Travel & Transport — A2 Essential Words

trip /trɪp/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: A journey to a place and back again, usually for a short time and for pleasure or work.

Example: We took a road trip from Austin to Denver last summer.

Another example: How was your trip to New York, Emma?

Collocations: road trip · business trip · a day trip

Synonyms: journey, tour

Word family: trip (n) · trip (v — to fall over something) · day trip (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’trip’ for one journey and ’travel’ for the general activity: ’I love travel’ but ’a trip to Boston’ — not ’a travel to Boston’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Americans say ’Have a good trip!’ before you leave and ’How was your trip?’ when you come back.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

journey /ˈdʒɝː.ni/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: A long trip from one place to another, especially by land. We often use it for the travelling itself, not the holiday.

Example: The journey from Chicago to Seattle takes three days by train.

Another example: It was a long journey, but the views were beautiful.

Collocations: a long journey · journey home · a train journey

Synonyms: trip, voyage (by sea)

Word family: journey (n) · journey (v — formal)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’journey’ for the travelling part only. Your whole holiday is a ’trip’: ’We had a great trip’ — not ’a great journey’ — when you mean everything.

🗣 In spoken American English: People often say ’Safe journey!’ or ’Have a safe trip!’ when someone leaves. ’Trip’ is more common in American speech.

Register: neutral — ’voyage’ is formal and only for sea or space

ticket /ˈtɪk.ɪt/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: A small piece of paper or a phone message that shows you paid to travel, enter a place, or watch a show.

Example: I bought my train ticket online last night.

Another example: Do you have the tickets for the movie, Jack?

Collocations: a plane ticket · a return ticket · ticket office

Synonyms: pass, booking (for the reservation)

Word family: ticket (n) · ticket (v — to give a traffic ticket)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’a ticket for the train’ or ’a ticket to Boston’. Don’t say ’a ticket of the train’.

🗣 In spoken American English: At the station you may hear ’One-way or round-trip?’ A ’round-trip ticket’ takes you there and back.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

flight /flaɪt/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: A journey through the air in a plane, from one airport to another.

Example: Our flight to Miami leaves at 9 in the morning.

Another example: The flight was long, so I slept most of the way.

Collocations: a direct flight · flight number · book a flight

Synonyms: plane journey

Word family: flight (n) · fly (v) · flier / flyer (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’my flight leaves at 9’, not ’my flight goes out at 9’. And ’on the flight’ — not ’in the flight’ — for things that happen during it.

🗣 In spoken American English: Airlines ask ’What’s your flight number?’ It looks like ’UA 452’ — the airline code plus numbers.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

airport /ˈer.pɔːrt/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: A place where planes arrive and leave, with buildings for passengers to wait, check in, and collect their bags.

Example: We got to the airport two hours before our flight.

Another example: Ethan is picking Sophia up at the airport tonight.

Collocations: at the airport · airport bus · international airport

Synonyms: airfield (smaller, for small planes)

Word family: airport (n) · air (n) · airline (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’at the airport’ for the place and ’to the airport’ for movement: ’We drove to the airport’ and ’We waited at the airport’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Big American airports have ’terminals’. Someone may ask, ’Which terminal?’ before they drive to meet you.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

passport /ˈpæs.pɔːrt/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: An official book or card from your country with your photo and name. You must show it when you travel to another country.

Example: Don’t forget your passport — you can’t fly to another country without it.

Another example: The officer checked my passport and smiled.

Collocations: passport photo · passport control · a valid passport

Synonyms: ID (general word for identity documents)

Word family: passport (n) · pass (v) · passenger (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’show your passport’, not ’give your passport’ — the officer gives it back after checking. Also ’passport’ is countable: ’a passport’, ’two passports’.

🗣 In spoken American English: At the airport you will hear ’Passport, please’ and ’May I see your passport?’

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

suitcase /ˈsuːt.keɪs/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: A large bag with flat sides that you pack your clothes in when you travel.

Example: Lily’s suitcase is too heavy for the plane.

Another example: He packed his suitcase the night before the trip.

Collocations: pack a suitcase · a heavy suitcase · suitcase handle

Synonyms: bag, case

Word family: suitcase (n) · suit (n) · case (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Use ’pack a suitcase’ for putting things in, and ’unpack’ when you take them out. Don’t say ’close my suitcase full’ — say ’My suitcase is full’.

🗣 In spoken American English: Americans also say ’pack a bag’ for any travel bag. ’Live out of a suitcase’ means you travel so much you never really unpack.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

train /treɪn/ noun A2 Travel

Meaning: A long vehicle that travels on metal tracks and carries many people from station to station.

Example: We took the train from Boston to New York.

Another example: The train to Houston is late again.

Collocations: by train · a train station · catch the train

Synonyms: railway service

Word family: train (n) · train (v — to teach or practice a skill) · trainer (n)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’by train’ (no ’the’) for the way of travelling: ’We went by train’. Use ’the train’ for one specific train: ’The 9 o’clock train was late’.

🗣 In spoken American English: In the US, people say ’catch the train’ or ’take the train’. In big cities, the city train is often called ’the subway’ or ’the Metro’.

Register: neutral — fine in speech and writing

arrive /əˈraɪv/ verb A2 Travel

Meaning: To reach a place at the end of a journey.

Example: We arrived in Chicago at midnight.

Another example: What time does the train arrive, Tom?

Collocations: arrive at the airport · arrive in a city · arrive home

Synonyms: reach, get to

Antonyms: leave, depart

Word family: arrive (v) · arrival (n) · arriving (adj)

⚠ Common mistake: Say ’arrive in’ for cities and countries and ’arrive at’ for buildings and stations: ’arrive in Miami’, ’arrive at the hotel’. Never say ’arrive to’.

🗣 In spoken American English: People ask ’When do you get in?’ instead of ’When do you arrive?’ — ’get in’ is the everyday spoken form.

Register: neutral — ’get in’ is informal speech

leave /liːv/ verb A2 Travel

Meaning: To go away from a place. It can also mean to let something stay in a place, or to forget to take something with you.

Example: Our bus leaves Denver at 6 in the morning.

Another example: Oh no — I left my phone on the train!

Collocations: leave home · leave at 6 · leave something behind

Synonyms: go away, depart

Antonyms: arrive, stay

Word family: leave (v) · left (past form) · leaving (n/adj)

⚠ Common mistake: ’Leave’ needs a place or a thing after it: ’We left the hotel at 6’. For a person’s home town, don’t say ’I left from Chicago at 6’ — ’from’ is not needed.

🗣 In spoken American English: At stations you hear ’The bus leaves from Gate 4’. In everyday speech, ’I’m leaving’ often means ’I am going now’.

Register: neutral — ’depart’ is formal, used in announcements