Blog

My students love talking about their holidays – where they’ve been, where they are going and where they would love to go sometime in the (near) future. It’s a great way of revising grammar and expanding their vocabulary. However, when they are telling me about their experiences and dreams, there is always some confusion between the words: travel – journey – trip. Let’s have a look at the differences.

Travel

We use travel:

• as a verb

to travel – travelled (UK) or traveled (US) = to go/to journey from one place to another; to pass or go over/through; to go, move or cover a distance.

i.e.

“I travel a lot for my job.”

“He often travels by train.”

“He travelled the country from top to bottom.”

“She’s travelling across Europe.”

“She travels to improve her mind.”

• as a noun

travelling (UK)         traveling (US)

i.e.

“I love travelling!”

“Travelling on public transport every day is really tiring.”
 

travels = a series of journeys; the story of someone’s journeys

i.e.
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
 
Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck

• as a modifier

i.e. a travel brochure – a travel agency – a travel agent – corporate travel

Journey

We use journey when we talk about the act of travelling from A to B; a distance travelled, the time required; an act of travelling by train, airplane, car etc. or on foot.

i.e.
“It is a two hour journey from here to Naples”

“He’s going on a 3,000-mile journey around Asia.”

“She’s going on a long journey.”

“How long is your journey to work in the morning?”

Trip

Trip is a general word to describe a journey of any distance for a specific purpose (usually including the return), on foot or any form of transport, for business or pleasure and either in a hurry or leisurely.

 
a business trip – a day trip – a trip to Disney Land – a trip to London – a shopping trip – a daily trip to the supermarket
 
i.e.
“He took a trip to the shopping mall to buy a new phone.”

“I’m going on a business trip to Milan next week.”

“We’re going on a trip to Paris for the weekend.”

“They’ve just won a trip to New York!”
 
We also use ‘a round trip’ to indicate going somewhere and coming back.

i.e.
“The round trip to the island takes 3 hours.”

“They often offer discounts for round trips.”

 

Well, it’s time for a trip to the supermarket now!

 
Have a great Sunday
 
Fiona;-)