Travel and transport in depth

Travel vocabulary is where AmE and BrE diverge most dramatically. The same car has gas + trunk + hood in the US and petrol + boot + bonnet in the UK. The same road is a highway / freeway / interstate in the US and a motorway in the UK. If you’re learning American English, this lesson is your roadmap (literally) for not sounding British when you’re on US streets.

This lesson covers: air travel (the densest), types of trips, driving and US roads, public transit and rideshare, and the things that go wrong vocabulary.

Air travel

Booking and types of flight

Useful chunks:

• I booked a non-stop to Chicago.
• We have a 2-hour layover in Atlanta.
• I’m taking the red-eye out of LAX.

At the airport

• terminal — section of the airport
• gate — the door where you board
• check-in — register for the flight, drop bags
• kiosk — self-service check-in machine
• boarding pass — the ticket that lets you on the plane
• TSA / TSA PreCheck — Transportation Security Administration / expedited line
• security / security line — the screening
• customs — entry inspection on international arrival
• immigration — passport check on arrival
• passport control — same as immigration
• duty-free — tax-free shopping after security
• baggage claim — where bags appear after the flight
• lost and found / lost luggage — for missing items
• gate agent — airline staff at the gate
• flight attendant — cabin crew
• pilot / co-pilot / captain — flight deck

Bags

Onboard

• aisle seat / window seat / middle seat — seating preferences
• bulkhead — front row of a cabin section
• emergency exit row — extra legroom but responsibilities
• recline — tilt your seat back
• tray table — fold-down surface
• seat belt — buckle up
• turbulence — bumpy air
• takeoff / landing — start / end of flight
• cruising altitude — main flight phase
• layover snacks — what you grab between gates
• in-flight entertainment / IFE — movies, music
• complimentary — free (drinks, snacks)

Travel issues

Examples:

• Our flight got canceled — they put us on the 8am tomorrow.
• I got bumped from the overbooked flight and got a $400 voucher.
• I’m so jet-lagged I can’t think straight.

Types of trips

Modern travel vocabulary has expanded dramatically.

Verbs

• travel (general)
• go on (a) vacation / a trip / a cruise
• take a trip / a flight / the train
• head to (a destination) — I’m heading to Denver
• fly out / fly in — depart by plane / arrive
• set off — begin a journey
• stop over — break the trip mid-way
• make it back / make it home — return safely
• visit (a place / a person)
• explore — investigate a new place
• wander — walk around exploring
• hit the road — start driving
• catch (a flight / a bus / a train) — get on it (especially making it just in time)
• miss (a flight / a connection) — fail to make it

Driving in the US — the road vocabulary

This is where US-only vocabulary is densest. Most words here have BrE counterparts you should NOT use in the US.

The car parts

Roads and highways

Driving verbs and phrases

• drive (somewhere) — operate a car
• fill up / fill ‘er up — get gas
• gas up — same
• pull over — stop on the side
• pull in / pull into (a parking spot) — drive in
• back up — drive backwards
• make a U-turn — turn 180°
• make a (right / left) — turn
• merge — combine into a lane
• change lanes
• pass / overtake — go past another car
• tailgate — drive too close behind (also = parking-lot pre-game party at sports events!)
• honk — sound the horn
• brake — slow/stop
• speed / be speeding — go over the limit
• get pulled over — stopped by police
• get a ticket / a speeding ticket — fined
• road rage — aggressive driving anger
• cut someone off — drive in front of them too closely
• rush hour — peak traffic time

Issues

• traffic — cars on the road
• traffic jam / heavy traffic / gridlock — many cars, slow movement
• bumper-to-bumper — vehicles tightly packed
• fender bender — minor crash
• accident / collision / wreck — crash
• breakdown — car stops working
• flat tire — tire lost air
• dead battery — car won’t start
• out of gas — empty tank
• tow truck / get towed — vehicle hauled away
• parking ticket — fine for illegal parking
• GPS / navigation / GPS app — Google Maps, Waze
• detour — alternate route
• construction / road work — repairs causing slowdowns

Public transit

In US cities, public transit varies enormously (excellent in NYC, Boston, DC, Chicago; thin in most other cities).

Rideshare and modern transport

Hotels and lodging

• hotel / motel / hostel / Airbnb / vacation rental / B&B
• check-in / check-out — arrive / leave
• front desk / lobby / reception — entry area
• concierge — staff member who helps with planning
• room service — food brought to your room
• king / queen / double / single — bed sizes
• suite — large room or set of rooms
• amenities — extras (pool, gym, breakfast, WiFi)
• resort fee — extra fee for resort amenities (often hidden)
• complimentary breakfast — free breakfast
• valet (parking) — staff parks your car for you (with tip)
• upgrade — move to a better room
• booking / reservation — your room is held

Collocations

• book a flight / a hotel / a trip
• catch a flight / a bus / a train
• miss a connection / a flight / a stop
• take a vacation / a trip / a flight / public transit
• go on a trip / vacation / a cruise
• pack your bags / light / heavy
• change planes / trains / lanes
• hit traffic / the road
• get lost / there / through security
• fly business / first class / economy
• head to / head out / head home
• fill up the tank
• rent a car / a hotel room
• get a flat (tire) / pulled over / towed

Phrases and expressions

• hit the road — leave / start a drive
• on the road — currently traveling
• off the beaten path — away from tourist routes
• see the world — travel widely
• once in a lifetime — rare, special
• the journey, not the destination — travel cliché
• travel light — pack minimally
• passport stamp — record of a country visited
• tourist trap — overpriced tourist attraction
• hidden gem — under-known great place
• bucket list — places you want to visit
• out of pocket — paying yourself (relevant for expense tracking)

US-specific summary table

Common Russian-speaker mistakes

1. Voyage meaning trip (false friend). Voyage in English = a long sea/space journey, archaic in casual speech. For Russian поездка / путешествие, use trip / travel / journey.
2. Go to journey / make journey — wrong verb collocations. Go on a trip, take a trip, go on a journey. Don’t make journeys in English.
3. Drive a bus when meaning take a bus. Drive = operate the vehicle. Passengers take / catch / get on a bus or train.
4. On the airport / in the airport confusion. Use at the airport (general location), in the airport (inside the building), to the airport (going there).
5. Aircraft in casual speech. The everyday word is plane or flight. Aircraft sounds technical/military.
6. Visa for entry stamp confusion. Visa = the entry permit (often a sticker in passport, electronic now). Stamp = the ink mark on entry/exit.
7. Ticket used for fine. Ticket in Russian штраф contexts. In English traffic ticket / parking ticket / speeding ticket = fine, but a ticket alone (in a transport context) usually means the boarding/entry pass. Context disambiguates, but be specific.
8. Wrong preposition with travel. Travel to a place; travel by (plane/train/car); travel for (work / fun). NOT travel in airplane — say travel by plane / fly.
9. Pavement meaning road in US English. In US, sidewalk is what pedestrians walk on; pavement can mean the asphalt road surface. Don’t say I walked on the pavement meaning the sidewalk in US — it’s correct but ambiguous; just say sidewalk.

Summary

• Air travel: non-stop / direct / layover / red-eye, carry-on / checked bag / overhead bin, boarding pass / TSA / customs / baggage claim.
• Issues: delayed, canceled, overbooked, bumped, lost luggage, jet-lagged.
• Trip types: road trip, staycation, getaway, all-inclusive, package deal, solo travel, backpacking, digital nomad.
• Car parts (US): gas, trunk, hood, windshield.
• Roads: highway / freeway / interstate, exit, on-ramp, shoulder, sidewalk, crosswalk, stoplight, intersection, roundabout / traffic circle.
• Issues: traffic jam, bumper-to-bumper, fender bender, flat tire, get pulled over, tow.
• Public transit: subway, bus, transfer, fare, monthly pass, commute, Amtrak.
• Modern: rideshare, Uber/Lyft, surge, scooter, bike share.
• AmE classics: gas, trunk, hood, windshield, freeway, sidewalk, crosswalk, subway (= train).

Next theme: House and home — renting in the US (lease, security deposit, utilities), buying (mortgage, HOA), rooms (walk-in closet, half-bath), and AmE peculiarities (yard, first floor = ground floor).