Travel & Places
Words for getting around, transport, and describing locations
Overview
25 essential words for travelling, transport, and talking about places. After this lesson, you’ll be able to ask for directions, use public transport, and describe locations.
Words
go /ɡəʊ/
verb — A1
Meaning: to move from one place to another
Examples:
- I go to work by bus.
- Where are you going this weekend?
Collocations: go home, go shopping, go to school, go out, go away, let go
come /kʌm/
verb — A1
Meaning: to move towards the speaker or a place
Examples:
- Can you come here for a minute?
- She came to visit us last Sunday.
Collocations: come in, come back, come home, come on, come from, come true
walk /wɔːk/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to move on foot; (n.) a journey on foot
Examples:
- I walk to school every day.
- Let’s go for a walk in the park.
Collocations: go for a walk, walk home, walk to, a long walk, walk away
drive /draɪv/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to operate and control a vehicle; (n.) a journey by car
Examples:
- Can you drive?
- It’s a two-hour drive from here.
Collocations: drive a car, drive to work, go for a drive, drive home
Word Family: drive (v.) → driver (n.) → driving (n.) → drove (past)
travel /ˈtrævl/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to go from one place to another, especially over a long distance
Examples:
- I love to travel to new countries.
- Travel has become much cheaper in recent years.
Collocations: travel abroad, travel by train/bus, travel agent, travel light
Word Family: travel (v./n.) → traveller (n.) → travelling (n.)
bus /bʌs/
noun — A1
Meaning: a large road vehicle that carries passengers
Examples:
- I took the bus to the city centre.
- The next bus arrives in ten minutes.
Collocations: by bus, bus stop, bus station, bus ticket, school bus, catch/miss a bus
train /treɪn/
noun/verb — A1
Meaning: (n.) a vehicle that runs on rails; (v.) to teach skills
Examples:
- The train to London leaves at 8:30.
- She trains new employees.
Collocations: by train, train station, catch/miss a train, train ticket
Word Family: train (n./v.) → trainer (n.) → training (n.)
plane /pleɪn/
noun — A1
Meaning: a vehicle with wings that flies through the air
Examples:
- The plane takes off at six in the morning.
- Have you ever been on a plane?
Collocations: by plane, get on/off a plane, plane ticket, catch a plane
taxi /ˈtæksi/
noun — A1
Meaning: a car with a driver that you pay to take you somewhere
Examples:
- Let’s take a taxi — it’s faster.
- I called a taxi to the airport.
Collocations: take a taxi, taxi driver, taxi rank, call a taxi
road /rəʊd/
noun — A1
Meaning: a long piece of hard ground built for vehicles to travel on
Examples:
- This road goes to the airport.
- Be careful crossing the road.
Collocations: main road, cross the road, road map, on the road, by road
street /striːt/
noun — A1
Meaning: a road in a city or town with buildings along it
Examples:
- The restaurant is on the main street.
- They live on a quiet street in the suburbs.
Collocations: high street, street name, street food, across/down the street
city /ˈsɪti/
noun — A1
Meaning: a large and important town
Examples:
- Tokyo is the biggest city in the world.
- I prefer living in the city rather than the countryside.
Collocations: city centre, capital city, city life, big/small city
country /ˈkʌntri/
noun — A1
Meaning: a nation with its own government; the land outside cities
Examples:
- Which country are you from?
- I love the peace of the countryside.
Collocations: home country, foreign country, country side, developing country
place /pleɪs/
noun — A1
Meaning: a particular area or position
Examples:
- This is a great place for a holiday.
- Is there a place to park near here?
Collocations: in the first place, take place, a place to stay, all over the place
map /mæp/
noun — A1
Meaning: a drawing showing countries, cities, roads, etc.
Examples:
- Can you show me on the map where the hotel is?
- I always check the map before driving somewhere new.
Collocations: road map, world map, on the map, map out
here /hɪər/
adverb — A1
Meaning: in, at, or to this place
Examples:
- Come here, please.
- Here is your coffee.
Collocations: over here, right here, here and there, here you go
there /ðeər/
adverb — A1
Meaning: in, at, or to that place
Examples:
- I’ve never been there before.
- Is there a bank near here?
Collocations: over there, right there, there is/are, there you go, here and there
left /left/
noun/adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: the opposite direction to right
Examples:
- Turn left at the traffic lights.
- The bank is on your left.
Collocations: turn left, on the left, left hand, left side
right /raɪt/
noun/adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: the opposite direction to left; correct
Examples:
- Take the next turning on the right.
- You’re right — that is the answer.
Collocations: turn right, on the right, that’s right, right away, right now, all right
near /nɪər/
preposition/adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: not far away in distance or time
Examples:
- Is there a supermarket near here?
- She lives near the station.
Collocations: near here, near the end, near by, near future, nowhere near
Word Family: near (prep./adj.) → nearby (adj./adv.) → nearly (adv.) → nearest (adj.)
far /fɑːr/
adjective/adverb — A1
Meaning: a long distance away
Examples:
- How far is it to the airport?
- The station isn’t far from here — about ten minutes.
Collocations: how far, so far, far away, as far as, by far, far from
stop /stɒp/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to no longer move or continue; (n.) a place where a bus/train stops
Examples:
- The taxi stopped outside the hotel.
- Which stop do I get off at?
Collocations: bus stop, stop sign, stop doing, full stop, next stop
ticket /ˈtɪkɪt/
noun — A1
Meaning: a piece of paper that allows you to travel or enter somewhere
Examples:
- Two tickets to London, please.
- I booked the tickets online.
Collocations: buy/book a ticket, train/bus ticket, return ticket, ticket office
airport /ˈeəpɔːt/
noun — A1
Meaning: a place where planes take off and land
Examples:
- The airport is about 30 minutes from the city.
- We arrived at the airport two hours early.
Collocations: at the airport, airport terminal, to/from the airport
hotel /həʊˈtel/
noun — A1
Meaning: a building where people pay to stay in a room
Examples:
- We stayed at a nice hotel near the beach.
- Did you book a hotel for the trip?
Collocations: book a hotel, hotel room, hotel lobby, stay at a hotel, five-star hotel
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go | v. | move to another place |
| come | v. | move towards speaker |
| walk | v./n. | move on foot |
| drive | v./n. | control a vehicle |
| travel | v./n. | go a long distance |
| bus | n. | large road vehicle |
| train | n./v. | rail vehicle / teach |
| plane | n. | flying vehicle |
| taxi | n. | paid car with driver |
| road | n. | hard surface for vehicles |
| street | n. | road in a town |
| city | n. | large town |
| country | n. | nation / rural area |
| place | n. | a particular area |
| map | n. | drawing of locations |
| here | adv. | in/at this place |
| there | adv. | in/at that place |
| left | n./adj. | opposite of right |
| right | n./adj. | opposite of left / correct |
| near | prep./adj. | not far |
| far | adj./adv. | a long distance |
| stop | v./n. | cease moving / bus stop |
| ticket | n. | paper for travel/entry |
| airport | n. | where planes land |
| hotel | n. | paid accommodation |