SOME EASILY CONFUSED TRAVEL WORDS

At this time of year you may be thinking about holidays so let's kick off with an explanation of some commonly confused travel words.  Have a good time wherever you spend this summer!

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Travel :  Verb -  the experience of going to different places in general.  “I like travelling.”  Noun without article –  the experience in general. “I’d like to talk about travel.”   In the plural the noun often refers to an account of someone’s journeys, eg:  “Gulliver’s Travels”.  Adjective: – a travel agency; a travel diary.


Trip :  Noun – travel plus the time you spend in a place; your whole holiday.  “Our teacher is organising a trip to Britain.”


Voyage:  Noun – a long journey, especially by sea.  “ Captain Cook’s voyage of discovery”.


 Journey:  Noun -   Going from one place to another.  “The journey from London to Cardiff takes four hours by coach.”

Break:  Noun – a short trip.   “We had a weekend break in Paris.”


Tour:  Verb - to go around the  important places in a location. “We toured Britain by car.”   Noun – a visit to the important places in a location.  “We went on a  bus tour of London."



Excursion:  Noun  – a  tour organised for you by someone else, usually a tour operator.  “We went on an excursion to the Tower of London.”

Sightsee : Verb -  usually used with “go” – “go sightseeing” -  to visit important monuments and sights.  “ We went sightseeing in London.  We saw Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral.”