B2 vocabulary: travel, holidays and tourism

Q: What is the difference between travel, trip and journey?

**Travel** is the general activity (uncountable): *Travel broadens the mind.* A **trip** is a visit to a place and back: *a school trip*. A **journey** is the movement from one place to another: *a long train journey*.

Q: Is 'luggage' countable?

No. Say *a lot of luggage*, *a piece of luggage* or *two suitcases*. *Accommodation* and *information* are also uncountable.

Q: Do you 'lose' or 'miss' a train?

You **miss** a train, bus or flight when you are too late. You **lose** something when you can't find it, such as a ticket or a passport.

Q: How can I describe places more vividly?

Replace *nice* and *beautiful* with precise adjectives: *breathtaking views*, *a picturesque village*, *a crowded beach*, *a remote island*. Add one detail that shows why.

Q: Which travel words come up in word formation?

Watch for *depart/departure*, *arrive/arrival*, *reserve/reservation*, *comfort/comfortable/uncomfortable*, *luxury/luxurious* and *travel/traveller* (British spelling with double *l*).

B2 travel vocabulary helps you talk about transport, accommodation, holidays and the effects of tourism, with collocations such as book a flight, go sightseeing and off the beaten track. This page is part of our B2 vocabulary guide and gives you 48 items with original examples, false friends like camping and excursion, and exam-style practice.

By Eleanor BennettLast updated: 13 October 2026

Why travel vocabulary comes up so often

Travel is one of the friendliest exam topics: you can describe a holiday in Speaking Part 1, compare photos of people travelling in Part 2, review a hotel or a tour in Writing Part 2, or listen to someone explaining a journey that went wrong. Students usually have plenty to say, but they often repeat the same few words (travel, nice, go). At B2 you need more precise words: journey, trip, breathtaking, set off, be delayed.

Learn the groups below, then link them to environment vocabulary for the effects of tourism and money and shopping vocabulary for budgets and prices.

Travel vocabulary: words and collocations

Use it to…	Phrases
Nouns: types of travel and places	journey / trip / travel – a journey is the act of going from A to B; a trip is a short visit somewhere and back; travel is the general activity (uncountable). destination – Iceland has become a popular destination. accommodation (uncountable) – We found cheap accommodation near the station. luggage / baggage (uncountable) – How much luggage are you taking? package holiday – a holiday where travel and hotel are sold together. sightseeing / sights – We spent the morning sightseeing in the old town. campsite – The campsite had hot showers and a small shop. return / single ticket (British) – A return ticket to Manchester, please. delay / cancellation – There was a two-hour delay because of fog. local / tourist – The best restaurants are the ones the locals go to.
Verbs and verb collocations	book a flight / a room / a table – Book your flight early to get a good price. catch / miss a train / bus / plane – We ran but still missed the last bus. go on holiday / a trip / an excursion – We went on a day trip to the coast. go sightseeing / camping / backpacking – They went backpacking around South America. be delayed / be cancelled – Our flight was delayed by three hours. explore – We spent a week exploring the islands. hire / rent a car (British: hire for short periods) – We hired a car at the airport. pack / unpack – I always pack the night before. get lost – We got lost in the narrow streets but found a lovely café. broaden your horizons – Travelling alone really broadened my horizons.
Phrasal verbs	set off / set out – start a journey. We set off at dawn to avoid the traffic. check in / check out – You can check in from 3 p.m. see off – go to the station or airport to say goodbye. My parents saw me off at the airport. get away – have a holiday. We're hoping to get away for a few days in May. look around – explore a place. We had an hour to look around the market. stop over – stay somewhere briefly during a long journey. We stopped over in Dubai. pick up / drop off – collect / leave someone. The shuttle bus drops you off at the hotel. get on / get off (bus, train, plane) – Get off at the third stop.
Adjectives and word families	breathtaking / stunning – extremely beautiful. The view from the summit was breathtaking. crowded / packed / touristy – The beach was packed in August. (touristy is negative and informal) remote / isolated – a remote village in the mountains picturesque – pretty, like a picture. a picturesque fishing village travel → traveller (British spelling) – Experienced travellers pack light. comfort → comfortable → uncomfortable – The seats were really uncomfortable. reserve → reservation – I have a reservation under the name Rossi. depart → departure / arrive → arrival – the departures board luxurious → luxury – a luxury hotel with a rooftop pool exotic – from a distant, unusual place. exotic fruit
Useful phrases for discussing travel	off the beaten track – away from places most tourists visit. travel light – take very little luggage. mass tourism – very large numbers of tourists in one place. culture shock – the confusion you feel in a very different culture. the trip of a lifetime – an amazing, once-only experience. get a taste of local life – Staying with a family gave us a taste of local life. a budget airline / budget travel – cheap flights and travel. out of season / peak season – Prices are much lower out of season. feel homesick – miss home while you're away. it's well worth a visit – The castle is well worth a visit.

False friends and confusing pairs in travel vocabulary

Trap: The travel to Rome took six hours.
Fix: For one specific movement from A to B, use journey (or flight, drive). Travel is the general activity: I love travel. For a visit and return, use trip.
Trap: We slept in a camping near the lake. (Spanish camping, Italian campeggio, German Campingplatz, Polish kemping)
Fix: The place is a campsite. Camping is the activity: We went camping.
Trap: I lost the train because of the traffic. (Spanish perder, Italian perdere, Greek chano)
Fix: Say miss the train/bus/flight. You lose objects (I lost my passport).
Trap: I left the car in a parking. (Spanish/Italian/Polish parking)
Fix: Say car park (British) or parking space. Parking is the activity: Parking is expensive here.
Trap: We did an excursion to the volcano.
Fix: Go on an excursion or a trip. And in everyday speech trip or day trip is more common than excursion.
Trap: I arrived to London at midnight.
Fix: Arrive in a city or country; arrive at a building or place: We arrived in London and then at the hotel. Never arrive to.
Trap: We need to bring many luggages.
Fix: Luggage and accommodation are uncountable: a lot of luggage, two pieces of luggage.
Trap: I'll become my ticket at the airport. (German bekommen)
Fix: Become means start to be. Say get or collect: I'll get my ticket at the airport.

Use it in the exam: Speaking Part 4

Travel questions in Speaking Part 4 often move from personal experience to wider issues, such as the effects of tourism. Show B2 range by using vivid adjectives for description and neutral collocations (mass tourism, have an impact on) for discussion. More practice is in the Part 4 question bank.

Sample Part 4 answer: travel

Examiner: Do you think tourism does more good than harm to the places people visit?

It depends a lot on the place. In small towns tourism can create jobs and keep local businesses open, so it does a lot of good. But mass tourism can be a real problem. I visited a picturesque coastal village last summer, and it was so packed that the locals could hardly get to the beach. Rents have also gone up because so many flats are rented to tourists. So I think tourism is positive as long as it's controlled, for example by limiting cruise ships or encouraging people to travel out of season.

Why it works

Starts with a nuanced answer ('It depends a lot on the place').
Uses vocabulary from this page: mass tourism, picturesque, packed, locals, out of season.
Supports the argument with a personal example.
Suggests realistic solutions in the conclusion.

Travel questions for speaking practice

Answer each question aloud for 30 to 45 seconds, adding a personal example to at least half of your answers.

Travel and tourism

Do you prefer to travel independently or on an organised tour?
Is it better to visit famous places or places off the beaten track?
Should popular cities limit the number of tourists?
What can people learn from travelling to other countries?
Do you think young people should travel alone? Why (not)?
Has budget air travel been a good or a bad thing?
Would you rather have one long holiday or several short breaks a year?

B2 travel vocabulary: FAQ

What is the difference between travel, trip and journey?

Travel is the general activity (uncountable): Travel broadens the mind. A trip is a visit to a place and back: a school trip. A journey is the movement from one place to another: a long train journey.

Is 'luggage' countable?

No. Say a lot of luggage, a piece of luggage or two suitcases. Accommodation and information are also uncountable.

Do you 'lose' or 'miss' a train?

You miss a train, bus or flight when you are too late. You lose something when you can't find it, such as a ticket or a passport.

How can I describe places more vividly?

Replace nice and beautiful with precise adjectives: breathtaking views, a picturesque village, a crowded beach, a remote island. Add one detail that shows why.

Which travel words come up in word formation?

Watch for depart/departure, arrive/arrival, reserve/reservation, comfort/comfortable/uncomfortable, luxury/luxurious and travel/traveller (British spelling with double l).