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Viajes y vacaciones

Travel and holidays

Airports, hotels, beaches and getting lost — the vocabulary of a trip.

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el viaje

trip / journey

noun

In a sentence

El viaje a París fue increíble.
The trip to Paris was incredible.

Use «viaje» for both short trips and long journeys; a common collocation is «hacer un viaje» (to take a trip).
el aeropuerto

airport

noun

In a sentence

El vuelo sale del aeropuerto a las diez.
The flight leaves from the airport at ten.

Use «aeropuerto» for the whole airport complex; the departure gate is «la puerta de embarque».
el vuelo

flight

noun

In a sentence

Nuestro vuelo sale a las diez de la mañana.
Our flight leaves at ten in the morning.

Use «vuelo» for the act of flying or a specific scheduled flight, e.g. «el vuelo número 204».
la maleta

suitcase

noun

In a sentence

Necesito hacer la maleta antes de salir al aeropuerto.
I need to pack my suitcase before leaving for the airport.

The common collocation is «hacer la maleta» (to pack your suitcase) — a handy phrase for travel contexts.
la mochila

backpack

noun

In a sentence

Pongo mi pasaporte en la mochila antes de salir.
I put my passport in the backpack before leaving.

In travel contexts, «mochila» refers to any rucksack or backpack carried on your back — a key item for budget travellers and hikers.
el pasaporte

passport

noun

In a sentence

Necesito mi pasaporte para viajar al extranjero.
I need my passport to travel abroad.

Always masculine in Spanish: «el pasaporte», never «la pasaporte».
el billete

ticket

noun

In a sentence

Necesito comprar un billete de tren para Madrid.
I need to buy a train ticket to Madrid.

In Spain «billete» is used for transport tickets (train, bus, plane); in Latin America you may hear «tiquete» or «boleto» instead.
el hotel

hotel

noun

In a sentence

Nuestro hotel está muy cerca de la playa.
Our hotel is very close to the beach.

In Spanish, «hotel» is masculine, so use «el hotel» and «un hotel».
la reserva

booking / reservation

noun

In a sentence

Hice una reserva en el hotel para dos noches.
I made a booking at the hotel for two nights.

'Hacer una reserva' is the standard collocation — use it when booking a hotel, restaurant, or flight.
habitación doble

double room

expression

In a sentence

Quiero reservar una habitación doble para dos noches.
I want to book a double room for two nights.

In Spanish hotels, always specify «habitación doble» when booking for two people; a «habitación individual» is a single room.
la playa

beach

noun

In a sentence

Vamos a la playa este verano.
We are going to the beach this summer.

A common collocation is 'ir a la playa' (to go to the beach) — note that 'playa' is feminine, so use 'la'.
el mapa

map

noun

In a sentence

Necesito un mapa para encontrar el hotel.
I need a map to find the hotel.

'Mapa' is masculine despite ending in -a — say «el mapa», not «la mapa».
la excursión

day trip / excursion

noun

In a sentence

Mañana hacemos una excursión a las montañas.
Tomorrow we are going on a day trip to the mountains.

Often used for an organised group outing; say «hacer una excursión» for 'to go on a trip'.
el turista

tourist

noun

In a sentence

Hay muchos turistas en la plaza hoy.
There are many tourists in the square today.

«turista» is the same form for both male and female — only the article changes: «el turista» (male) and «la turista» (female).
la guía

guide

noun

In a sentence

La guía nos lleva al museo.
The guide is taking us to the museum.

«Guía» can mean both a person who leads tours and a travel guidebook — context makes it clear. It is gender-flexible: «el guía» for a male guide, «la guía» for a female guide or a guidebook.
el recuerdo

souvenir / memory

noun

In a sentence

Compré este recuerdo en el mercado de Barcelona.
I bought this souvenir at the market in Barcelona.

In a travel context, «recuerdo» most often means a souvenir you buy on a trip, but it also means a fond memory of that trip.
la frontera

border

noun

In a sentence

Cruzamos la frontera entre España y Francia por la mañana.
We crossed the border between Spain and France in the morning.

Use «cruzar la frontera» for 'to cross the border' — a very common travel collocation.
el equipaje

luggage

noun

In a sentence

Mi equipaje es muy pesado.
My luggage is very heavy.

In Spanish, «equipaje» is usually uncountable, just like 'luggage' in English — say «mucho equipaje» (a lot of luggage), not a plural form.
la salida

departure / exit

noun

In a sentence

La salida del vuelo es a las ocho de la mañana.
The flight departure is at eight in the morning.

In travel contexts «salida» covers both the moment of leaving (departure) and the physical exit point — check context to know which is meant.
la llegada

arrival

noun

In a sentence

La llegada del vuelo es a las tres de la tarde.
The flight arrival is at three in the afternoon.

Often seen on airport and train station boards as «Llegadas» (Arrivals). Pair it with «salida» (departure) to cover both directions of travel.
el retraso

delay

noun

In a sentence

El tren tiene un retraso de dos horas.
The train has a two-hour delay.

A common collocation in travel contexts is «hay un retraso» (there is a delay) or «el vuelo tiene un retraso» (the flight has a delay).
alquilar

to rent

verb

In a sentence

Queremos alquilar un coche para las vacaciones.
We want to rent a car for the holidays.

In travel contexts, «alquilar» covers renting a car, bike, or apartment — use it with «un coche», «una bici», or «un apartamento».
reservar

to book / to reserve

verb

In a sentence

Quiero reservar una habitación para dos noches.
I want to book a room for two nights.

Both 'book' and 'reserve' work in English; in travel contexts 'book' is more common — e.g. «reservar una habitación» means 'to book a room'.
viajar

to travel

verb

In a sentence

Me gusta viajar en verano.
I like to travel in summer.

Use «viajar» for travelling in general; pair it with «en» for the mode of transport, e.g. «viajar en tren».
perderse

to get lost

verb

In a sentence

Nos perdemos siempre en ciudades nuevas.
We always get lost in new cities.

«Perderse» is reflexive in Spanish — always use it with the matching pronoun: «me pierdo», «te pierdes», «se pierde», etc.
visitar

to visit

verb

In a sentence

Queremos visitar el Coliseo cuando estemos en Roma.
We want to visit the Colosseum when we are in Rome.

Commonly used with places: «visitar un museo», «visitar una ciudad». It refers to going somewhere as a tourist or guest.
volar

to fly

verb

In a sentence

Mañana volamos a Madrid.
Tomorrow we fly to Madrid.

Use «volar» for aircraft, birds, or anything moving through the air; in travel contexts it most naturally refers to flying by plane.
facturar

to check in (luggage)

verb

In a sentence

Necesito facturar mi maleta antes de pasar el control.
I need to check in my suitcase before going through security.

In a travel context, «facturar» specifically means to check in baggage at the airport counter, not to check in as a hotel guest (that is «registrarse»).
ida y vuelta

return ticket / round trip

expression

In a sentence

Quiero un billete de ida y vuelta a Madrid, por favor.
I want a return ticket to Madrid, please.

In British English say «return ticket»; in American English say «round trip». Both refer to travel there and back.
buen viaje

have a good trip

expression

In a sentence

¡Buen viaje! Llámame cuando llegues.
Have a good trip! Call me when you arrive.

Used as a farewell wish when someone is about to travel; equivalent to 'bon voyage' in English.