Table of Contents
This page explores travel vocabulary in English. You will learn all the essential travel-related words you need to know. We also offer an online flashcard game to practice and test your knowledge of travel vocabulary.
Travel Vocabulary: Means of Transport
I Go By…, I Go On… Means Of Transport
The following traveling vocabulary table is mainly about phrases and expressions used to talk about means of travel:
| I go by | plane | or | I fly |
| car | I drive | ||
| ship | I sail | ||
| bicycle/bike | or | I ride | |
| motorcycle/motorbike | |||
| bus | |||
| I go on | horse | or | I ride |
| foot | or | I walk | |
Examples
- I go by bus to work every day.
- I go by train when I travel to the city.
- I walk (go on foot) to the local market.
- I ride (go by bicycle) on weekends for exercise.
- I go on a cruise during my summer vacation.
- Christoph Columbus sailed across the Atlantic.
Useful Travel Expressions
General Travel Vocabulary
- Public transportation (British: public transport) is a system of vehicles such as buses and trains that operate at regular times on fixed routes and are used by the public.
- Means of transport:
- The road / the highway / the port / the airport
- Arrival/departure time
- “Where’s the information desk, please?”
- To commute is to make the same journey regularly between work and home.
- “It’s exhausting commuting from Brighton to London every day.”
- A journey is traveling from one place to another, especially in a vehicle.
- “I love going on long journeys.”
- To journey (verb – usually used with an adverb or preposition) = to travel somewhere.
- “We journeyed south.”
At the Airport
- “Show me your passport, please!”
- “I’m here on business/vacation.”
- “I’m traveling alone / with my family.”
- Customs is the place at a port, airport, or border where travelers’ bags are looked at to find out if any goods are being carried illegally.
- Customs officer is a person whose job is to look inside travelers’ bags to make certain they are not taking goods into a country without paying taxes.
- “Anything to declare?”
- “No, there’s nothing to declare / Nothing to declare.”
- “You’ve got a lot of baggage! Why don’t you use the baggage cart?”
- “How much is a one-way ticket (British: usually single) to New York?”
- Round trip: If you make a round trip, you go on a journey and return to where you started from.
- A journey in an aircraft is a flight. Flight also means an aircraft that is making a particular journey.
- “I’ll never forget my first flight.”
- “Flight 474 to Buenos Aires is now boarding at gate 9.”
- Classes of travel:
- First class / Business class / Economy class
- “What time does the plane for… take off / land?”
- Check-in is the place at an airport where you show your ticket so that you can be told where you will be sitting.
- “A representative from the tour company will meet you at the check-in.”
At the Train Station
- “How much is a ticket to…?”
- Direct / transfer train
- “Is there a reduced fare for children / large families?”
- “Where is the station?”
- “Where can we buy tickets?”
- “What time will the train leave?”
- “Where is platform number …?”
By Ship / Boat
- A ferry (boat) is a boat or ship for taking passengers and often vehicles across an area of water, especially as a regular service.
- “We’re going across to France by/on the ferry.”
- A cruise is a journey on a large ship for pleasure, during which you visit several places.
By Bus/Coach
- “Where is the bus station, please?”
- “When does the bus leave for…?”
- “How many stops before…?”
- A bus with/without air-conditioner
By Car
- “Where is the parking lot, please?”
- “Where can I park my car?”
- “Can I park my car here?”
- “Where can I rent a car?”
- “I would like to rent a car for…. days/weeks.”
- “The car costs £30 a day to rent, but you get unlimited mileage (= no charge for the miles traveled).”
- A car breakdown
- “I had a breakdown (= my car stopped working) in the middle of the road.”
- A garage is a place where cars are repaired.
- “The car’s still at the garage getting fixed.”
- “Where can I find a garage to repair my car?”
Insurance
- “I’ll need to take out extra car insurance for another driver.”
Means of Transport Flashcards Game
Learn English for traveling with fun with the following game:
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