Essential English travel vocabulary | Part 2

It’s August! You’re probably on your school holidays or going back to school soon. So, what English travel vocabulary can you use to talk about your travels and share what you’ve been up to?  

In Part 1 of our Essential English travel vocabulary blog, we talked about the exciting phase of planning your trip and the different activities you might want to do while on your holidays. We looked at lots of traveling vocabulary in English. 

Now, we will look at travel and tourism vocabulary that will help you talk about your preferences and feelings about the activities and things you’ve been doing. These phrases will allow you to share what you love (and don’t love) about your experiences on holiday. 

Ways to describe activities you enjoy

There have likely been many things you’ve done during the holidays that you’ve enjoyed and want to share with your friends and classmates when you return to school. 

• You might want to say that you dug deep into your own town where you live, and visited some parts of it that you’d never been to before. Maybe you were a tourist in your own town. You might have visited galleries, parks, museums or even streets you’ve never walked down before.

I dived deep into my own city and went for a walk in an area I’d never visited before. I was a tourist in my own town! 

• Maybe you’ve had a chance to relax and clear your mind. You may even have taken time to disconnect and stay off your phone or social media.

I felt it was time to disconnect and take some time for myself to clear my mind. 

• Did you spend a lot of time outdoors, connecting with nature? Perhaps you went for a long walk in the forest, hiked a mountain, or even took a slow walk through a beautiful park. 

I like to connect with nature by going on long walks in the countryside. 

• You might have traveled abroad and taken an all-inclusive holiday. This means all your food, drinks, and activities are included in the price. 

My favourite part of an all-inclusive holiday is having food available whenever you want it! 

• You might have gone camping, but taken a lot of things with you so that you could have the comforts of home. This means that things made you feel at home, even though you weren’t there. 

Though I love exploring new cities, I always choose accommodations where I can have the comforts of home.

Ways to describe experiences you don’t like or want 

Maybe you had some experiences that you didn’t like so much or didn’t want to do. It’s just as important to share the negatives as the positives!

• Maybe you had an experience that tugged at your heartstrings. This means that something made you feel strong emotions, especially sadness.

Seeing the news about that forest fire really tugged on my heartstrings – it was so sad. 

• Perhaps you wanted a change of scenery but didn’t have the chance to go anywhere to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. 

After months in the hustle and bustle of the city, I felt like I needed a change of scenery.

• Did you visit somewhere that was artificial and touristy? These are places that don’t seem authentic or real and have lots and lots of visitors. 

The capital city felt too artificial and touristy for me.

• When you’re on holiday and you want to take your time doing something, you don’t want to be rushed. 

I’d like to take my time looking around the gallery – I don’t want to be rushed. 

Now, it’s time to share your experiences with your friends, family, and classmates using all this new English travel vocabulary! Whether you stayed at home, traveled abroad, or went exploring around your own country, it’s important to share your stories and highlights (or not-so-good moments)! 

Activity

Match the English travel vocabulary to their definitions. 

Travel vocabulary

1. don’t want to be rushed
2. all-inclusive holiday
3. tourist in your own town
4. clear your mind
5. connect with nature
6. hustle and bustle
7. touristy
8. artificial

Definition

A. When you spend time outdoors
B. When a place is very busy and noisy
C. When you explore the place where you live
D. When you want to take your time doing something
E. When a place has many visitors and is designed for those visitors to enjoy
F. When something is fake or not real
G. When food, drinks, and activities are included in the cost
H. When you don’t think about anything, or worry or stress 

Answers

1. D
2. G
3. C
4. H
5. A
6. B
7. E
8. F

---

Billie Jago is an ELT writer and teacher trainer, specialising in digital & assessments. She is the founder of the professional development podcast ELTcpd and co-founder of the digital ELT content agency, otterelt.