sea. |
| seaside | British: a town by the sea for holidays | We went to the seaside. |
| sightseeing | visiting famous places; go sightseeing | We went sightseeing in the old town. |
| guide, map | a person or a book that shows you around | Our guide spoke three languages. |
| souvenir, tourist | souvenir is /ˌsuːvəˈnɪə/ | I bought a few souvenirs. |
Useful phrases
- Where are you going on holiday? — We're going to the seaside.
- Have a good trip. — Thanks, see you next week.
- I'd like to book a double room for three nights. — For which dates?
- Is breakfast included? — Yes, it's included in the price.
- Where can I check in? — At desk 5.
- My flight is delayed. — It will leave later than planned.
- We're flying on Monday. — For fixed travel plans, use the present continuous or going to.
- I've never been abroad. — For experiences, use the present perfect; see present perfect.
- How was your holiday? — Great, but too short.
- travel light — Take very little luggage.
- We stayed in a small hotel near the beach. — Use stay for where you sleep on a trip.
Common mistakes
- ✗ How was your travel? I had a nice travel.
✓ How was your trip? I had a nice trip.
Ukrainian подорож and Russian путешествие are countable, but English travel is a verb or an uncountable noun; one visit is a trip, and the time on the road is a journey. - ✗ I want to go to abroad. She lives in abroad.
✓ I want to go abroad. She lives abroad.
Abroad is an adverb, like Ukrainian за кордон and Russian за границу, so it never follows a preposition. - ✗ Where can I leave my luggages?
✓ Where can I leave my luggage? Where can I leave my bags?
Luggage and baggage are uncountable in English; count bags, suitcases or pieces of luggage. - ✗ In summer I want to rest in the mountains.
✓ In summer I want to go on holiday to the mountains.
Ukrainian відпочивати and Russian отдыхать cover both relaxing and having a holiday, but English rest only means stopping work to relax, often lying down. - ✗ We arrived to the hotel late at night.
✓ We arrived at the hotel late at night.
Russian приехать в pulls learners towards to, but arrive takes at for a building or a point and in for a city or a country, never to.
Try it
- We're going ___ holiday next week.
- How was your ___? (travel / trip)
- I've never lived ___. (abroad / to abroad)
- We arrived ___ the airport at six.
- I'd like to ___ a room for two nights.
- I have only one small bag, so I don't have much ___.
Related lessons
Words in this lesson