Travel Vocabulary: Essential English Words and Phrases

Learn essential English travel vocabulary for bookings, airports, hotels, sightseeing and travel problems, with exercises and answers.

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Introduction to Travel Vocabulary

Travel vocabulary is useful when you book a trip, go through an airport, stay in a hotel, visit attractions or deal with problems while travelling.

For example:

I’d like to book a return flight to London.
Where is the check-in desk?
We have a reservation for two nights.
Our flight has been delayed.

Learning individual travel words is useful, but it is even better to learn common phrases and collocations such as catch a flight, book accommodation, check into a hotel and go sightseeing.

This lesson covers essential English travel words for planning, airports, hotels, tourism and common travel problems.

Planning and booking a trip

Before travelling, you normally need to organise transport, accommodation and other parts of your trip.

Travel vocabulary for planning and booking a trip
Word / expression Meaning
1 book reserve something in advance
2 booking an arrangement to use a service later
3 reservation an arrangement for a room, seat or table
4 destination the place you are travelling to
5 itinerary a plan showing the details of a trip
6 return ticket a ticket for travelling somewhere and back
7 one-way ticket a ticket for travelling in one direction only
8 accommodation a place where you stay
9 travel insurance insurance covering problems during a trip
10 package holiday a holiday including services such as flights and accommodation
11 peak season the busiest and often most expensive travel period
12 off-season a quieter period with fewer tourists

Examples:

We booked our flights three months in advance.
Our final destination is Edinburgh.
I sent everyone a copy of the itinerary.
We found cheaper accommodation because we travelled in the off-season.

In British English, holiday is commonly used for a trip taken for pleasure:

We’re going on holiday to Spain.

American English often uses vacation in the same context.

Airport vocabulary

Airports contain many specific words that travellers need to understand.

Airport vocabulary with simple meanings
Word / expression Meaning
1 check-in desk place where you register for your flight
2 boarding pass document allowing you to board a plane
3 departure a flight leaving an airport
4 arrival a flight reaching an airport
5 departure gate place where passengers wait to board
6 security area where passengers and bags are checked
7 passport control area where travel documents are checked
8 hand luggage small bag you take onto the plane
9 checked baggage luggage placed in the aircraft hold
10 baggage reclaim area where you collect checked luggage
11 delayed leaving or arriving later than planned
12 cancelled no longer taking place

Useful phrases include:

Where is the check-in desk for this flight?
What time does boarding begin?
Which gate does the flight leave from?
Is this bag small enough to use as hand luggage?
Our flight has been delayed by two hours.
A direct flight travels from one airport to another without changing planes.
A connecting flight requires you to change planes during the journey.
We’re flying to London directly.
We have a connecting flight in Singapore.

For a wider range of language for buses, trains, planes and other ways of getting around, study our Transport Vocabulary in English.

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Hotel and accommodation vocabulary

Once you arrive, you may need English for checking in, asking questions and describing your room.

Useful hotel words

reception
receptionist
lobby
single room
double room
twin room
suite
key card
room service
breakfast included
check-in
check-out
vacancy
fully booked

Useful phrases

I have a reservation under the name Merlin.
What time is check-out?
Is breakfast included in the price?
Could I have another key card, please?
Do you have any rooms available tonight?

A hotel with no available rooms is:

fully booked

You may also stay in:

  • a hostel
  • a guest house
  • a holiday rental
  • a campsite
  • a resort
  • a bed and breakfast, often shortened to B&B

Sightseeing and tourism

When visiting a new place, you may spend time seeing famous buildings, museums and other attractions.

Useful holiday vocabulary includes:

sightseeing
tourist attraction
landmark
guided tour
tour guide
entrance fee
admission
museum
gallery
historic site
old town
viewpoint
souvenir
local cuisine
tourist information centre

Examples:

We spent the morning sightseeing.
The castle is one of the city’s most famous landmarks.
We joined a guided tour of the old town.
There’s an entrance fee of £10.
I bought a few souvenirs for my family.

Useful verbs include:

visit a museum
explore the city
take photographs
try local food
go sightseeing
join a tour
visit a landmark
buy souvenirs
Instead of saying:
We saw many places.

you could say:

We visited several historic sites and explored the old town.

If you are preparing for IELTS, try using this vocabulary when answering IELTS Speaking Part 1 travel questions.

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Travel problems and solutions

Travel does not always go according to plan.

Common problems include:

Delays and cancellations

Our flight has been delayed.
The train was cancelled.
We missed our connection.

Useful question:

Is there another flight available today?

Lost luggage

My suitcase hasn’t arrived.
My luggage is missing.
Where can I report lost baggage?

Missing a flight or train

We missed our flight.
I missed the last train.
Useful phrases:
Can I change my ticket?
What is the next available service?

Hotel problems

The air conditioning isn’t working.
There’s no hot water.
The room hasn’t been cleaned.
Could somebody take a look at it, please?

Getting lost

I think we’re lost.
Could you tell me how to get to the station?
Is it within walking distance?

Within walking distance means close enough to reach comfortably on foot.

Travel documents

I’ve lost my passport.
My passport has expired.
I need to contact the embassy.

Learning simple problem-solving phrases can be more useful than trying to explain everything with complicated vocabulary.

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Useful travel collocations

Natural English depends heavily on collocations: words that commonly appear together.

Book

book a flight
book a room
book accommodation
book a tour

Catch

catch a flight
catch a train
catch a bus

Miss

miss a flight
miss a train
miss a connection

Take

take a taxi
take a trip
take a tour
take photographs

Go

go abroad
go sightseeing
go on holiday
go on a trip

Stay

stay in a hotel
stay with friends
stay overnight

Other useful combinations

pack a suitcase
check into a hotel
check out of a hotel
board a plane
change trains
hire a car
travel light
exchange money
explore a city
visit an attraction

Examples:

We hired a car for three days.
I prefer to travel light and only take hand luggage.
We checked into the hotel at about four.

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British and American differences

Some travel vocabulary differs between British and American English.

British and American English travel vocabulary
British English American English
1 holiday vacation
2 return ticket round-trip ticket
3 single ticket one-way ticket
4 car park parking lot
5 motorway freeway / highway
6 petrol gas / gasoline
7 hire a car rent a car
8 underground subway
9 railway railroad
10 coach intercity bus
11 timetable schedule
12 queue line

For example:

British English:

We’re going on holiday next month.

American English:

We’re going on vacation next month.

British English:

We hired a car at the airport.

American English:

We rented a car at the airport.

Both forms are useful to understand, especially when travelling internationally.

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Exercises and answers

Exercise 1: Choose the correct word

  1. The place you are travelling to is your __________.
    • destination
    • luggage
    • departure gate
  2. You collect checked luggage at __________.
    • baggage reclaim
    • security
    • reception
  3. A hotel with no available rooms is __________.
    • delayed
    • fully booked
    • direct
  4. A famous building or place can be called a __________.
    • landmark
    • boarding pass
    • suitcase
  5. A small bag taken onto the plane is __________.
    • hand luggage
    • accommodation
    • admission
  6. A trip plan showing times and activities is an __________.
    • itinerary
    • entrance fee
    • arrival

Exercise 2: Complete the collocations

Use: catch, book, pack, check into, hire, go

  1. __________ a flight
  2. __________ a suitcase
  3. __________ accommodation
  4. __________ sightseeing
  5. __________ a car
  6. __________ a hotel

Exercise 3: British or American English?

Give the British English equivalent.

  1. vacation → __________
  2. parking lot → __________
  3. gas → __________
  4. rent a car → __________
  5. subway → __________
  6. line → __________

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Answers

Exercise 1

  1. destination
  2. baggage reclaim
  3. fully booked
  4. landmark
  5. hand luggage
  6. itinerary

Exercise 2

  1. catch a flight
  2. pack a suitcase
  3. book accommodation
  4. go sightseeing
  5. hire a car
  6. check into a hotel

Exercise 3

  1. holiday
  2. car park
  3. petrol
  4. hire a car
  5. underground
  6. queue

When learning travel vocabulary, focus on complete phrases rather than isolated words. Expressions such as book a flight, catch a train, check into a hotel, go sightseeing, miss a connection and hire a car will help you communicate much more naturally when travelling.

More Travel and Everyday English

  • Transport Vocabulary in English
  • IELTS Speaking Part 1: Travel Questions and Answers
  • House and Home Vocabulary

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