Travel Vocabulary: Using English for Travel

Travel vocabulary is one of the most useful areas of language learning today, as more people than ever are travelling far and wide for business and pleasure. There are many useful words and phrases we use when travelling and dealing with transport.

Although our travel plans have been put on hold for a while due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the world is slowly starting to open up again. This means we need to be ready with our travel language and vocabulary for when we can get a flight, a bus or a train!

For non-native speakers, travel vocabulary is a particularly useful topic of study and always a popular subject, allowing you to enjoy organising your travels without worrying about language issues.

Explore travel vocabulary here and learn useful vocabulary related to travelling and using public transport. We have included useful words related to using trains, buses, cars, taxis, planes and boats, so you can have your travel phrases covered, whatever your mode of transport.  

 

General English Travel Vocabulary:

to arrive, to depart, to leave, to stay,

to cancel, cancellation, cancelled, delay, delayed

to book, to reserve, reservation, to cancel a reservation

holiday, business trip

suitcase, bag, luggage

trip, journey, to travel, map

 

travel agent, brochure

ticket office, fare, price, single/return ticket

by foot, on foot

travelling by plane, by train, by taxi, by car, by boat

roundabout, road, traffic lights, speed limit, junction, cross roads, road signs

Transport Vocabulary and Useful Phrases:

Car

Wheels, steering wheel, dash board, indicators, headlights, roof, bonnet, boot, engine, battery, windscreen wipers, garage, car mechanic, petrol station, service (a ‘check up’ for a car)

Bus

Double decker, single decker, passengers, bus driver, bus stop, bus station, bus conductor, coach, luggage hold, bus lane

Bus travelling phrases:

the next stop, the last stop, to get on/off the bus, to buy a ticket

Train

Train station, platform, track, level crossing, locomotive, underground, cross-country, local, return, single, ticket, carriage, first/second class, train driver, ticket inspector, waiting room, seat, timetable, guard, season ticket, fare, travel card, buffet car

 

Train travel phrases:

to catch a train, to check the timetable, on the platform, to travel cross-country

to get on the train, to embark, to set off (on a journey)

to get off the train, to disembark, to alight

ticket machine – a machine where you can buy your train tickets

ticket gate – a mechanical gate blocking access, where you need to insert your ticket to pass through

the buffet car – a carriage on a train where you can buy drinks and snacks

Taxi

Cab, black cab (official English taxi), fare, taxi rank, taxi driver, tip (noun and verb)

Taxi travel phrases:

to hail a taxi / to flag down a taxi (when you raise your arm to get a taxi driver’s attention to encourage it to stop in the street)

to pay the fare (the fare is the fee for the journey)

to tip the driver (verb) / to give the driver a tip (noun)

 

Plane

Aeroplane, airport, airline, wing, runway, pilot, gate, passport, excess baggage charge, cabin crew, flight attendant, air steward/stewardess, security, turbulence, seatbelt

take off, landing

turbulence (uncomfortable, sudden movements of a plane due to air pressure/temperature changes)

hand luggage (luggage you take into the cabin with you)

hold luggage/checked luggage (luggage you check in for stowage under the aircraft)

over-head locker (where you can put your hand luggage)

boarding card, customs, departures, arrivals, lounge, aisle seat, window seat, check-in, in-flight movie, in-flight entertainment

terminal 1, terminal 2 / T1, T2 (a terminal is where passengers go to buy tickets, check in luggage, go to their boarding gate etc.)

boarding gate – where passenger go to board the plane (i.e. to get on the plane), located inside the terminal building

Plane travel phrases:

to put luggage/bags in the hold

to board the plane

prepare for take off, the plane will be taking off in 30 minutes

prepare for landing, the plane will be landing in 20 minutes

to fasten your seatbelt, to buckle up (‘buckle up’ is slang for ‘fasten your seatbelt’)

the flight was quite turbulent, to experience some turbulence, there was some light/heavy turbulence

“How was your flight?”

“It was good, thanks, except there was some turbulence during the descent that made me spill my drink!”

“Great – it was a smooth flight and I slept most of the time.”

Boat

Ferry, cruise ship, harbour, deck, port, sea, ocean, cabin, captain, sail, sea sickness, crossing, on board, life belt/jacket, foot passenger, buffet, port side, starboard

• The difference between a boat and a ship: boats are small to mid-sized vessels, often used for pleasure trips. Boat is also a generic term for water vessels. Ships are normally larger and are used to carry cargo, passengers or smaller boats.

Boat travelling phrases:

to embark (to get on the boat) / to disembark (to get off the boat)

‘choppy’ seas / rough seas / strong waves

calm waters / still waters

to sail, to have a good crossing (a ‘crossing’ is when you go from one place to another on a boat/ship) – e.g.  “Did you have a good crossing?”

to go out on deck (to go outside on the ship)

welcome aboard/on board (you might hear this when you embark for the first time)

the captain’s table (where the captain sits at dinner – sometimes passengers might get an invitation to site at the captain’s table at some point during their cruise)

• ‘Plain sailing’ is an idiom that means an event that goes smoothly: ‘It’s all plain sailing from here’

English at the Train Station

Useful travelling vocabulary for using the train, including phrases you may want to say, phrases you may hear and comments you might want to make about travelling by train:

Phrases you may want to say at train stations
Could I have two first class tickets to London	When does the train arrive in Birmingham?
Could I buy a return ticket to London, please	Do you know how long the journey will take?
Which platform does the train leave from?	Do I need to change trains?
Phrases you may hear
How many people are travelling?	Do you want a single or return ticket?
The train will be delayed	You will need to change at Oxford
Your train leaves from platform 3.	Tickets, please!
The next train will arrive at platform 5	Mind the gap! (to remind travellers to be careful when stepping off the train)

• Train times on timetables are always given in the twenty-four hour clock format. So, 5.15 pm would be 17.15 and 9.05 am would be 09.05.

“How was the journey?”

“It was fine, the train arrived on time and I managed to buy a coffee from the buffet car.”

“Terrible, the first two trains were cancelled and then I had to stand up for the entire journey.”

“My train was delayed, so I passed the time by browsing in the station bookshop”

 

English vocabulary at the airport

Travelling vocabulary for using planes and visiting the airport, including phrases you might hear at the airport and sentences you might need to say when travelling by plane:

Phrases you may want to say
I have a reservation.	I am travelling/flying to Paris
I booked my ticket online.	Can I take this on board as hand luggage?
I have my boarding pass here.	Could I check this into the hold, please?
Here is my passport.	Where is the departure lounge?
Which gate does my flight leave from?	Can you tell me where ‘arrivals’ is?
I’d like a window seat / I’d like an aisle seat, please.	Could you tell me where the ‘departures’ lounge is, please?
Phrases you may hear at airports
Can I see your boarding card, please?	There will be an excess baggage charge.
Do you have your booking reference number?	Please make your way to departure gate 12.
Are you carrying any liquids?	The flight has been delayed/cancelled.
Did you pack your bags yourself?	Last call for passenger Smith.
You will need to check that into the hold.	Please place your suitcase on the scales.

 

Click here to explore more essential English vocabulary and phrases for everyday situations.

When travelling and using transport, you might also need to ask for directions. Check out how to ask for directions in English when travelling around a city with our directions page. Our article includes possible questions you might want to ask and answers you could receive when navigating your way around a new town.

Let us know your thoughts on travel vocabulary

What do you find most difficult about using English when travelling?

Do you find any of these phrases related to travel and transport confusing?

Can you think of other useful English travel vocabulary for using different modes of transport?

TEFL teachers, how do you incorporate travelling vocabulary into your English lessons?