V2

Travel and Holidays

Travel vocabulary, transport, holiday phrases.

Nouns · Travel expressions · Destination vocabulary
B1 Vocabulary

Accommodation and destinations

Français
English
logement
accommodation — a place to stay, such as a hotel or hostel
destination
destination — the place where someone is going
itinéraire
itinerary — a detailed plan of a journey including dates and places
souvenir
souvenir — an object kept as a reminder of a place or event
visite touristique
sightseeing — visiting famous places as a tourist
We booked accommodation near the beach.
Paris is my favourite destination for holidays.

Transport and journey

Français
English
départ
departure — the act of leaving or the time when you leave
voyage aller-retour
round trip — a journey to a place and back again
croisière
cruise — a holiday on a large ship visiting different ports
monnaie
currency — the money used in a particular country
décalage horaire
jet lag — extreme tiredness after flying across time zones
Our departure is scheduled for 6 am.
I suffered from jet lag for two days after the flight.

Holiday phrases

Français
English
réserver un logement
book accommodation — reserve a place to stay in advance
prendre un vol
catch a flight — get on a plane in time
partir en vacances
go on vacation — take time off for a holiday
échanger de la monnaie
exchange currency — convert money to the local currency
prendre des photos
take photos — capture images at a destination

Key differences from French

Journey vs trip vs holiday
Journey = travel process. Trip = short travel. Holiday = vacation (UK) / Vacation (US)
Français
English
logement (indénombrable)
Accommodation (uncountable) — Always singular in English: "find accommodation" not "accommodations" (though Americans say "accommodations")
tourisme (sans article)
Sightseeing (no article) — We say "go sightseeing" not "go on sightseeing"
« book » vs « reserve »
Book vs reserve — Both work. British English often uses "book"; Americans prefer "reserve."

Summary

Français
English
noms
Nouns — accommodation, destination, itinerary, souvenir, sightseeing, departure, round trip, cruise, currency, jet lag
expressions
Phrases — book accommodation, catch a flight, go on vacation, exchange currency, take photos
différence principale
Key difference — English uses many phrasal verbs for travel; French uses simpler single verbs