ESL Travel Vocabulary

Nearly everyone has to travel, and by learning the ESL travel vocabulary on this page, you will be able to talk about travelling in English.

These ESL travel vocabulary items will help you when you need to use a tram or train.

There is a vocabulary list on this page that has many vocabulary items with definitions for you to either learn or refer to when needed. There are also flashcards for you to download with the travel vocabulary items on then. Some of these are picture flashcards to help you remember the meaning. 

As well as the written list, the ESL travel vocabulary has been recorded when it was spoken by a native English speaker. You can use this to learn the correct pronunciation. You will probably need to listen a few times and practice your own speaking to get the pronunciation right.

Then there are three exercises for you to do that will make sure you have fully learnt the vocabulary. The exercises are as follows:

  • Identify the correct definition of a word.
  • Identify the correct meaning of a definition.
  • Identify the item shown in a picture.

ESL Travel Vocabulary List with Definitions

This section has a list of ESL travel vocabulary with definitions that you should try to learn. Below the list there are flashcards with the vocabulary on that you can download and print so you can learn it anywhere. Then finally the list has been recorded while being spoken by a native English speaker so you can listen to the correct pronunciation.

Airplane: A vehicle that flies and holds a lot of people. (noun)
Airport: A building for use by people who use an airplane for transport. (noun)
Annual pass: A ticket which has validity of one year. (noun)
Automatic doors: Doors which open by sensor without the need to open them manually.  (noun)
Baggage: The items which a person takes with them on a journey. (noun)
Bicycle: A metal frame with a seat and wheels used for transport. (noun)
Bike chain: An object used to secure a bicycle and prevent theft.
Bus: A large vehicle for carrying many people. (noun)
Bus lane: A portion of the road specifically for buses. (noun)
Bus station: A building for use by people who use a bus for transport. (noun)
Buzzer: A button used to inform the driver to stop. (noun)
Captain: The person that controls a ship or airplane. (noun)
Car: A small vehicle with four wheels that many people own. (noun)
Check-in: An area which deals with customer documents prior to travelling. (noun)
Child seat: A seat designed for children for the purpose of safety and for use in a car or on a bicycle. (noun)
Coach: A large vehicle for carrying many people, like a bus but for long journeys. (noun)
Commute: The act of travelling from a fixed location to another destination regularly. (verb)
Crew: The people who work on board a plane or ship. (noun)
Cruise: A journey taken on a ship to many different countries within a certain period of time. (noun)
Customs: An area which carries out security checks in an airport or on a border. (noun)
Customs officer: A person who carries out security checks in an airport or border. (noun)
Cycle lane: A portion of the road which is only for the use of cyclists.  (noun)
Cycle path: A concrete surface used specifically by bicycles. (noun)
Declare: An act of informing customs of the items being carried. (noun)
Delay: When a method of transport is not running to the time originally anticipated.  (noun)
Depart: To move from a place where a person is currently situated. (verb)
Departure gate: An exit which enables travellers to enter an airplane. (noun)
Direct: To travel to a destination without making any stops. (adjective)
Disembark: To get off a ship. (verb)
Dock: A place where ships arrive to and leave from. (noun)
Domestic: A journey which takes place in the same country. (adjective)
Driver: A person who operates a vehicle. (noun)
Emergency exit: A door which when opened allows a person to leave an enclosed space safely.  (noun)
E-ticket: A piece of paper containing pertinent details regarding a journey.
Fare: The total cost of a journey. (noun)
Ferry: A small boat used to carry people or vehicles short distances. (noun)
Flight: The act of an airplane making its way to its destination. (noun)
Helicopter: A vehicle that flies and does not hold a lot of people. (noun)
Helmet: A piece of hard shaped material placed on the head for protection. (noun)
Hire/rent: The act of borrowing a vehicle for a certain period of time. (verb)
Immigration: An area of the airport or border which requires documents to be checked. (noun)
Indirect: A journey which requires a stop prior to arrival at the destination. (adjective)
Insurance: A policy which protects the finances of the traveler for health and other purposes. (noun)
International: A journey which goes beyond the travellers’ home country. (adjective)
Lorry: A vehicle for carrying a large amount of goods (US – Truck). (noun)
Meter: An electronic display which calculates the total distance travelled as a cost. (noun)
Motor-bike: A two wheeled vehicle that has an engine. (noun)
One-way: A ticket that allows for the traveler to reach the destination but not to return. (adjective)
Passengers: The people who use a mode of transport controlled by another person. (noun)
Passport: An important document necessary for travel. (noun)
Pick-up truck: A small vehicle with space to carry goods at the back. (noun)
Pilot: The person who controls an airplane. (noun)
Platform: An area for people to wait for a train. (noun)
Priority seating: An area reserved for disabled people or those with small children. (noun)
Railway: The system of tracks that trains use to get from one place to another.  (noun)
Round-trip: A journey going from and returning to the same place. (noun)
Runway: A long strip of concrete used by airplanes when taking off and landing. (noun)
Safety belt: A long piece of strong thin material used to secure people in a vehicle. (noun)
Sidecar: A small hollow cart attached to the side of a motorcycle for transporting people. (noun)
Sky train: A train that is driven above ground level on a suspended track. (noun)
Take-off: When an airplane leaves the ground to begin flying through the sky. (verb)
Tandem: A bike that can carry two people at the same time. (noun)
Tariff: An amount of money to be paid for the transport service. (noun)
Taxi stand: An area for people to book and wait for a taxi. (noun)
Ticket: A piece of paper or card used as documentation to allow travel. (noun)
Ticket counter: A service desk which sell tickets or deals with ticket enquiries. (noun)
Ticket inspector: A person who checks passenger’s tickets for validity. (noun)
Ticket machine: An electronic device which enables customers to purchase tickets. (noun)
Tracks: The metal runners that direct a train. (noun)
Train: A vehicle that travels on a railway tracks. (noun)
Train station: A building used to receive people who travel by train. (noun)
Tram: A vehicle that follows tracks and travels within a city, usually along the roads. (noun)
Transfer: An act of changing transportation before arriving at the destination. (verb)
Transit: An act of waiting at another location for the next leg of the journey. (verb)
Traveller: A person who moves from one place to another in a short space of time (US – Traveler). (noun)
Truck: A vehicle for carrying a large amount of goods (UK – Lorry). (noun)
Underground: A train that travels under the ground through tunnels.  (noun)
Unicycle: A bicycle that only has one wheel. (noun)
Van: A vehicle for carrying a small amount of goods. (noun)
Vehicle: A form of transport for carrying people of goods. (noun)

Vocabulary Flashcards for ESL Travel

Click on the following ESL travel vocabulary flashcards or the link to download the flashcards as a pdf file that you can print and use to learn the vocabulary whenever you have time.

Travel vocabulary flashcards

Spoken ESL Travel Vocabulary

The following recording has the ESL travel vocabulary being spoken by a native English speaker. You can listen to the recording to learn what the correct pronunciation should be. Listen as many times as you need to. You can also watch the following video that has the vocabulary items with the flashcards. 





ESL Travel Vocabulary Exercises

There are three exercises in this section that you should do once you think you know the vocabulary well. 

Exercise 1 – Correct Definition

This ESL travel vocabulary exercise has five questions in which you have to decide which definition (A-D) matches the vocabulary item given in each question. When you have answered all the questions click on the get score button to reveal the correct answers.

ESL Travel Vocabulary Definitions


Choose the correct definition for the travel vocabulary in this quiz.

1) What is the definition of Coach?
        A) A large vehicle for carrying many people, like a bus but for long journeys.
        B) A metal frame with a seat and wheels used for transport.
        C) The people who work on board a plane or ship.
        D) A person that controls a ship or airplane.
2) What is the definition of Bus lane?
        A) An area which carries out security checks in an airport or on a border.
        B) A person who carries out security checks in an airport or border.
        C) A journey taken on a ship to many different countries within a certain period of time.
        D) A portion of the road specifically for buses.
3) What is the definition of Fare?
        A) The total cost of a journey.
        B) A small boat used to carry people or vehicles short distances.
        C) A journey which requires a stop prior to arrival at the destination.
        D) A journey which takes place in the same country.
4) What is the definition of Round-trip?
        A) A two wheeled vehicle that has an engine.
        B) A small vehicle with space to carry goods at the back.
        C) An area for people to book and wait for a taxi.
        D) A journey going from and returning to the same place.
5) What is the definition of Ticket machine?
        A) A bike that can carry two people at the same time.
        B) A piece of paper or card used as documentation to allow for travel.
        C) An electronic device which enables customers to purchase tickets.
        D) A building used to receive people who travel by train.

Score =

Correct answers:

Exercise 2 – Correct Meaning

The five questions in this exercise give a definition of one of the ESL travel vocabulary items from the ESL travel vocabulary list and you have to choose which word (A-D) has the same meaning. Click the button at the end to show your score.

ESL Travel Vocabulary Identification of Meaning


Choose the word that matches the definition given in each of the five questions in this quiz.

1) What is the meaning of the following definition: A vehicle for carrying a small amount of goods?
        A) Train
        B) Van
        C) Tram
        D) Traveller
2) What is the meaning of the following definition: When an airplane leaves the ground to begin flying through the sky?
        A) Railway
        B) Runway
        C) Take-off
        D) Transit
3) What is the meaning of the following definition: A two wheeled vehicle that has an engine?
        A) International
        B) Platform
        C) Tandem
        D) Motorbike
4) What is the meaning of the following definition: To get of from a ship?
        A) Disembark
        B) Domestic
        C) Driver
        D) Indirect
5) What is the meaning of the following definition: The items which a person takes with them on a journey?
        A) Baggage
        B) Cruise
        C) Bike chain
        D) Child seat

Score =

Correct answers:

Exercise 3 – Identify Picture

Look at the five pictures below and then answer the five ESL travel vocabulary questions in which you have to identify the word (A-D) that matches the image shown in the picture. Again, click the button at the end to show your score.

ESL Travel Vocabulary Picture Descriptions


Identify the best description for each of the images (A-E) given above that correspond to the five questions in this quiz.

1) Which description best describes picture A given above?
        A) Cruise
        B) Direct
        C) Bicycle
        D) Buzzer
2) Which description best describes picture B given above?
        A) Helicopter
        B) Ferry
        C) Immigration
        D) Cycle lane
3) Which description best describes picture C given above?
        A) Railway
        B) Driver
        C) Pilot
        D) Safety belt
4) Which description best describes picture D given above?
        A) Crew
        B) Declare
        C) Ferry
        D) Pick-up truck
5) Which description best describes picture E given above?
        A) Ticket inspector
        B) Helmet
        C) Taxi stand
        D) Platform

Score =

Correct answers:

   Other Pages about Travel that You Might Like

ESL Travel Conversations
ESL Travel Listening
ESL Travel Reading
ESL Travel Writing



› › Travel

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