Most people love traveling, over 1.5 billion international arrivals were recorded at world airports in 2019. Unsurprisingly, there are many terms to describe the nature of a trip, but English-speakers often use the term traveling as a general term. So let's look at a few terms that can describe a trip.
Travel
As mentioned, this is a general term to describe any type of trip. It simply means that a distance was crossed to get from A to B. Some people might ask you how you travel to work, but that use is often replaced with commute or get to.
The word traveling emerged as a term during the Age of Exploration, when Vasco de Gama and Marco Polo explored parts of the world. In this sense, to travel is to explore, and travelers cover new, undiscovered territory. This might be difficult to do in the age of satellites, so traveling would be a term reserved for people who take the less popular paths. Staying at the Ritz-Carlton doesn’t count!
Here are a few good examples of how to use travel:
Alex: How do you get to work?
Maria: I travel by bus.
Layla: Where did you and your husband travel to during the winter break?
Julio: We traveled to Patagonia! It was great. We got to explore the mountains of Tiera Del Fuego.
To go on, or take, a trip
To go on a trip or take a trip means to simply cover some distance between A and B involving significant time. In addition to being a general term for traveling, it can be used for some daily activities.
I went on a trip to Hawaii. —OR— I took a trip to Hawaii.
I took the bus to the grocery store. It was a long trip there and back.
Be careful though, the verb to trip does not involve travel. It means to fall because you have accidentally hit your foot against something.
Vacation and holiday
A vacation, or holiday, is a leave of absence from work, or a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations. Vacations are often spent with friends or family.
Alana: Where did you go for your vacation?
Isaac: I went to a resort in Varadero, Cuba.
Alana: Yeah? How was it?
Isaac: Amazing! I stayed on the beach the whole time, drank Piña Coladas and ate seafood.
Alana: Did you ever go into town?
Isaac: Oh no, that’s way too risky.
Holiday
Going on holiday is similar to going on vacation but is specific to traveling during an official time off, such as Christmas/New Year or Easter.
Holiday comes from a combination of the words holy and day meaning both religious festival and day of off from labor.
Marco: Where did you go during the holidays?
Amira: We traveled to Boston to spend Christmas with my husband’s family and ended up spending New Year’s in New York. How about you?
Marco: I went on holiday on a cruise ship. We crossed the Atlantic and ended up in Lisbon!
To summer
This is a verb used almost exclusively by rich Americans to express where they spend their summer months.
Brent: Where do you summer?
Tiffany: For the past three years, we've summered at my husband’s house in the Hamptons. How about yourself?
Brent: I have a property in Nantucket. We spend most of our days yachting with a few family friends.
Adventure
Going on an adventure is very different from a vacation, holiday, or summering, as it involves a great amount of physical effort and some risk to one’s safety. When people go on an adventure, their path is often decided on only a few days or even hours ahead, and they do not always know where the end point is. Relaxing at the Ritz-Carlton or walking in Florence is very different from this.
Tracy: Do you plan on going on any adventure this year?
Mike: Yes, I plan on going to the Laotian jungle for a memorable Gibbon Experience!
Backpacking
Backpacking is a type of adventure traveling. Backpackers live out of their large travel backpacks, meaning that they do not carry any extra luggage. They usually stay in hostels and take local transportation in order to travel as cheaply as possible. The backpacker’s goal is to travel as long as possible on a limited budget.
Eileen: What was your favourite trip?
Jin: It must be when I backpacked for 8 months through Southeast Asia in 2015.
Eileen: Oh wow, where did you go?
Jin: I did the traditional route. You know, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Eileen: I’m so jealous!
These are just a few of many terms that you can use to describe your trips, whether they be vacations or adventures!
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emerge [verb]—to become known or develop as a result of something
age [noun]—the period of time someone has been alive or something has existed
reserve [verb]—to keep something for a particular purpose or time
take (a) less popular path [phrase]—to do something that's not popular
yacht /yaat/ [verb]—race or cruise in a yacht
