10 Idioms Tour Guides Use

Not every tour comes with a translator. Tour guides may use English expressions that you don’t understand. Here are 10 to learn before you sign up for a tour.

1. travel light : Don’t pack a lot of items. Bring only what you need. Please travel light tomorrow. We have a lot of walking to do.

2. hit the road: Depart. Begin a tour. We’ll hit the road as soon as the bus driver arrives.

3. off track OR off the beaten path: wrong way; away from the main road or route Don’t go off track . There are some dangerous areas in this city.

4. watch your back: be careful; pay attention to people around you Keep your wallet in a safe place and watch your back on the subway.

5. call it a day: finish an activity or tour; go home or back to the hotel You all look tired. Let’s call it a day .

6. get a move on: go more quickly We’ll need to get a move on if we want to catch the four o’clock bus.

7. a full plate: a full schedule; no free time We have a full plate tomorrow, so get a good rest tonight.

8. bright and early OR first thing: very early in the morning We’ll need to leave bright and early to catch the first ferry.

9. hang on or hang tight: wait patiently for a moment Please hang tight until the driver returns.

10. If worse comes to worst OR If all else fails…: introduces the action to take when no other option is successful. If worse comes to worst, call the police .

Learn more idioms in the reference section Study English for Tour Guides

Survival Challenge: Which of the 10 idioms above would you use to complete this sentence?

Tour Guide: “Please _____________. The museum will be opening in a few minutes.”

You may also like:

  • Writing Prompt ~ Collocations with Save
  • 20 Presentation Tips for Your ESL Students
  • 5 Research-Based Facts About Vocabulary Learning to Help You Learn Faster

Travel light tomorrow, heavy days are coming.

Thank you this is very useful

Blah blah blah

Thank you for giving these idioms.There are a few grammatical errors though…

Excellent, useful .thanks a lot

Very useful, thank you very much, I apreciate it

Leave a comment

Email * (not published)

phrase dictionary logo

30 Idioms for Travel

Imagine weaving your way through the world of travel, where idioms act as colorful threads. In this article, we’ll unpack the suitcase of travel idioms, exploring their meanings, sharing sentences to illustrate their usage, and navigating the roads less traveled with a casual and conversational tone.

30 idioms for travel

Idioms for Travel

1. “to hit the road” – starting the journey.

Meaning: Embarking on a journey or starting an adventure.

In a Sentence: After months of planning, it’s finally time to hit the road and explore the unknown.

2. “To Be on the Move” – Traveling Between Places

Meaning: Actively traveling from one place to another.

In a Sentence: Our itinerary is packed; we’re constantly on the move, discovering new wonders.

3. “To Pack One’s Bags” – Preparing for a Trip

Meaning: Getting ready to leave for a journey.

In a Sentence: She took a day off work to pack her bags for the spontaneous weekend trip.

4. “To Be on a Roll” – Experiencing Successes

Meaning: Having a series of successful events or experiences.

In a Sentence: Ever since we arrived in Paris, it feels like we’re on a roll with amazing discoveries.

5. “To Be on the Right Track” – Making Progress

Meaning: Making progress or doing something correctly.

In a Sentence: Learning the local customs is essential; it keeps us on the right track while traveling.

6. “To Be at a Crossroads” – Decision Time

Meaning: Being at a point where a decision must be made.

In a Sentence: Standing at a crossroads, they had to choose between the bustling city or the serene countryside.

7. “To Be a Rough Road” – A Challenging Journey

Meaning: Referring to a difficult or challenging journey.

In a Sentence: Crossing the desert turned out to be a rough road, but the experience was unforgettable.

8. “To Be Well-Traveled” – Experienced Explorer

Meaning: Having a lot of experience traveling to different places.

In a Sentence: His stories reveal he’s well-traveled; he’s been to every corner of the globe.

9. “To Be a Long Haul” – A Tiring Journey

Meaning: Referring to a lengthy or tiring journey.

In a Sentence: Preparing for a long haul, they stocked up on snacks for the road trip.

10. “To Be on the Go” – Constant Movement

Meaning: Being busy or constantly moving.

In a Sentence: In the bustling markets of Marrakech, everyone seems to be on the go.

11. “To Take the Scenic Route” – Leisurely Travel Choice

Meaning: Choosing a more leisurely or interesting route rather than the most direct one.

In a Sentence: Despite the extra time, they decided to take the scenic route through the mountains.

12. “To Be a Bumpy Ride” – Ups and Downs in the Journey

Meaning: A journey with many ups and downs.

In a Sentence: Starting a new business is always a bumpy ride, but the rewards are worth it.

13. “To Be a Smooth Ride” – An Easy Journey

Meaning: Referring to an easy or uneventful journey.

In a Sentence: The well-paved highways made the road trip a smooth ride from start to finish.

14. “To Be in the Driver’s Seat” – In Control

Meaning: Being in control or in charge of something.

In a Sentence: After years of hard work, she’s finally in the driver’s seat of her own destiny.

15. “To Be Off the Beaten Path” – Less Traveled Location

Meaning: Being in a less traveled or unknown location.

In a Sentence: Exploring the hidden gems off the beaten path adds a sense of adventure to any journey.

16. “To Have Wanderlust” – A Strong Desire to Travel

Meaning: A strong desire to travel and explore new places.

In a Sentence: Her constant daydreaming about far-off lands is a clear sign she has wanderlust.

17. “To Be a Jet-Setter” – Frequent Traveler for Pleasure

Meaning: Someone who frequently travels to different places, often for pleasure.

In a Sentence: Meeting interesting people is a perk of being a jet-setter, hopping from one exotic destination to another.

18. “To Fly by the Seat of One’s Pants” – Making Decisions on the Fly

Meaning: To make decisions or solve problems on the fly, without much preparation or planning.

In a Sentence: In the world of travel, sometimes you have to fly by the seat of your pants and go with the flow.

19. “To Be on a One-Way Ticket” – Committed to a Course of Action

Meaning: Being committed to a course of action with no intention of turning back.

In a Sentence: Starting this business is like being on a one-way ticket; there’s no looking back.

20. “To Be a Road Warrior” – Frequent Work Traveler

Meaning: Someone who travels frequently for work.

In a Sentence: With a suitcase always in hand, he’s become a true road warrior for his company.

21. “To Have the Travel Bug” – A Desire to Travel

Meaning: A desire to travel and explore new places.

In a Sentence: Once you catch the travel bug, there’s no cure; it becomes a lifelong passion.

22. “To Take a Detour” – Deviating from the Planned Route

Meaning: To deviate from one’s planned route or course of action.

In a Sentence: Despite the GPS insisting on the highway, they decided to take a detour through the charming countryside.

23. “To Be a Backpacker” – Budget Traveler with a Backpack

Meaning: Someone who travels with a backpack and stays in budget accommodations such as hostels.

In a Sentence: Being a backpacker is not just a way to travel; it’s a lifestyle of exploration on a shoestring budget.

24. “To Be a Globe-Trotter” – Traveling Worldwide

Meaning: Someone who travels to many different countries around the world.

In a Sentence: She’s a true globe-trotter, having visited every continent in search of diverse cultures.

25. “To Be a Nomad” – Traveling Without a Permanent Home

Meaning: Someone who does not have a permanent home and travels from place to place.

In a Sentence: Embracing the nomadic lifestyle, they find home in the journey, not a fixed location.

26. “To Be a Tourist” – Pleasure Traveler for a Short Time

Meaning: Someone who travels to a place for pleasure and typically stays for a short time.

In a Sentence: In the heart of Rome, they blend in with the tourists, exploring the historic city for a short but memorable visit.

27. “To Be a Traveler” – Extended Period of Travel

Meaning: Someone who is traveling, often for an extended period of time.

In a Sentence: Becoming a traveler is not just a phase; it’s a way of life for those seeking constant exploration.

28. “To Be a Pilgrim” – Traveling for Religious Reasons

Meaning: Someone who travels to a holy place for religious reasons.

In a Sentence: The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is a transformative journey for every pilgrim.

Embarking on the winding roads of travel idioms is like unlocking a secret language that travelers share. From hitting the road to being a pilgrim, each phrase weaves a unique story of exploration, decision-making, and discovery.

Related Posts

30 idioms for kids, 30 idioms for kid.

Travel-Related Idioms

Traveling is an adventure that exposes us to different cultures, customs, and languages. One way to prepare for your next trip is by learning some common travel-related idioms. Not only will it help you understand the locals better, but it will also make you sound like a seasoned traveler.

On the Road

travel-related idioms

1, Hit the road : To begin a journey or leave a place.

Example s : After spending a relaxing weekend at the beach, it's time to hit the road and head back to the bustling city.

As the sun sets, the weary travelers decide to hit the road and continue their adventure under the moonlit sky.

2. The road less traveled : An uncommon or unconventional choice or path.

Example s: John always preferred taking the road less traveled when it came to his career, leading him to unique opportunities and experiences.

Explorers are often drawn to the road less traveled , seeking undiscovered wonders in remote corners of the world.

3. Pave the way : To create the conditions or prepare the path for something to happen.

Examples: His groundbreaking research paved the way for significant advancements in the field of medicine.

The success of the film franchise paved the way for several spin-offs and sequels.

4. Take a detour : To deviate or take a different path from the usual route or plan.

Example s: Due to heavy traffic, we had to take a detour through the scenic countryside to reach our destination .

While exploring the city, he took a detour and stumbled upon a charming little café.

5. Lead someone down the garden path : To deceive or mislead someone, to have them having the wrong impression about something.

Examples : The salesman led us down the garden path with false promises about the product's effectiveness.

She discovered that her supposed friends had been leading her down the garden path for their personal gain.

6. Take the scenic route : To choose a longer but more picturesque way to reach a destination.

Examples: Instead of driving on the highway, they decided to take the scenic route , enjoying breathtaking views of the mountains.

The hikers opted for the scenic route, even though it added a few more miles to their trek.

7. End of the line : The conclusion of a journey or the point at which progress stops.

Example s: After hours of traveling, they finally reached the end of the line - a remote village nestled in the hills.

The project faced numerous challenges, and it seemed like they had reached the end of the line, unable to move forward.

tour related idioms

8. Follow in someone's footsteps : To imitate or emulate someone's actions or choices.

Example s: Aspiring artists often follow in the footsteps of renowned painters to learn from their techniques.

The young athlete aims to follow in his father's footsteps by pursuing a career in professional sports.

9. Break new ground : To do something innovative or pioneering that sets a precedent.

Example s : The company's revolutionary product broke new ground in the tech industry.

The archaeologists' discovery of ancient artifacts broke new ground in the study of ancient civilizations.

10. Off the beaten track : To explore places or paths less frequented by tourists.

Example s: They decided to venture off the beaten track and discovered a hidden gem—a quaint village untouched by modern tourism.

The travel enthusiasts sought thrilling experiences by deliberately choosing off-the-beaten-track destinations for their adventures.

11. Chart the course : To plan and set the direction for a journey or project.

Example s: The captain charted the course for their voyage, considering weather conditions and potential hazards.

Before starting the business, they spent weeks charting the course , outlining the company's goals and strategies.

2. Journey and Distance

  • The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step : Every significant endeavor starts with a small action.

Examples : Starting a new business might seem daunting, but remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step .

Before they reached the summit, the hikers reminded each other that their ambitious climb was just the first step in their journey.

2. Go the distance : To persevere and overcome obstacles to achieve a goal.

Examples: The marathon runner was determined to go the distance , even if it meant pushing her limits to the breaking point.

Despite facing numerous challenges, the team's unwavering dedication allowed them to go the distance and win the championship.

3. Cover a lot of ground : To travel a long distance or make significant progress quickly.

Examples : During their road trip, they covered a lot of ground , visiting multiple states in just a few days.

The CEO's visionary leadership helped the company cover a lot of ground , expanding into new markets worldwide.

4. Miles away : To be lost in one's thoughts or daydreaming.

Examples : While sitting in the park, she was miles away, reminiscing about her childhood.

As the lecture continued, the student's mind wandered, and he was miles away from the classroom.

5. In the middle of nowhere : To be in a remote and isolated location.

Example : The tiny cottage was nestled in the middle of nowhere , surrounded by lush forests and a tranquil lake.

After a wrong turn, they found themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere , without any cellphone signal.

6. Jump ship : To leave a job, team, or organization abruptly.

Examples : Despite the challenges, she decided to jump ship and start her own business.

The football player jumped ship to join a rival team, shocking fans and teammates.

7. Full steam ahead : To move forward with enthusiasm and determination.

Examples : With the new project approved, the team moved full steam ahead to meet the tight deadline.

The charity organization went full steam ahead with their fundraising campaign to support underprivileged children.

8. Set sail : To begin a journey, often by boat.

Examples : As the sun rose, the sailors set sail, embarking on their voyage across the ocean.

The family set sail for a tropical vacation, looking forward to days of sun, sand, and relaxation.

9. A stone's throw away : Very close in distance.

Examples: The quaint café was just a stone's throw away from the hotel, making it an ideal spot for breakfast.

The hiking trail led to a beautiful waterfall, only a stone's throw away from the campsite.

10. Down the road : In the future or at a later time.

Examples : The project is still in its early stages, but we expect significant results down the road.

They plan to expand their business down the road by opening new branches in neighboring cities.

3. Adventure and Discovery

  • To see the world through rose-tinted glasses : To have an overly optimistic view of things, especially when traveling. )

Examples : Sarah's excitement about her upcoming trip had her seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses, overlooking potential challenges.

After a few setbacks during their journey, the travelers realized that seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses was not always beneficial.

. Travel light : To pack lightly and carry minimal belongings while traveling.

2. Examples : As an experienced traveler, she knew the importance of traveling light to avoid unnecessary baggage fees.

They decided to travel light for their camping trip, carrying only essential items to make the journey more comfortable.

3. Blaze a trail - To create a new path or be a pioneer in a particular field.

Examples: The innovative company blazed a trail in renewable energy, setting new standards for sustainable practices.

The explorer's adventurous spirit inspired others to follow in his footsteps and blaze a trail of their own.

4. Off the map - In a location that is not known or represented on a map.

Examples: The remote island they discovered was completely off the map, untouched by modern civilization.

The treasure hunters followed an ancient map that led them off the map to a hidden treasure trove.

5. To go the extra mile - To put in extra effort beyond what is expected.

Example s: The dedicated employee always goes the extra mile to ensure the success of every project.

The tour guide went the extra mile to make the tourists' experience memorable, arranging special surprises along the way.

6. Chart a new course - To change direction or pursue a different path.

Examples : After several years in the corporate world, she decided to chart a new course by starting her own business.

The team faced challenges in the market and needed to chart a new course to remain competitive.

7. In uncharted territory - In a situation that is unfamiliar and not explored or documented.

Examples : The scientist's groundbreaking research took her into uncharted territory , discovering new species of marine life.

The young entrepreneur felt like he was in uncharted territory as he navigated the complexities of starting a business .

8. Wild goose chase - An aimless or futile pursuit of something.

Examples : The detective realized he had been on a wild goose chase , following false leads that didn't lead to any breakthroughs in the case.

The treasure hunters went on a wild goose chase , chasing legends of hidden treasure that turned out to be mere myths.

4. Navigating Obstacles

Travel-related Idioms

  • Hit a roadblock - To encounter an unexpected obstacle or challenge that halts progress.

Examples : The project was going smoothly until they hit a roadblock in the form of unforeseen budget constraints.

On their way to the airport, they hit a roadblock due to a sudden traffic jam, jeopardizing their chances of catching their flight.

2. Bumpy ride - : A challenging or turbulent experience, often during a journey.

Examples : The startup's journey to success was a bumpy ride, with several ups and downs before achieving stability.

The family's road trip turned into a bumpy ride when they encountered frequent breakdowns and adverse weather conditions.

3. In deep water - In a difficult or dangerous situation with no easy solution.

Examples : The company found itself in deep water after a series of financial scandals tarnished its reputation.

The hikers lost their way in the dense forest and soon found themselves in deep water, struggling to find their way back.

4. Between a rock and a hard place - Facing a difficult decision with no good options.

Examples : She was between a rock and a hard place - either accept the promotion with longer working hours or remain in her current position with limited career growth.

The government was caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to balance economic growth with environmental conservation.

5. Up a creek without a paddle - In a difficult or hopeless situation with no means of escape or solution.

Examples : When their car broke down in the middle of the desert, they were up a creek without a paddle, with no cell signal to call for help.

The team lost their main investor, leaving them up a creek without a paddle as they struggled to fund their project.

6. Dead end - A point where progress is blocked and there is no way forward.

Examples : The research project hit a dead end when they couldn't find any further evidence to support their hypothesis.

The road they were following led to a dead end , forcing them to turn back and find an alternative route.

7. Smooth sailing - A situation where everything progresses easily and without problems.

Example s: After resolving the initial issues, the project proceeded with smooth sailing, meeting all its milestones.

The trip had been full of adventure, but the return journey was smooth sailing with favorable weather and clear skies.

8. Calm before the storm - A period of tranquility or peace before a difficult or tumultuous period.

Examples : The team enjoyed the calm before the storm as they prepared for the intense competition.

The travelers appreciated the calm before the storm, knowing that they would soon face challenging weather conditions.

9. Steer clear of - To avoid or stay away from something or someone.

Examples : The locals warned the tourists to steer clear of the dangerous cliffs along the coast.

After the previous conflict, she decided to steer clear of any potential arguments with her coworker.

10. Out of the woods - To have overcome a difficult situation or danger.

Examples : After weeks of recovery, the patient was finally out of the wood s and on the road to full health.

The company faced bankruptcy but managed to secure a new investor, putting them out of the woods for the time being.

5. Speed and Efficiency

  • At full throttle - At maximum speed or with maximum effort.

E xamples : With the competition heating up, the company worked at full throttle to launch their innovative product.

The adventurers rode their bikes at full throttle to reach the campsite before nightfall.

2. In the fast lane - Living or working at a fast pace, often associated with success or high achievement.

Examples : Ever since she got promoted, Jane's life has been in the fast lane , juggling between her career and personal goals.

The city's bustling atmosphere always put visitors in the fast lane , making them feel energized yet somewhat overwhelmed.

3. Running on fumes - To continue functioning with very little energy or resources.

Examples : After working long hours, she was running on fumes, desperately in need of a vacation.

The team had been working non-stop on the project, running on fumes to meet the tight deadline.

4. On the fast track - On a course that leads to quick advancement or success.

Examples: The talented young musician was on the fast track to stardom, gaining recognition worldwide.

The interns showed exceptional skills and were soon placed on the fast track for promotions within the company.

5. Running out of steam - To lose energy or enthusiasm for something.

Examples : After hours of intense negotiation, the team was running out of steam , unable to reach a compromise.

The athlete had been performing exceptionally, but toward the end of the race, he started running out of steam.

6. Get up to speed - To become familiar with the latest developments or information.

Examples: The new employee quickly got up to speed with the company's policies and procedures.

Before joining the meeting, he had to get up to speed with the project's progress.

7. Hit the ground running - To start a new venture or job with great enthusiasm and productivity.

Example s: After the merger, the team hit the ground running , ensuring a seamless integration of the two companies.

The enthusiastic intern hit the ground running , impressing the entire team with her dedication and hard work.

8. Go like a bat out of hell - To move very fast or with great speed.

Example s: The kids went like a bat out of hell down the waterslide, enjoying the thrilling ride.

When the alarm sounded, the firefighters went like a bat out of hell to respond to the emergency.

9. Race against time - To work quickly and urgently to finish something before a deadline or other time constraint.

Examples : With only a few hours left, they raced against time to complete the project before the client's presentation.

In the thrilling movie scene, the protagonist raced against time to disarm the bomb and save the city.

10. Fast and furious : Happening quickly and intensely.

Examples : The political debate becam e fast and furious, with each candidate passionately defending their positions.

The storm hit the coastal town fast and furious, causing significant damage within a short period.

6. Planning and Preparation

  • Have your ducks in a row : To be well-organized and prepared.

Examples: Before embarking on their international trip, they made sure to have their ducks in a row , including passports, visas, and travel itineraries.

The project presentation went smoothly because they had their ducks in a row , presenting all the necessary data and research.

2. Iron out the details : To work on resolving and finalizing the smaller aspects of a plan or project.

Examples : The couple spent days ironing out the details of their wedding destination to ensure everything would be perfect.

Before launching the new product, the team focused on ironing out the details , making sure the user experience was flawless.

3. Cross that bridge when you come to it : To deal with a problem or challenge when it arises, not before.

Examples : Instead of worrying about every possible obstacle, the team decided to cross that bridge when they came to it .

She didn't want to stress about the future and preferred to cross that bridge when she came to it.

4. Lay the groundwork : To establish the foundation or preliminary preparations for something.

Examples : The CEO knew the importance of laying the groundwork for a successful marketing campaign.

tour related idioms

The teacher laid the groundwork for the upcoming project, explaining the objectives and expectations.

5. In the pipeline : In the process of being developed or prepared.

Examples: The company had several new products in the pipeline , set to be released in the coming months.

The filmmaker hinted at an exciting project in the pipeline , generating anticipation among fans.

6. Dot your i's and cross your t's : To be meticulous and thorough, paying attention to all the details.

Examples: Before submitting the report, make sure to dot your i's and cross your t's to avoid any errors.

The chef was known for his perfectionism, always dotting his i's and crossing his t's to present flawless dishes.

7. On the drawing board : In the planning or conceptual phase.

Examples: The project was still on the drawing board , with designers brainstorming ideas for the new building.

The engineering team presented their innovative concept, which was still on the drawing board , awaiting approval.

8. Get your house in order : To organize and prepare oneself or one's affairs.

Examples: Before applying for a new job, she decided to get her house in order by updating her resume and improving her skills.

The business owner realized the need to get the company's house in order , streamlining operations for better efficiency.

9. Up to scratch : Meeting the required standard or expectation.

Examples: The team worked hard to ensure that the final product was up to scratch, impressing their clients.

The restaurant's menu had to be up to scratch, offering delicious dishes and top-notch service.

10. Measure twice, cut once : To take extra precautions and double-check before taking action.

Examples: The carpenter always adhered to the saying " measure twice, cut once" to avoid making mistakes in his work.

When writing important emails, it's wise to measure twice, cut once, ensuring the message is clear and error-free.

Travel idioms have the remarkable ability to transport us beyond our physical location, putting us in the world of adventures, challenges, and discoveries.

Whether it's hitting the road to begin a new journey, overcoming obstacles along the way, or embracing the thrill of exploration, these idioms reflect the idea of human experiences when we embark on exciting voyages. From the road less traveled to racing against time, each idiom paints a unique picture and captures the essence of travel, making our language ever more vibrant and expressive.

Don't forget to come say HI on Instagram.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post Comment

JAEC

A Jamaica ESL Instructor since 2016 who has so much passion and love for it.

Recent Posts

  • Top 9 Mispronounced English Words by Spanish Speakers
  • 10 Ways to Think in English – Non-Native
  • 12 Phrasal Verbs with Push

Join The Newsletter

JR

Travel + Beauty

115 Idioms About Travel: What They Mean & How To Use Them

Chrissy

If you have an upcoming trip to an English-speaking country you may hear a few idioms about travel along the way. In this post,  I have 100+ travel idioms so you will know what they mean and how to use them yourself! 

Whether you are taking time to learn English or know it well you will find these English idioms about travel fun to learn. 

Let’s begin with this list of common idioms related to travel.

This article may contain affiliate / compensated links. For full information, please see our  disclosure here.

Pinterest pin for idioms about travel. Text says epic idioms and phrases about travel. Globe with landmarks around the world.

Besides reading these idioms for travel, you may enjoy these other related posts:

  • Travel Expressions and Phrases To Learn For your Trip
  • 66 Genius Traveling Hacks
  • How To Use Google Maps To Plan A Trip
  • Tips To Survive Long Flights In Economy

Idioms About Travel

Idioms about travel photo of the seats at an airport.

Here in this curated list, we’re going to dive into all the idioms about travel. All these idioms related to travel you will know when you’re finished reading this post! Whatever your preferred mode of transportation is when traveling, I have travel idioms for them all! 

So fasten your seat belt, it’s time to take off!

Hit the Road

When you hear hit the road it means to leave. 

Example: “We need to be at the airport by 8 AM. We better hit the road so we’re not late.”

To Pack Light

This is one of my favorite idioms about travel. I’m sure most travelers will find it hard like me to follow. To pack light means only bringing what you need and not overstuffing your luggage. 

Example: “For the road trip we need to pack light so all our luggage can fit in the trunk.”

Backseat Driver

When one is a backseat driver they tend to be that annoying passenger who tells the driver how to drive. It can also mean one who is controlling. 

Example: “Would you stop being a backseat driver? I know where I am going. I’ve driven around Paris many times.”

To be in a rut is being stuck in a situation that doesn’t seem to change. 

Example: “I feel I have been stuck in a rut with my job since I moved here to Los Angeles .”

Hit A Roadblock

Hitting a roadblock is when something hinders you from progressing. 

Example: “I was working on my novel every day, then I seemed to hit a roadblock and can’t write anymore.”

Carry Coals To Newcastle

Where some says carry coals to Newcastle it means to do something that is unnecessary. 

Example: “You don’t need to pack all those suitcases for an overnight trip, it would be like carrying coals to Newcastle. 

Catch The Sun

This is one of the idioms about travel we all have experienced before. Catching the sun means getting sunburned. 

Example: “I caught the sun bad on my vacation in Florida. ”

Paddle One’s Own Canoe

To paddle one’s own canoe is to be an independent person. 

Example: “Jane can paddle her own canoe. She likes to travel all over the world solo. ”

This is one of the idioms about travel we clearly all know so well. Live it up is to enjoy yourself and leave the worries of money or anything behind. 

Example: “We are going to live it up every night during our trip to Miami. ”

Idioms for travel photo of a woman in Florence, Italy.

Drive A Hard Bargain

When you hear drive a hard bargain means to deal with a tough negotiator. 

Example: “The farmers at the markets in Mauritius drive a hard bargain.” 

Any Port In A Storm

When you hear any port in a storm means being in a troublesome situation and taking any solution to fix the problem. 

Example: “Since our flight was canceled, we decided to rent a car to get home in time for work. We took any port in a storm for our situation”

Asleep At The Wheel

Asleep at the wheel is not paying attention or someone failing their responsibilities. 

Example: “Amy is always asleep at the wheel and she can never do her part when we are planning trips. ”

Shift Gears

When you or someone quickly changes what they are doing. 

Example: “I know we were planning a trip to Mexico t his summer, but let’s shift gears and plan a trip to Guatemala instead.”

Wheels Fall Off

When you hear the wheels fall off, be prepared! This is when everything that was going well makes a turn for the worse. Things begin to turn to chaos. 

Example: “Our vacation took a turn during our hike and the wheels fell off from there.”

Cool One’s Jets

Cooling your jets means calming down. 

Example: “Even though the plane was delayed with will get home tonight. So cool your jets.”

Highways And Byways

This is one of the idioms about travel relating to life. It means the paths taken in life, referring to major or less-traveled roads. 

Example: “She moved to a village outside of Athens by highways and byways.”

To fly high means to be extremely happy. 

Exampling: “We were flying high coasting the Greek Islands .”

Hitch Your Wagon To A Star

When you hitch your wagon to a star you or someone else is setting large goals. 

Example: “You can make money traveling the world, why not hitch your wagon to a star?”

Fall Off The Wagon

Falling off the wagon means returning to destructive behaviors, such as drugs, alcohol, or overeating. 

Idioms about travel photo inside an airplane.

Fork In The Road

When you have to make a decision between two different choices you come to a fork in the road. 

Example: “I reached a fork in the road. I can’t decide if I should take that job in New York or Los Angeles . What do you think I should do?”

Rock The Boat

Rock the boat is causing harm or problems in a situation. 

Example: “Jane and Robert are getting along since they returned from their trip. Hope one of them doesn’t rock the boat.”

On A Shoestring/ On The Cheap

Being on a shoestring is having to be tight with finances. 

Example: “We were on a shoestring while backpacking through Europe.”

At The Crack Of Dawn

Waking up at the crack of dawn is waking up very early. 

Example: “Let’s wake up at the crack of dawn so we can catch the sunrise on the beach.”

Call It A Day Or Night

Whenever you call it a day or night it means to go home or end an activity. 

Example: “We stayed at that rooftop bar until 1 AM before calling it a night.”

Thirty Thousand Foot View

When you are looking at something with a thirty thousand foot view it means seeing the whole picture or perspective of the situation. 

Example: “From a thirty-thousand-foot view, Miami is very hot during the summer season. However, it is cheaper to visit then and less crowded. 

Ship Has Sailed

If the ship has sailed, it means you missed your opportunity. 

Example: “I have always dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, but the ship has sailed on that one.”

Off The Beaten Track

To go off the beaten track means to travel the route or a remote location. 

Example: “We went off the beaten track during our road trip to Switzerland .”

Your Mileage May Vary

If you hear your mileage may vary, it means getting different results. 

Example: “I heard the milage varies when booking flights . I heard it’s cheaper to book on Mondays than Saturdays.”

Put The Brakes On

Putting the breaks on means to slowing something down. 

Example: “We should put the brakes on how we spend money so we have money for our trip.”

Friends in a VW van.

Fifth Wheel

Having a person around that is not welcome is known as a fifth wheel. 

Example: “My sister said she feels like a fifth wheel when she goes to dinner with us.”

Rocky road means going through a difficult time or situation. 

Example: “It was a rocky road getting over my fear of flying.”

Catch The Red-Eye

Catching the red-eye is one of the idioms about travel we have all experienced at least once. This means taking a flight leaving late at night. 

Example: “Since I am catching a red-eye I will be sure to stay awake so I can sleep on the plane.”

In The Same Boat

Being in the same boat as someone means experiencing the same situation. 

Example: “I think we’re in the same boat feeling this jet lag.”

Jump/ Leap/ Climb On The Bandwagon

Whether you use to jump, leap, or climb on the bandwagon it means following the current trend. 

Example: “I guess I will jump on the bandwagon with you all buy those shoes.”

Live Out Of A Suitcase

If you’re living out of your suitcase it means staying in several places for a short length of time. No need to unpack because your stay is so brief. 

Example: “I have been hopping around Europe and living out of my suitcase.”

When you break the journey it means to stop and take a rest somewhere during your travels. 

Example: “We will break the journey in Texas for a night before continuing to New York . ”

Drivers who consume the road and make it difficult to pass are road hogs.

Example: “That road hog is driving down the middle of the road! Look he’s causing traffic since no one can pass him.”

Make Your Way Back

When you visit a place again or come back to a task, then you made your way back to it. 

Example: “It took a while, but I  made my way back to Greece this year.”

Hustle And Bustle

To hustle and bustle means being busy. 

Example: “We planned on relaxing during our trip to Mexico, but we hustled and bustled.”

Travel idioms photo of a world map.

Country Mile

A country mile means going a long distance, especially when you expected it to be shorter. 

Example: “We thought the drive from Miami to Key West was short, but it turned out to be a country mile.”

Travel Broadens The Mind

This idiom means you can broaden your perspective about the world through traveling. 

Example: “I was stuck in my ways for so long, but after exploring other countries travel broadened my mind.”

Put The Pedal To The Metal

If you ever hear put the pedal to the metal, be sure to buckle up. This means driving fast!

Example: “We were able to arrive in Fort Lauderdale from Miami quickly. Jack really put the pedal to the metal.”

Be In The Driver’s Seat

Being in the driver’s seat is having control of a situation. 

Example: “My sister took the driver’s seat planning our trip to Hawaii. ”

Throw Someone Under The Bus

To throw someone under the bus means to harm someone for personal gain through deceit. 

Example: “My co-worker is being considered for a promotion. She threw me under the bus when I called out sick and I wasn’t. I don’t know how she found out I really went for a day trip to Key West. ”

Have Itchy Feet

One who is experiencing itchy feet has a strong desire to travel. 

Example: “I haven’t taken a vacation in a while. I’m getting itchy feet to so somewhere. 

Drive Someone Up The Wall

If someone is really irritating you then they have driven you up the wall. 

Example: “The guy kicking my seat on this plane is driving me up the wall.”

A Wheel Within A Wheel

When one is dealing with a wheel within a wheel it means having to handle a difficult situation. 

Example: “I can’t figure out how to work this camera. It’s a wheel within a wheel. Do you know someone who can help me?”

Cross The Bridge When We Get To It

To cross the bridge when you get to is dealing with the problem if/when it occurs. 

Example: “I am worried our flight will be canceled due to the weather. We will have to cross that bridge when we get to it, but let’s think positively. 

Float One’s Boat

If one ever floated your boat, then they made you really happy. 

Example: “We have visited Hawaii several times and I really don’t want to go. But, whatever floats your boat. 

Idioms about travel photo of a man on a mountain alone.

Bump In The Road

When you hit a bump in the road a problem has occurred. 

Example: “There was a bump in the road when our plane was delayed. We missed our connecting flight. “

Cover One’s Tracks

Covering one’s tracks is to hide the evidence of your actions. 

Example: “We need to cover our tracks so the flight attendants won’t’ know we stole those snacks.” 

To Jump Ship

When a person jumps ship they abandon a task. 

Example: “My sister jumped ship and bailed on our yearly Europe trip.”

Just Around The Corner

Just around the corner, it means something is going to happen very soon. 

Example: “My trip to Munich is just around the corner.” 

Wheels Fell Off

This idiom about travel is about dealing with a problem that occurred unexpectedly. 

Example: “Our vacation in Vienna started off well, but then wheels fell off. The second day we lost all our money. “

Run A Tight Ship

When a person keeps a tight ship,  they are keeping things organized and in order. 

Example: “Annie runs a tight ship when she is travel planning . ” 

Take Someone For A Ride

If you have ever been swindled or conned, you have been taken for a ride. 

Example: “I should have known that girl would take me for a ride.”

On The Home Stretch

On the home stretch means the journey is coming to an end. 

Example: “We are on the home stretch. Zurich is our last stop before heading home. 

Hit The Beach

Hit the beach means to go to the beach. 

Example: “We’re planning to hit the beach every day when we’re in Miami.  

On A Wing And A Prayer

On a wing and a prayer means when you rely on hope during a difficult situation. 

Example: “We are on a wing and prayer that our flight home doesn’t get delayed again.”

Vacation idioms photo of a window view from the plane.

Miss The Boat

Miss the boat is an idiom travel expression meaning you missed your chance. 

Example: “I should have booked that flight yesterday. We missed the boat on that price.”

Train Of Thought

Train of thought is one’s pattern and sequence of thinking. 

Example: “I forgot what I was going to say. You interrupted and ruined my train of thought.”

When you have to think very quickly and are not able to put in much thought, you are thinking on the fly. 

Example: ”I need a day to think about what I’m packing , it’s not so easy to think on the fly for this trip.”

Send Flying

Sending something flying is something is getting tossed in the air or somewhere around. 

Example: “That guy at the airport bumped into me so hard it sent my passport flying.”

Take The High Road

Despite how someone might have treated you poorly,  you still take the high road and respond ethically and rationally. 

Example: “Even though Megan treated me poorly on the trip, I decided to take the high road and not get even with her.”

Turn The Corner

When things to a corner mean there is an improvement when dealing with a difficult situation. 

Example: “After being lost in the mountains for days, things turned a corner when we bumped into a hiker on the trail who helped us.”

Travel idiom phrase manning to take a short break during a trip. 

Example: “When we reach Dallas, let’s take a pit stop and fill up on gas and grab some snacks.”

Right Up One’s Alley

Having something right up your alley means it’s of your interest.

Example: “I am not into city destinations, secluded beaches are right up my alley. “

Just The Ticket

Just the ticket means getting exactly what you wanted. 

Example: “I’ve got just the ticket to cheer you up. We’re going to Mauritius!”

A Mile A Minute

If you’re going a mile a minute, you are going very fast. 

Example: “That taxi driver was driving a mile a minute.”

Travel idioms photo of a woman looking at glaciers.

Get One’s Wings

Idiom for when a pilot gets his license. 

Example: “After all that training, I finally got my wings!” 

Pull Up Stakes

When you pull up stakes you are packing up and leaving the campsite. 

Example: “After spending 3 days camping, it’s time to pull up stakes.”

Tire Kicker

When someone pretends to be interested in buying something but doesn’t have intentions to buy anything they are a tire kicker. Also, one who wastes people’s time.

Example: “Let’s just plan the trip without Joanne. She is not going to contribute, we know she is a tire kicker.”

Feet On The Ground

Being able to remain calm in unpleasant circumstances. 

Example: “Blake always has bad luck on a trip, but he is always able to keep his feet on the ground.”

Take The Wind Out Of Someone’s Sails

When you take the wind out of one’s sails it means to discourage them and others. 

Example: “Amy was showing so much progress with her travel blog until Robert came and told her he didn’t like her writing. That really took the wind out of her sails. 

Be In One’s Wheelhouse

This idiom about travel means to be in your comfort zone. 

Example: “You always visit Vienna. Get out of your wheelhouse and explore other countries.”

When a person has road rage they are a very angry driver and can exhibit violent or aggressive behaviors. 

Example: “I don’t want Blake driving when we are in Dallas. He has terrible road rage.”

Jet set is a group of wealthy and trendy people who frequently travel the world. 

Example: “I am dreaming of the day to becoming a jet set.”

Hitch A Ride

To hitch a ride means getting a free ride. 

Example: “I hitched a ride from France to Switzerland . ”

Train Wreck

If something is a train wreck, it’s a complete failure and disaster. 

Example: “That airline is a train wreck! They are always losing my luggage and have delayed flights.”

Light At The End Of The Tunnel 

When you reach the light at the end of the tunnel a difficult situation is coming to an end. 

Example: “After having my luggage lost for a week the airline called and said it’s found. Now, they just have to get it to me, so I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Idioms about travel photo of a carry on at the airport.

Give The Green Light

Giving someone the green light is giving permission to move forward and proceed. 

Example: “The pilot gave the green light to the flight attendants to prepare for landing.”

All Hands On Deck

When orders are given for all hands on deck, every crew member on the ship must report to the deck. 

Example: “I was about to have lunch, but then the captain announced all hands on deck.”

Bad News Travels Fast

When bad news travels fast, means it gets around to others rather quickly. 

Example: “How does everyone know I got arrested in Mexico ? I guess bad news travels fast.”

Neck Of The Woods

This means a place nearby. 

Example: “Hey, I will be in your neck of the woods tomorrow. Would you like to meet for lunch?”

Be Off One’s Trolley

When one is off their trolley, they are exhibiting crazy behavior. 

Example: “You must be off your trolley taking all those suitcases for an overnight trip.”

Running On Fumes

Telling someone you’re running on fumes means continuing to do something although you’re extremely tired.

Example: “We have been hiking for hours, I am running on fumes.”

Desert A Sinking Ship

To desert a sinking ship means leaving the situation when you know it is going to fail. 

Example: “I hate to be the one who deserts a sinking ship, but I don’t think that is a wise decision for me.”

Walk It Off

When one has an injury, one will make an attempt to walk to feel better. 

Example: “After hurting my ankle at the beach yesterday, I tried walking it off, but it didn’t help. 

Hit The Ground Running

Hit the ground running is to begin something with lots of excitement. 

Example: “Jane hit the ground running promoting her group tour.”

Go Off The Rails

To off of the rails means to begin behaving strangely. 

Example: “John went off the rails when his flight got delayed again.”

Make Headway

When one makes headway it means they are making progress. 

Example: “It was difficult to  make headway sailing because of the tide.”

Go The Extra Mile

This idiom about travel means doing more than what is expected. 

Example: “That airline always goes the extra mile for their passengers.”

Woman paddling in a canoe alone.

Old Stomping Grounds

When one visits their old stomping grounds it means to visit a familiar or favorite place. 

Example: “It’s been a while since I visited my old stomping grounds. I used to visit Greece every summer.”

When you part ways one is separating or going in different directions. 

Example: “After working for the airline for 20-years, I decided to part ways.”

In Full Flight

If one is in full flight, they are leaving something or someone quickly. 

Example: “I was in full flight to catch the plane during my layover. ”

Set Up Camp

Setting up for camp is to prepare or set up. 

Example: “We need to set up before we go on our hike.”

Clear Sailing

Clear sailing means when a situation is clear of problems. 

Example: “We didn’t have any delays or issues with our flight. It was clear sailing.” 

At A Good Clip

Being a good clip means going very fast. 

Example: “Wow, we walked around the city at a good clip. What’s next?”

Without A Hitch

When one has no problems they are without a hitch. 

Example: “The flight went without a hitch.”

Where Rubber Meets The Road

When one is where rubber meets the road, their skill are being tested.

Example: “During my first solo trip I had many moments where rubber meets the road.”

Get The Show On The Road

Getting the show on the road is when you start something. 

Example: “Vacation is here! Let’s get this show on the road.”

Fly By The Seat Of One’s Pants

When one has to fly the seat of one’s pants, they are depending on their own instincts. 

Example: “I got lost in Los Angeles and was flying by the seats of my pants to find the hotel.”

Circle The Wagons

When one becomes defensive they are circling the wagons. 

Example: “Don’t circle the wagons. I know you know where we are going, I just made a suggestion for another route. 

Walk The Plank

When one has to accept the consequences of their actions. 

Example: “I said you didn’t need all those suitcases. Now, you must walk the plank and carry them all yourself.” 

Travel idioms photo of a woman looking at a USA map.

Spin One’s Wheels

Spinning one’s wheels is wasting time on something or someone.

Example: “She is just spinning her wheels at that job. She will never get promoted.”

Fly Under The Radar

When something or someone does something without being noticed. 

Example: “Lilly never stays until the party ends. She flys under the radar when she leaves. 

When you go on a short or long trip by car. 

Example: “Let’s take a road trip from Miami to Key West. “

My Way Or The Highway

If one says my way or the highway, it means you do what I say or leave. 

Example: “Sally makes all the travel arrangements. She makes it clear it’s her way or the highway.”

At A Crossroads

When one has come to a point where a choice has to be made they are at a crossroads.

Example: “I’m at a crossroads deciding where to spend the holiday. Should I go to Vienna or Munich ? ”

Sail Close To The Wind

If you said close to the wind you are doing something risky or even dangerous. 

Example: “John likes to climb some of the tallest mountains alone. He is sailing too cost to the wind.”

Have a One-Track Mind

One who is preoccupied with one particular topic. 

Example: “Laura has a one-track mind. Travel is the only thing she ever talks about. 

Lose Track Of Someone Or Something

When one forgets, misplaces, or doesn’t pay attention to someone or something. 

Example: “I lost track of Amy after she moved to Panama .  

Step It Up A Gear

Stepping up a gear is to work on something with more enthusiasm and energy. 

Example: “I decided to step it up a gear studying for my pilot’s license.”

Smooth Sailing

One is smooth sailing when they can work on a task free from difficulties. 

Example: “Planning our world trip was stressful, but with Google maps, it turned out to be pretty smooth sailing.”

Sunday Driver

A Sunday driver is one who drives obnoxiously slow on the road.

Example: “Don’t have Tom drive us to dinner. He is a Sunday driver and we will miss our reservation.”

Idioms Travel List Wrap Up

I hope you enjoyed these idioms about travel.  Learn them quickly by using these travel idioms as much as you can when speaking with others. I’m curious to know which of these travelling idioms were your favorite? Let me know in the comments below. 

Keep these idioms about travel handy with you, especially if you’re learning English, and download your travel idioms pdf here.  

If you enjoyed these vacation idioms, check out these other related posts: 

Like this post on idioms about travel? Share it with others or pin it for later!

Text says ultimate list of idioms and phrases about travel. Pinterest pin for idioms about travel. Plane in sky.

Recommended Articles

One day in munich: thrilling 24-hour itinerary for bavaria’s capital.

One day in Munich photo of Old Town Munich, Germany.

48 Unique Souvenir Ideas To Collect While Traveling The World

Souvenir Ideas photo of a hand holding a mini figurine of the Eiffel Tower.

My Honest Preply Review

Prepy Review Photo of hello in different languages.

A Broken Backpack

The Most Interesting Travel Idioms And Expressions

by Melissa Giroux | Last updated Feb 25, 2023 | Quotes , Travel Tips

As you travel the world, you’ll hear common travel expressions or travel idioms .

An idiom is basically a common expression that means something different from the literal meaning of the individual words.

As a non-native English speaker, I didn’t know a lot of idioms about travel, but the more I traveled, the more I heard different English phrases about travel.

In this post, you’ll find the most popular travel idioms and expressions, as well as their meaning.

Road trip

Bump in the road

Meaning: When there’s a problem or a setback.

Example: We hit a bump in the road when we realized we needed a special license to drive there.

Break the journey

Meaning: To stop somewhere for a short period of time during a long trip.

Example: We made a stopover in Dubai to break the journey.

Hit the road

Meaning: To start the journey or to leave.

Example: I’m getting bored here, it’s time to hit the road.

Hit the beach

Meaning: To go to the beach

Example: It’s sunny today; should we hit the beach?

Meaning: Refers to a fashionable and luxurious way of traveling.

Example: We spent two weeks jet-setting around resorts in the Maldives.

To be on track

Meaning: When something goes as scheduled or planned.

Example: We landed 20 minutes earlier than expected, so we’re on track for the next flight.

To have itchy feet

Meaning: When someone has a strong desire to travel.

Example: I’ve been here too long, it gives me itchy feet.

Travel light

Meaning: When someone travels with a small bag and doesn’t bring many things with them.

Example: I didn’t pay for extra luggage, so I’ll travel light.

To miss the boat

Meaning: Missing out on an opportunity.

Example: We wanted to join, but we got here too late. We missed the boat on that one.

To hitch a ride

Meaning: To get a free ride in someone’s car. 

Example: I’m on a budget, so I’ll just hitch a ride to get there.

To part ways

Meaning: When people go in different directions and split.

Example: We traveled together for a month, and then we had to part ways.

To set up camp

Meaning: To prepare for sleeping outside. (Like camping)

Example: This seems like a good spot to set up camp tonight.

Off the beaten track

Meaning: Visiting a remote location or a place where most people don’t go.

Example: I don’t like the tourist crowds, so I’m heading to visit the tribes up north because it’s off the beaten track.

On a shoestring

Meaning: When someone travels on a budge t and doesn’t spend much money.

Example: I’m traveling on a shoestring, so I’m volunteering on farms to travel longer.

Meaning: Doing something quickly.

Example: I’m tired, I’ll just cook something on the fly.

Meaning: Taking a short break during a road trip so you can put more fuel in the car, get food, or rest.

Example: We’ve been driving for three hours; let’s take a pit stop at the next exit.

Meaning: Angry behavior when driving.

Example: There was too much traffic, and the driver had a severe case of road rage.

Make your way back

Meaning: Returning home or to the starting point.

Example: It’s getting dark; it’s time to make our way back.

Meaning: Having a difficult time.

Example: We had a long rocky road ahead of us when we moved to Bulgaria.

Smooth sailing

Meaning: Having an easy time with no difficulty.

Example: It was relatively smooth sailing when we went through customs.

Meaning: To abandon something while in the middle of it.

Example: It started raining halfway through our trek, so we decided to jump ship.

To live out of a suitcase

Meaning: When someone travels to different places and only has a suitcase with them.

Example: Before living in Bulgaria , I was living out of a suitcase for years.

Final Thoughts On Travel Idioms And Expressions

And there you go – you finally know the most popular English travel expressions and idioms.

Don’t be surprised if you hear them during your travels! 

Want more inspiration? Read one of the following posts:

  • Funny travel captions
  • Funny travel Instagram captions
  • Travel after pandemic quotes

tour related idioms

MY TOP RECOMMENDATIONS

BOOK HOTEL ON BOOKING.COM

BOOK HOSTEL ON HOSTELWORLD

GET YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE

LEARN HOW TO START A TRAVEL BLOG

LEARN HOW TO VOLUNTEER ABROAD

tour related idioms

  • Conjunctions
  • Prepositions

90+ Travel Idioms: Fun Ways to Talk About Traveling and Adventures

Travel Idioms

Travel: it’s more than just the act of moving from one place to another. It’s a journey of discovery, an adventure of the senses, and often, a voyage of self-realization. Just as travel broadens our horizons, language, with its rich tapestry of idioms, offers insights into the essence of these journeys. In this article, we embark on an exciting expedition into the world of “Travel Idioms” — those linguistic gems that encapsulate the adventures, mishaps, joys, and revelations of travel.

From “hit the road” to “off the beaten path”, travel idioms capture the nuances of our wanderlust, the challenges we face, and the exhilaration of exploration. Tailored for avid travelers, linguistic enthusiasts, and anyone who’s ever felt the urge to explore beyond their comfort zone, this piece promises a journey through language that’s as captivating as any worldly expedition. Pack your linguistic bags, and let’s set sail on this voyage through the intriguing alleys of idiomatic expressions, where every turn holds a story, and every phrase, a destination.

Table of Contents

Common English Idioms for Travelling with Meaning and Example

The allure of travel has fascinated mankind for centuries. It beckons with the promise of new experiences, cultures, and memories. While the journey itself is often the highlight, the stories and conversations that ensue are the threads that weave these experiences into the fabric of our lives. The English language, rich and varied, encapsulates many of these experiences in idiomatic expressions. These idioms serve as shorthand for broader ideas, adding color and depth to our tales of adventure. Let’s embark on a linguistic journey exploring some common English idioms related to travelling.

  • Meaning: To begin a journey or to leave a place.
  • Example: “We need to hit the road early to avoid traffic.”
  • Meaning: A place that is isolated or less frequented by tourists.
  • Example: “On our trip to Italy, we discovered a charming little restaurant off the beaten path.”
  • Meaning: To travel without carrying a lot of luggage.
  • Example: “I always prefer to travel light, taking only essentials in a backpack.”
  • Meaning: A strong desire to travel and see new places.
  • Example: “She’s had itchy feet ever since her return from Europe.”
  • Meaning: Doing something quickly without much preparation.
  • Example: “We booked the hotel on the fly, without any prior planning.”
  • Meaning: To adopt a popular activity or trend.
  • Example: “Since everyone’s visiting Iceland now, I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and plan a trip there too.”
  • Meaning: To be very successful and popular.
  • Example: “The new beach resort has gone down a storm with holidaymakers.”
  • Meaning: The unofficial ‘club’ of people who have had intimate relations in an airplane in flight.
  • Example: “Some people have joining the mile-high club on their bucket list.”
  • Meaning: A flight that departs late at night and arrives the next morning.
  • Example: “To maximize our time, we’re taking the red-eye flight to New York.”
  • Meaning: At a point where one has to make an important decision.
  • Example: “After backpacking across Asia, I felt I was at a crossroads, deciding between continuing my journey or returning home.”
  • Meaning: To enjoy the sunshine, especially on a beach.
  • Example: “Let’s head to the beach and catch some rays.”
  • Meaning: The strong and irresistible urge to travel.
  • Example: “Ever since his gap year, he’s been bitten by the travel bug.”
  • Meaning: To act just within the limits of what is legal or safe.
  • Example: “Hitchhiking through unknown places can be sailing close to the wind, but he enjoys the thrill.”
  • Meaning: Act in a way that makes return to a situation impossible.
  • Example: “Be careful not to burn bridges when you leave a hostel on bad terms.”
  • Meaning: A place full of luxury and great opportunity, often in reference to a place one is travelling to.
  • Example: “She moved to California, believing it to be the land of milk and honey.”

List of 80 Idioms For Travelling with Meaning

In Summation

Travel has the power to transform, inspire, and rejuvenate. It’s a dance of discovery, both of the world and of oneself. Just as each destination has its unique charm, the idioms that stem from our travel experiences are snapshots of those moments, emotions, and tales. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler with countless adventures under your belt or a dreamer planning your first escapade, these idioms offer a fun and flavorful way to recount and relate to travel stories. So the next time you hit the road, remember to weave these idioms into your tales and let the journey continue through words! Safe travels!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related Posts

Idioms for Anger

50+ Idioms to Express Anger That You Should Know!

Anger, a powerful and primal emotion, has the capability of…  Read More » 50+ Idioms to Express Anger That You Should Know!

Idioms for Sadness

50+ Idioms for Sadness: A Collection of English Idioms About Sadness

Sadness, an emotion as profound as it is universal, touches…  Read More » 50+ Idioms for Sadness: A Collection of English Idioms About Sadness

Happy Idioms

Happy Idioms: 75+ Idioms for Happiness or Being Happy

Happiness, an emotion as infectious as it is sought after,…  Read More » Happy Idioms: 75+ Idioms for Happiness or Being Happy

tour related idioms

Travel idioms & expressions

Get off to a flying start with holiday vocabulary.

  • English vocabulary

Get holiday inspiration with travel idioms

Welcome to our blog exploring the fascinating world of travel idioms and expressions . 

As avid travellers ourselves, we understand the excitement of embarking on new adventures. English is often the universal language that unites travellers worldwide, and we focus on holiday and travel vocabulary that is commonly used by native speakers.

Start your next holiday plans with these unique idioms and expressions.

Travel idioms and expressions

Meaning a strong desire to travel and explore new places.

Example After their trip through Europe, Sarah and Tom caught the travel bug and began planning their next adventure.

hit the road

Meaning to begin a journey or trip.

Example We need to hit the road early tomorrow morning if we want to reach our destination by noon.

off the beaten path

Meaning going to a less travelled or unconventional destination.

Example Instead of visiting the main tourist spots, we decided to venture off the beaten path and explore smaller villages in the countryside.

take the scenic route

Meaning to choose a longer route for the enjoyment of the view or experience.

Example Rather than driving along the motorway, we decided to take the scenic route through the mountains. It added a few extra hours to our journey, but the views were amazing.

off the grid

Meaning to be disconnected from technology or society, often experienced during remote or adventurous travel.

Example During our camping trip in the wilderness, we were completely off the grid with no phone or internet access. It was a great experience, but next time, I’ll stay in a hotel!

living out of a suitcase

Meaning to be constantly travelling or moving from one place to another.

Example I went travelling with friends after graduating university. After living out of a suitcase for a few months, it was refreshing to be back at home.

Holiday and travel expressions

get off to a flying start

Meaning to begin something with great energy and enthusiasm, like a trip or adventure.

Example Our holiday got off to a flying start with perfect weather and exciting activities planned for the week.

travel light

Meaning to pack minimally and carry only essential items while travelling.

Example We’re only going for the weekend, so remember to travel light and bring just what you need.

a change of scenery

Meaning a different environment or setting.

Example After weeks of working indoors, Anne decided to take a few days off and enjoy a change of scenery  in the mountains.

at the crack of dawn

Meaning very early in the morning.

Example We had to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the first train to the airport.

get away from it all

Meaning to escape from the pressures and routine of daily life by going on a vacation or retreat.

Example We booked a secluded cabin in the mountains to get away from it all and relax for the weekend.

a home from home

Meaning a place where you feel comfortable and at ease, similar to your own home.

Example We love staying at my aunt’s house in the holidays. It feels like a home from home , with its cosy atmosphere and familiar surroundings.

soak up the sun

Meaning to enjoy the warmth and light of the sun while relaxing outdoors.

Example While on holiday in Spain, we spent our days lounging on the beach, soaking up the sun and swimming in the sea.

Travel idioms for holidays

in the middle of nowhere

Meaning in a remote or isolated location.

Example On the way to our hotel, we took a wrong turn and ended up in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal. Thankfully, a local farmer spoke a little English and gave us directions.

travel on a shoestring

Meaning to travel with a very limited budget.

Example As college students, we travelled on a shoestring in Asia, staying in hostels and cooking our own meals to save money.

travel far and wide

Meaning to travel to many different places, often covering long distances.

Example Over the years, Andrew has travelled far and wide , exploring every continent except Antarctica.

make a pit stop

Meaning to briefly stop during a journey for a break or to refuel.

Example On our road trip to California, we made a pit stop at a roadside diner to grab a quick bite to eat.

packed like sardines

Meaning to be in a crowded or cramped space, often used to describe public transportation.

Example We were packed like sardines on the train, with barely enough room to move.

have itchy feet

Meaning to have a strong desire to travel or move from place to place.

Example Ever since he returned from his backpacking trip, David has had itchy feet and is already planning his next adventure.

travel in style

Meaning to travel with comfort and luxury.

Example To celebrate their retirement, our grandparents decided to travel in style on a luxury cruise around the world.

Have a great travel experience!

We have flown through 20 travel idioms and expressions that are frequently used by native English speakers. Let these idioms and expressions inspire your next adventure and serve as a reminder of the wonderful memories created along the way.

Tip: We recommend learning new vocabulary by topic, and to create examples that help you to remember new words and expressions. For English idioms about other topics, please visit our free vocabulary lessons .

Enjoy your travels and journey learning English too!

Share with friends

You may also be interested in....

tour related idioms

English courses

Check out our full range of online and face-to-face English courses.

tour related idioms

English level test

Take our online test to find out your English level of proficiency.

EnglishRadar English Certificate

English certificate

Order your English level of proficiency certificate after taking our English test.

Improving Your English

Action and adventure idioms: Unleash these sayings in your vocabulary

tour related idioms

Idioms are figurative expressions that cannot be understood solely from the literal meanings of the individual words, yet they play a significant role in English communication.

These action and adventure idioms will add flavor and nuance to your conversations, and perhaps even give the motivation needed to have a good time.

To help you understand what these expressions mean and how to use them correctly, we have included a definition and example sentence with each one. So let’s jump in!

Adventure idioms - a map with a laptop, passport, camera and a person pointing at the map

Adventure idioms

Blaze a trail.

People who blaze a trail create new paths or lead the way for others to follow.

“John blazed a trail in the field of robotics with his groundbreaking inventions.”

Off to a flying start

The positive saying off to a flying start is just what you want to hear in business, travel, and any other ventures you may embark on. It refers to something beginning with great enthusiasm and success.

“The new restaurant had an excellent opening night and was off to a flying start.”

Spirit of adventure

When you have a spirit of adventure , you act with a sense of excitement, curiosity, and willingness to take risks.

“Let’s explore this uncharted territory and embrace the spirit of adventure together.”

You might use this adventure idiom when you are beginning a trip on a boat or ship. However, set sail can be used in a broader sense to refer to starting any kind of adventure.

“The explorers set sail to discover new lands beyond the horizon.”

Find some more water-related idioms here.

Reach new heights

Hopefully, you’ll get to use some of these adventure idioms when you achieve new success or accomplish something significant. And that’s what the expression reach new heights means.

It can refer to literally reaching a physically higher position, but more often it’s a figurative position of greater success or achievement than before.

“I believe that with this partnership we can reach new heights for the company.” “The mountain climber reached new heights when he conquered Mount Everest.”

There are lots more idioms for success that are good for encouraging others.

Break new ground

With a similar meaning, to break new ground means to pioneer a new innovation or do something that has never been done before. A person who does this may be called a groundbreaker .

“The scientists broke new ground in medicine by developing a revolutionary treatment for a rare disease.”

Take the plunge

If you have a difficult decision to make, you may need to take the plunge . This means to finally commit to a particular course of action – especially one that takes a lot of courage.

“After years of contemplating, Sarah finally took the plunge and started her own business.”

This one also appears on our list of idioms about decision-making .

Off the beaten path

To go off the beaten path or track is to take an unconventional route on a journey or explore places that others usually don’t go.

“Instead of visiting the usual tourist spots, they decided to go off the beaten path and explore the hidden gems of the city.”

The road less traveled

The best adventures sometimes take place on the road less traveled ; the routes that the fewest people have taken.

This adventure idiom can be used in the same way as the one above, but it also refers to any unconventional or less popular choice or path in life.

“Jane decided to take the road less traveled and pursue a career in art instead of following the family tradition of medicine.”

If you need other travel-inspired idioms there are plenty to choose from.

Hold on tight

If you’re told to hold on tight , make sure you have a firm grasp of something secure.

This might be said when off-roading in a jeep, traveling down white water rapids in a raft, or riding on a rollercoaster!

“Everyone hold on tight, this road is pretty bumpy!”

A wild goose chase

This has to be one of the funniest adventure idioms there is!

Try to imagine chasing after some geese that are running wild. It would be hard work, difficult, and probably fruitless. And that’s exactly what happens when you are on a wild goose chase – pursuing something with little chance of success or something that is of no value.

“The detective realized he had been on a wild goose chase when he discovered the clues were all misleading.”

Animals make for great idiom topics so why not take a look at our list of bird idioms too?

In the driver’s seat

You can use some of these action sayings when you want to take the lead or be in control of a situation. This is what it means to be in the driver’s seat .

“After years of hard work, Sarah finally secured a promotion and found herself in the driver’s seat of the company.”

If you need other driving idioms , we have you covered!

Sense of adventure

It stands to reason that sense of adventure would appear on our list of adventure idioms! This refers to a natural inclination or enthusiasm for thrilling and daring experiences.

“She has always possessed a sense of adventure, seeking new challenges and embracing the unknown.”

Hit the ground running

You’ll often hear this popular running expression used in business settings. When you need to start a project or task quickly and energetically, you need to hit the ground running . There is no time to start slowly!

“James hit the ground running and immediately began making valuable contributions to the team.”

You may be wondering if it really is best (or even possible) to hit the ground running. Let’s see what the Mythbusters have to say!

Adventure idioms - a close of up someone holding a small globe

Action idioms

Pull out all the stops.

These action idioms can be used to show that you will do whatever is needed to make something happen.

When you pull out all the stops , you make an all-out effort or use all available resources to achieve a goal.

“The marketing team pulled out all the stops to launch a successful advertising campaign for the new product.”

On your toes

If you want to be ready for action, you should stay on your toes . There are many idioms with body parts in English, but this one means alert, focused, and ready to respond quickly to anything.

“The challenging assignments at work always keep me on my toes and push me to perform at my best.” “I want you all to stay on your toes this afternoon. There have been reported sightings of pickpockets in this area.”

Bite the bullet

Some of these action idioms refer to making unpleasant decisions. To bite the bullet is to take an action or make a decision that requires courage and determination.

“Despite her fear of public speaking, Jane decided to bite the bullet and deliver the presentation to a large audience.”

Jump the gun

In all the excitement of the action, make sure you don’t jump the gun . That is to say, don’t act prematurely or before the appropriate time.

“Sarah jumped the gun and started celebrating before she actually won the race.”

This phrase is a sports idiom that refers to the starting pistol used for running races. You must wait until the pistol is fired before you begin, and breaking this rule too many times leads to disqualification.

Take the bull by the horns

It’s a good thing that these adventure idioms are not to be taken literally! The phrase to take the bull by the horns simply means to face a problem or challenge directly and with determination.

“Instead of avoiding the issue, Susan decided to take the bull by the horns and address the conflict head-on.”

Chomping at the bit

Have you ever felt very excited and eager to start a new adventure or take action on something? In this case, people might say you are chomping at the bit .

“I know you’re all chomping at the bit, but we need to conduct a safety briefing before we set off.”

You can find some more idioms for excitement here (and learn the origin of this one). Also note that some people say ‘champing’ rather than ‘chomping’.

Run out of steam

Hopefully, you won’t run out of steam while you are enjoying your adventures. This means to lose energy, enthusiasm, or motivation.

“After studying for hours, I ran out of steam and couldn’t focus on my assignments anymore.”

Get stuck in

To get stuck in is to begin doing something with great energy, enthusiasm, or determination.

“The whole team of volunteers go stuck in right away, and the hall was clean in a couple of hours.”

This is a primarily British idiom .

Throw in the towel

Here’s another phrase that’s almost the opposite of an action idiom. To throw in the towel is to surrender or admit defeat and stop doing something.

“After numerous failed attempts, they finally decided to throw in the towel and abandon the project.”

Throw caution to the wind

If you’re the kind of person who likes to think carefully before doing something adventurous, you may need to learn to throw caution to the wind sometimes. This means to act spontaneously, without considering the potential risks or consequences.

“With a wild gleam in his eyes, he decided to throw caution to the wind and embark on the journey of a lifetime.”

Have the guts

For some of these adventure idioms, you need to be brave. When you find the courage or audacity to do something difficult or daring, people will say that you have (the) guts .

“She had the guts to stand up for what she believed in, even when faced with opposition.”

Just to be clear, the word ‘gut’ also refers to the digestive tract – the part of your body that food passes through.

Bet the farm/ranch

Are you brave enough to bet the ranch (or farm if using British English)?

Use this saying when you need to emphasize that you are willing to risk everything to achieve your dreams, especially when it comes to investing your finances.

“He decided to bet the farm and invest all his savings into his startup, believing in its potential for success.”

Crunch time

When you hear the phrase crunch time you know something important is about to happen. It’s a critical and decisive period when maximum effort is required.

“It’s crunch time now; we need to work tirelessly to meet the deadline and deliver our best.”

The world of action and adventure idioms in English can be fun to explore. They help add excitement to everyday conversations, allowing you to convey thrilling experiences and courageous acts in an imaginative way.

Keep browsing our other resources if you want to discover more expressions and learn more about the language. And of course, feel free to leave a comment below if you can think of any other good action idioms.

Learn a new language from home - get Lifetime Access to Mondly with 95% OFF!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and site URL in my browser for next time I post a comment.

Sign me up for the newsletter!

  • Lingo corner

May 4, 2023

Journey Through Language: 8 Idioms for Travel Enthusiasts

Travelers and language lovers, embark on a linguistic adventure with these 8 English idioms for travel. Discover the meaning and examples of these idioms, and deepen your understanding of the colorful and vibrant English language. So pack your bags and let's set sail on this linguistic journey!

List of "Idioms for Travel" in English:

"itchy feet".

Meaning: A strong desire to travel or explore new places.

Example: "She's got itchy feet; she's always looking for her next adventure."

"Off the beaten path"

Meaning: To visit a place that is not frequented by tourists, away from the usual tourist spots.

Example: "Their trip to the remote village was definitely off the beaten path."

"To hit the road"

Meaning: To leave a place and start a journey, typically by car.

Example: "I can't wait for the weekend; it's time to hit the road and explore the countryside."

"To go the extra mile"

Meaning: To make a greater effort than what is expected or required.

Example: "Our tour guide went the extra mile to ensure we had a fantastic vacation."

"Wanderlust"

Meaning: A strong desire or impulse to travel and explore the world.

Example: "His wanderlust has taken him to over 30 countries in the past decade."

"A fish out of water"

Meaning: To feel uncomfortable or out of place in a new environment or situation.

Example: "When I first arrived in Japan, I felt like a fish out of water."

"To have a whale of a time"

Meaning: To have an incredibly enjoyable and fun experience.

Example: "We had a whale of a time on our trip to Hawaii."

"To get away from it all"

Meaning: To escape from one's usual surroundings or routine, often by going on vacation.

Example: "After a stressful year at work, she needed to get away from it all and booked a trip to Europe."

These idioms can be used to express your feelings and experiences while traveling or to add color to your conversations with fellow travelers and friends. Don't be afraid to incorporate them into your everyday language and make your speech more engaging and exciting.

Questions and Answers:

Q: Can I use these idioms in formal writing?

A: While idioms can be used in both spoken and written English, it is best to use them sparingly in formal writing. They are more suitable for informal conversations and casual writing.

Interesting quotes from celebrities:

"Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller." – Ibn Battuta "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." – Saint Augustine "To travel is to live." – Hans Christian Andersen

Conclusion:

Travel idioms add color and depth to the English language, providing a glimpse into the emotions and experiences of travelers. Incorporate these idioms into your everyday conversations and watch as they bring your stories to life. Remember, language is a journey, and idioms are the scenic routes that make it all the more enjoyable.

  • English Idioms

related articles

Swing for the fences: a dive into baseball idioms.

Baseball, America's pastime, has not only provided entertainment for generations but has also given us a unique set of idioms that are widely used in the English language. These idioms have found their way into everyday conversations, both on and off the field. In this article, we'll explore eight popular baseball idioms, their meanings, examples, and origins. Additionally, we'll share some quotes from famous personalities, answer common questions, and provide links to other English idioms.

Spring into Action with These Delightful Spring Idioms in English

Spring is a season of new beginnings and fresh starts. As nature comes back to life, so do our spirits. The English language is no exception, with a plethora of idioms centered around the vernal season. In this article, we'll explore some of the most popular and unique "Spring Idioms" that you can use to brighten up your conversations. So let's spring into action and dive into these colorful expressions!

Art Idioms: The Colorful Language of the Creative World

Art is an integral part of human culture, and its influence has seeped into our everyday language. One way this can be seen is through the use of art idioms. These are expressions that draw upon the imagery and concepts of art to convey meaning in a more vivid and engaging way. In this article, we will explore 10 popular art idioms, their meanings, and examples of how they can be used in conversation. Additionally, we will touch on related idioms, some fascinating quotes from celebrities, and dive into a few questions and answers in the form of comments.

Easy as Idioms: Simple and Fun English Expressions to Boost Your Vocabulary

"Easy as idioms" are phrases that compare the simplicity of a task to a well-known and uncomplicated action. These idioms are fun, colorful, and can enhance your English vocabulary. In this article, we'll explore eight "easy as idioms" along with their meanings, examples, notes, and more.

learn-english-today.com-logo

Learn English Today

Free materials and resources for learners of English.

  • Grammar list
  • Exercise list
  • Vocabulary Contents
  • Idioms: by theme
  • Idioms: alphabetical lists
  • Today's idiom
  • Ph Verb Lists + Exercises
  • Business letters
  • Presentations
  • Interview questions
  • All business content
  • Stress-noun-verb
  • Silent letters
  • Online word games
  • Printable word games
  • Resources for learners
  • Resources for teachers
  • New words in English
  • Environment
  • Fun activities
  • Sitemap: list of contents

Connect With Us on Facebook.

See TODAY'S IDIOM

 English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions 

Idioms: Travel and Transport-1 from:  'jump on the bandwagon'    to:   'hit the road'

  • If a person or organisation jumps on the bandwagon , they decide to do something when it is already successful or fashionable. "When organic food became popular, certain stores were quick to jump on the bandwagon and promote it."
  • If two or more parties are in the same boat , they are in the same unpleasant or difficult situation. "When the factory closed down, employees of all levels found themselves in the same boat ."
  • If you miss the boat , you fail to take advantage of an opportunity because you don't act quickly enough. "I managed to get my order through before the end of the special offer - but I nearly missed the boat !"
  • If you tell someone not to rock the boat , you are asking them to do nothing that might cause trouble or upset a stable situation. "After the recent riots, it was decided not to rock the boat by introducing strict measures."
  • If you paddle your own canoe, you do what you want to do without help or interference from anyone. "He decided to paddle his own canoe and set up his own business."
  • A person who puts the cart before the horse is doing things in the wrong order. "Building a school before knowing the age of the population is putting the cart before the horse ."
  • A person who drives a hard bargain always makes sure they gain advantage in a business deal. "Be prepared for tough negotiations with Dan. He drives a hard bargain ."
  • If somebody or something drives you up the wall, they do something that greatly annoys or irritates you. "I can't concentrate with all the noise - it's driving me up the wall. "
  • A passenger in a car who gives unwanted advice to the driver is called a backseat driver . "I can't stand backseat drivers like my mother-in-law!"
  • If you travel the highways and byways, you take large and small roads to visit every part of the country. "He travelled the highways and byways looking for traces of his ancestors."
  • When you hit the road , you begin a journey. "It's getting late and we've got a long way to go. Let's hit the road ."

next page ...

More Idioms:  

  Travel  

  Alphabetical lists:  

 All Idiom Lists     Homepage 

Copyright www.learn-english-today.com - All Rights Reserved.

The materials on this website may be copied for use in the classroom or for private study. Any other use without permission is forbidden.

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Basic English Speaking

Idioms about Travel

1. off the beaten track.

  • A place or route that is far away from where many people live.

2. Make your way back

  • To try to return to your point of origin.

3. Hustle and bustle

  • To have many activities, used to describe a crowded and modern place.

4. Live out of a suitcase

  • To stay in several places for only a short time, with only enough belongings to put in a suitcase.

5. Travel broadens the mind.

  • To know more about the world, understand more about culture and have more life experience.

6. Hit the road

  • To leave or start a journey.

7. Break the journey

  • To stop somewhere for a while during a long journey.

8. Have/get/give [someone] itchy feet

  • To want to travel or to do something new.

9. Thirst for adventure

  • To have an intense desire to travel, explore new places and have new experiences.

Related Lessons

13 Common Idioms on Various Topics

6 Common Idioms about Decisions

8 Common Idioms about Time

7 Common Idioms about Dreams

6 Common Idioms about Friendship

9 Common Idioms about Work

12 Common Idioms about Health

11 Common Idioms about Happiness and Sadness

Leave a Reply:

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples

Let’s learn idioms + examples of how they are used!

Here are 100 common English idioms with meanings and example sentences:

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Download this lesson

1. A blessing in disguise

  • Meaning: Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be good.
  • Example: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it pushed me to start my own business.

2. A dime a dozen

  • Meaning: Very common and easy to find.
  • Example: Those souvenir keychains are a dime a dozen at the tourist shops.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

“Those souvenir keychains are a dime a dozen.” = very common

3. All ears

  • Meaning: Fully listening and paying attention.
  • Example: Go ahead, I’m all ears. Tell me what’s been on your mind.

4. All in the same boat

  • Meaning: In the same situation or predicament.
  • Example: Everybody on staff got a pay cut – we’re all in the same boat.

5. Barking up the wrong tree

  • Meaning: Accusing or blaming the wrong person.
  • Example: If you think I took your book, you’re barking up the wrong tree . I haven’t seen it.

6. Beat around the bush

  • Meaning: Avoiding the main topic or being indirect.
  • Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me why you didn’t show up to my birthday party.

7. Bite the bullet

  • Meaning: To face a difficult or unpleasant situation bravely.
  • Example: I have to bite the bullet and tell him the truth, even though it might hurt him.

8.Bury the hatchet

  • Meaning: To reconcile or make peace after a conflict.
  • Example: After years of not speaking to each other, they finally decided to bury the hatchet and become friends again.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

After years of not speaking, they finally decided to bury the hatchet.

9. By the skin of your teeth

  • Meaning: Just barely or narrowly escaping a difficult situation.
  • Example: I passed the exam by the skin of my teeth ; I got the minimum required score.

10. Call it a day

  • Meaning: To stop working or to end an activity.
  • Example: We’ve been painting all afternoon; let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.

11. Cold feet

  • Meaning: Feeling nervous or hesitant about doing something.
  • Example: I was going to ask her out, but I got cold feet at the last moment.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

“I was going to ask her out, but I got cold feet.” = got nervous and didn’t do it

12. Cost an arm and a leg

  • Meaning: To be very expensive.
  • Example: That luxury car must have cost him an arm and a leg.

13. Cry over spilled milk

  • Meaning: To worry or complain about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.
  • Example: Yes, we made a mistake, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Let’s focus on finding a solution.

14. Cut corners

  • Meaning: To do something quickly or take shortcuts, often sacrificing quality.
  • Example: Don’t cut corners on this project; it needs to be excellent to impress the new client.

15. Drive someone up the wall

  • Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone greatly.
  • Example: Her constant humming drives me up the wall; I can’t concentrate with that noise.

16. Silver lining

  • Meaning: something positive in a difficult situation.
  • Example: Losing my job was tough, but the silver lining was that I found a new career opportunity.

17. Face the music

  • Meaning: To confront the consequences of one’s actions.
  • Example: You made a mistake, and now you have to face the music and accept the criticism.

18. Get a taste of your own medicine

  • Meaning: Experience the same negative treatment you have given to others.
  • Example: After constantly making fun of others, he finally got a taste of his own medicine when they started teasing him.

19. Get the ball rolling

  • Meaning: To start a process or activity.
  • Example: Let’s get the ball rolling on this project and assign tasks to the team members.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

“get the ball rolling” = start a process

20. Give someone the benefit of the doubt

  • Meaning: To believe someone’s statement or excuse without being too suspicious.
  • Example: I don’t have any evidence, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and trust his explanation.

21. Go the extra mile

  • Meaning: To put in extra effort or do more than what is expected.
  • Example: If you want to succeed in this competitive industry, you need to go the extra mile.

22. Hit the nail on the head

  • Meaning: To identify or describe something accurately.
  • Example: She hit the nail on the head when she said that our team needs better communication.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

“hit the nail on the head” = say something exactly right

23. In the heat of the moment

  • Meaning: In a moment of intense emotion, when we act or speak impulsively without thinking.
  • Example: I didn’t mean to say those hurtful words; I said them in the heat of the moment.

24. It’s a piece of cake

  • Meaning: Something is very easy or simple to do.
  • Example: Don’t worry about the test; it’s a piece of cake . You’ll do fine.

25. Keep your chin up

  • Meaning: To remain positive and optimistic during difficult times.
  • Example: Even though he faced many rejections, he kept his chin up and continued to pursue his dream.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

“keep your chin up” = stay positive even in a difficult situation

26. Kill two birds with one stone

  • Meaning: Accomplish two things at the same time with a single action.
  • Example: By taking the train instead of driving, she kills two birds with one stone – saves money and helps the environment.

27. Let the cat out of the bag

  • Meaning: To reveal a secret or confidential information.
  • Example: She accidentally let the cat out of the bag and spoiled the surprise party.

28. Like a fish out of water

  • Meaning: Feeling uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation.
  • Example: As a city person, I feel like a fish out of water when I visit rural areas.

29. Make a long story short

  • Meaning: To give a brief summary or conclusion.
  • Example: He rambled on about his trip, but to make a long story short , he had an amazing time.

30. Miss the boat

  • Meaning: To miss an opportunity or chance.
  • Example: I didn’t apply for the scholarship on time, so I missed the boat.

31. Not my cup of tea

  • Meaning: Something that is not to your liking or preference.
  • Example: I tried skiing, but it’s not my cup of tea – I don’t enjoy the cold.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

It’s not my cup of tea = I don’t like it

32. On cloud nine

  • Meaning: Feeling extremely happy or joyful.
  • Example: When she got the job offer, she was on cloud nine; it was her dream job.

33. Once in a blue moon

  • Meaning: Happens very rarely.
  • Example: We eat at home most of the time; we go to restaurants once in a blue moon – for special occasions.

34. Out of the blue

  • Meaning: Unexpectedly or without any warning.
  • Example: I hadn’t spoken to her in years, and then out of the blue, she called me yesterday.

35. Over the moon

  • Meaning: Delighted or extremely happy.
  • Example: She was over the moon when she received her acceptance letter from the university.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Over the moon = extremely happy

36. Pull someone’s leg

  • Meaning: To tease or joke with someone.
  • Example: He’s just pulling your leg ; he doesn’t really mean what he said.

37. Put the cart before the horse

  • Meaning: Doing things in the wrong order.
  • Example: You’re putting the cart before the horse by buying furniture before finding a place to live.

38. Raining cats and dogs

  • Meaning: Raining heavily.
  • Example: We can’t go outside; it’s raining cats and dogs.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Raining cats and dogs = raining very heavily

39. Not ring a bell

  • Meaning: Not sound familiar or trigger a vague memory.
  • Example: I don’t think I know him – his name doesn’t ring a bell.

40. Rule of thumb

  • Meaning: A general principle or guideline.
  • Example: As a rule of thumb, it’s better to arrive early for meetings.

41. Shoot yourself in the foot

  • Meaning: To do something that harms oneself unintentionally.
  • Example: He shot himself in the foot by quitting his job without having another one lined up.

42. On the fence

  • Meaning: To remain neutral or undecided in a dispute or issue.
  • Example: I can’t decide which car to buy, so I’m on the fence for now.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Sitting on the fence = undecided

43. Skeletons in the closet

  • Meaning: Hidden or embarrassing secrets from the past.
  • Example: The journalist investigated the famous singer, trying to find some skeletons in the closet.

44. Take a rain check

  • Meaning: To postpone or reschedule a plan or invitation.
  • Example: I’m sorry, I can’t make it to the concert tonight. Can I take a rain check?

45. The ball is in your court

  • Meaning: It’s your turn to take action or make a decision.
  • Example: I’ve given you all the information; now the ball is in your court.

46. The best of both worlds

  • Meaning: Enjoying the benefits of two different things at the same time.
  • Example: Working part-time allows me to have a career and spend time with my family. It’s the best of both worlds.

47. Show someone the ropes

  • Meaning: teach someone the details of a task or procedure
  • During my first week on the job, my co-workers showed me the ropes.

48. The whole nine yards

  • Meaning: Everything, or the full extent of something.
  • Example: I’ll make sure you have everything you need—equipment, resources, the whole nine yards.

49. Through thick and thin

  • Meaning: Supporting or being loyal to someone during good times and bad times.
  • Example: We’ve been friends for over 20 years, through thick and thin.

50. Throw in the towel

  • Meaning: To give up or surrender.
  • Example: After struggling with the homework for hours, he finally threw in the towel.

51. Turn a blind eye

  • Meaning: To ignore or pretend not to notice something.
  • Example: The teacher turned a blind eye to the students whispering during the exam.

52. Under the weather

  • Meaning: Feeling sick.
  • Example: I won’t be able to come to work today; I’m feeling under the weather.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Under the weather = Feeling sick

53. Off The Hook

  • Meaning: Freed from an obligation
  • Example: I was going to give a class on Saturday, but they found another teacher to do it, so I’m off the hook.

54. Up in the air

  • Meaning: Uncertain or not confirmed.
  • Example: The date for the meeting is still up in the air; we need to schedule it.

55. When it rains, it pours

  • Meaning: Bad things often happen in clusters or all at once.
  • Example: First, my car broke down, then I lost my wallet. When it rains, it pours!

56. Wrap your head around something

  • Meaning: To understand or comprehend something complex or difficult.
  • Example: It took me a while to wrap my head around the new software, but now I understand how to use it.

57. Throw someone for a loop

  • Meaning: Distract, confuse, or surprise someone suddenly.
  • Example: I think I answered all the questions in the job interview pretty well – except for the random one about my personal life. I wasn’t expecting it, so it threw me for a loop.

58. At the drop of a hat

  • Meaning: Immediately or without hesitation.
  • Example: He’s always ready to help at the drop of a hat.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

At the drop of a hat = immediately

59. At the end of your rope

  • Meaning: Completely annoyed, exhausted, or desperate, with no more patience or energy.
  • Example: After dealing with two disobedient kids all day, I was at the end of my rope. 

60. Pipe down!

  • Meaning: Be quiet!
  • Example: Hey kids, pipe down! This is a library and people are trying to study.

61. Cross that bridge when you come to it

  • Meaning: To deal with a problem or worry about something when it actually happens.
  • Example: I’m not sure what to do if I fail the test, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

62. Drop the ball

  • Meaning: To make a mistake or fail to do something properly.
  • Example: He dropped the ball by forgetting to send the important email on time.

63. Elephant in the room

  • Meaning: An obvious problem or issue that no one wants to address.
  • Example: We need to talk about the budget cuts; it’s the elephant in the room.

64. Get off on the wrong foot

  • Meaning: To start a relationship or situation poorly or with a misunderstanding.
  • Example: We got off on the wrong foot, but we can still work things out and improve our communication.

65. Go down in flames

  • Meaning: To fail spectacularly or experience a significant defeat or failure.
  • Example: Their new product launch went down in flames, and they lost a lot of money.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Go down in flames = Fail spectacularly

66. Go with the flow

  • Meaning: To adapt to a situation or accept things as they come.
  • Example: I don’t have a specific plan for the weekend; I’ll just go with the flow and see what happens.

67. Hang in there

  • Meaning: To persevere or keep going despite difficulties or challenges.
  • Example: I know it’s tough, but hang in there; things will get better.

68. In hot water

  • Meaning: In trouble or facing difficulties due to a mistake or wrongdoing.
  • Example: He found himself in hot water after missing an important deadline.

69. Jump on the bandwagon

  • Meaning: To join or support something that is currently popular or successful.
  • Example: Everyone is using that new social media platform, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon.

70. Kick the bucket

  • Meaning: Die (very informal)
  • Example: I’d love to visit Jamaica someday before I kick the bucket.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Kick the bucket = die (very informal/casual)

71. Swallow something hook, line, and sinker

  • Meaning: To believe something completely – usually something that is not true.
  • Example: When I got back late from the party, I told my mom I had been studying for a final exam at a friend’s house. She swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

72. Show your true colors

  • Meaning: Reveal the true nature of your character
  • Example: When things get stressful, that’s when people start to show their true colors

73. On thin ice

  • Meaning: In a dangerous situation.
  • Example: He’s on thin ice with his boss after making multiple mistakes.

74. Play it by ear

  • Meaning: To decide or act based on the situation as it develops, rather than having a fixed plan.
  • Example: We don’t have a specific itinerary; we’ll just play it by ear and see what we feel like doing.

75. Save your breath

  • Meaning: To stop wasting your time and effort saying things that won’t have any effect.
  • Example: Trying to convince him to change his mind is pointless; save your breath.

76. Steal the show

  • Meaning: To attract the most attention or praise.
  • Example: Her performance was incredible; she stole the show with her singing and dancing.

77. Take it with a grain of salt

  • Meaning: To receive/consider information with skepticism or doubt.
  • Example: I heard a rumor, but I took it with a grain of salt until I had more information.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Take it with a grain of salt = Not completely believe it

78. clear as mud

  • Meaning: information or communication is NOT clear at all.
  • Example: My friend tried to explain how to get to his house, but his directions were as clear as mud and we got lost.

79. jump the gun

  • Meaning: Do something too early, before the appropriate time
  • Example: She jumped the gun and announced the winner before the final results were officially declared.

80. get your wires crossed

  • Meaning: Have a miscommunication
  • Example: We must have gotten our wires crossed – I wanted you to come at 7 PM, not 7 AM.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Get your wires crossed = Have a miscommunication or misunderstanding

81. Throw caution to the wind

  • Meaning: To take a risk or act without considering the potential consequences.
  • Example: Despite her friends’ warnings, she decided to throw caution to the wind and quit her job to pursue her passion.

82. Lose your touch

  • Meaning: To lose the skill or ability that one once had.
  • Example: After years of not playing the piano, he realized he had lost his touch and struggled to play a simple melody.

83. Off the chain

  • Meaning: Refers to something that is exciting, exceptional, or out of control.
  • Example: The concert last night was off the chain! The energy in the crowd was unbelievable.

84. Eyeball it

  • Meaning: To estimate or measure something by using one’s judgment or visual assessment.
  • Example: We didn’t have a ruler, so we had to eyeball the length of the table and hope it would fit in the room.

85. Spice things up

  • Meaning: To add excitement or variety to a situation or relationship.
  • Example: Let’s try a new restaurant tonight to spice things up.

86. Bring home the bacon

  • Meaning: To earn a living or provide financial support for one’s family.
  • Example: She works two jobs to bring home the bacon and support her children.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Bring home the bacon = Earn money to support a family

87. Nip something in the bud

  • Meaning: To stop or prevent a problem or situation from developing further.
  • Example: My 5-year-old started telling lies; we had to discipline her to nip that habit in the bud.

88. The last straw

  • Meaning: The final event or action that makes a situation unbearable or prompts a strong reaction.
  • Example: When he forgot their anniversary, it was the last straw for her, and she decided to end the relationship.

89. A whole new ballgame

  • Meaning: A completely different situation or set of circumstances.
  • Example: We had to change our lifestyle after we had kids – it was a whole new ballgame.

90. Burn the midnight oil

  • Meaning: To work or study late into the night.
  • Example: I’m exhausted because I was burning the midnight oil yesterday.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Burn the midnight oil = Stay up very late, usually working or studying

91. Between a rock and a hard place

  • Meaning: Trapped in a difficult or impossible situation, having to choose between two unfavorable options.
  • Example: She was between a rock and a hard place when both job offers required her to relocate.

92. Play devil’s advocate

  • Meaning: Argue an opposing perspective in order to generate critical thinking or debate.
  • Example: I know everyone’s in favor of this plan, but let me play devil’s advocate – what will we do if it all goes wrong?

93. Put your foot in your mouth

  • Meaning: To say something embarrassing, inappropriate, or offensive by accident.
  • Example: I put my foot in my mouth when I asked her if she was pregnant, but she wasn’t.

94. Get a grip

  • Meaning: To regain control over one’s emotions or behavior.
  • Example: He needs to get a grip and stop letting his anger affect his relationships.

95. Piece of work

  • Meaning: Used to describe someone who is difficult, eccentric, or challenging to deal with.
  • Example: I love my cousin, but she’s a real piece of work – she gets offended over the slightest things.

96. Put someone on the spot

  • Meaning: To ask someone a difficult question or request an immediate response, often in a public or challenging situation.
  • Example: During the meeting, the boss put him on the spot by asking him to present his idea without any preparation.

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

Put someone on the spot = ask someone a difficult question in front of others

97. a night owl

  • Meaning: Someone who likes to stay up late.
  • Example: My son’s a night owl – he never goes to bed before 2 AM.

98. has seen better days

  • Meaning: Something is old and in not-so-great condition.
  • Example: I’ve had this car for over fifteen years… it’s seen better days.

99. get bent out of shape

  • Meaning: Become angry, upset or offended, especially about something which in your opinion doesn’t justify such a reaction.
  • Example: My roommate is a neat freak, and he gets bent out of shape if I leave a single spoon on the kitchen counter.

100. Play your cards right

  • Meaning: Use your resources in a way that leads to success.
  • Example: Your supervisor really likes you. If you play your cards right , you could get promoted soon.

Now you know 100 common idiomatic expressions and their meanings. I hope these idioms + examples are helpful!

  • Learn more: List of idioms with their definitions

You’ll learn lots more idioms & examples in my 300+ Idioms Course !

This course is an EFFECTIVE way to learn and practice common idiomatic expressions in the English language. It’s not just a list of idioms – instead, each lesson helps you learn the expressions more actively.

The lessons start by showing you examples of idioms in sentences, and you’ll try to guess what they mean from the context. Then, you can watch a video where I teach the idioms’ meanings. Next, try a quiz to see how well you remember the idiomatic expressions. Finally, there are short-answer questions to help you practice using these common idioms yourself – and you can get feedback and correction from an Espresso English teacher!

100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples Espresso English

More Espresso English Lessons:

About the author.

' src=

Shayna Oliveira

Shayna Oliveira is the founder of Espresso English, where you can improve your English fast - even if you don’t have much time to study. Millions of students are learning English from her clear, friendly, and practical lessons! Shayna is a CELTA-certified teacher with 10+ years of experience helping English learners become more fluent in her English courses.

Get More Vocab.

Get More Vocab.

Travel

English Idioms for Traveling

Imagine that you are venturing out to an English-speaking country for a holiday or vacation. What are some things to consider when speaking to others? There are several different idioms that are commonly used when referring to traveling, taking a vacation, or going on a holiday. Have you heard any of these phrases before? Does your country have any phrases like these? What do they mean?

What does “On a Shoestring” mean?

What does “pack light/or travel light” mean, what does “to hit the road” mean, what does “to call it a night/day” mean, what does “at the crack of dawn” mean, what does “off the beaten track” mean, what does “to catch some sun” mean, what does “live out of a suitcase” mean, what does “to catch the red-eye” mean, what does “to live it up” mean, what does “take things easy” mean, what does “backseat driver” mean.

During the planning of your trip, there are some things to consider. How much money will you want to spend on this trip? When you are there, how much money will you spend on things such as the airplane ticket or bus fare, lodging, food, and souvenirs? Perhaps you only have a small budget in order to take this trip. If there is a small amount of funds that are available, then this means that you are on a shoestring budget.

Now that you have decided on when and where to go for your vacation or holiday, it is time to pack what you will bring with you. There is much to consider when packing your luggage and what to bring. Charges from airlines should be considered and also the weather for which you should dress is also, most likely, consideration as well. If you decide not to pack many things in your luggage, this is called packing light or traveling light . This is not common for long trips but mostly for trips that are quick and not typically far away.

When you begin your travels, this is called hitting the road . This idiom can be used when you leave for your trip or leave your home. This term is not just for traveling or vacation but can be used at anytime that you are leaving home or a place that you are at.

This term is similar to “hitting the road” in that you are finishing your day. To call it a night means that you are done doing something (in this case, perhaps you are done sightseeing or venturing out in a new place while on vacation or traveling) or wanting to go to bed for the night. This term can be used in other situations that are not just traveling but in everyday speech.

Most often, when on vacation, you are trying to do and see as much as you can in the short amount of time you have at that time. In order to see or do all that you are trying to do while visiting, you may wake up at the crack of dawn . This means that you are waking up literally as the sun is rising or doing something as early as possible.

To use this phrase, off the beaten track , means that a place you are or are going to is very far from where others live or in a remote location. An example of this may be a tour through forests, beaches, woods, or jungle areas. This doesn’t mean that there are dangers, necessarily, but this means that these places may not be typical places for tourists to venture to.

Being an idiom, this doesn’t literally mean that somehow you will be able to catch the sun . To catch some sun can be done at the beach by being outdoors or sunbathing. This term also can be said to someone who may have gotten sunburned while being in the sunshine. So the next time you head somewhere very sunny, you may say that you are going to catch some sun.

Someone who stays in different places for a short amount of time often says that they live out of their suitcase . Typically this means that the person who is going from place to place packs just enough of what they need in their suitcase as well. You may say they pack lightly.

This is a super simple idiom that means someone is taking a flight at a very late point in the night.

This is most people’s goal when taking time for vacation or for a holiday. To live it up means that you are having an amazing time, enjoying everything, and (hopefully) without a worry in sight. Imagine vacationing in a place like Las Vegas where you can really live it up!

This could be considered the opposite of living it up. To take things easy means that, while on your vacation or holiday, you rest, relax, and do things to help you recharge before going back to your regular schedule. Imagine somewhere that is cozy like a cabin or cottage in the mountains.

Often, people decide to drive to the place that they will be vacationing. This is usually done with family and friends also. At times, spending long periods of time with friends and family can be frustrating for the person doing the driving. Do you ever have that one person who tries to give directions or criticism from the backseat? This is known as a backseat driver .

Do any of these phrases or idioms sound familiar or do you share any idioms like these in your language? Were any of these idioms strange sounding or easy to remember?

Now that we have learned several new idioms that are used during vacations and travel, let’s practice!

  • “I want to take a nice vacation somewhere but I’m on a ___________ and can not spend a lot of money right now.”
  • “Let’s go to Las Vegas and really _________!”
  • “I am really looking forward to going to the beach and ________. I need a tan!”
  • “I’m sorry but if I am going to meet you on this trip I’ll have to catch the __________ flight. Maybe I can join you on your next vacation.”
  • “Let’s go on a tour of this cave. It’s a little __________ but we should be okay. It doesn’t seem too dangerous.”
  • If you were going on a trip or vacation and did not pack much in your luggage, it could be said that you ____________. This means that there wasn’t much that you brought with you.
  • If you went to a spa for your vacation are you taking it easy or living it up ?
  • “We woke up so early! It’s literally the ____________!”
  • “I have been to so many places in a short amount of time I feel like I __________.”
  • “I don’t like going on long road trips with him. He can be such a _______.”
  • “Today was so much fun! We saw so many different things today and walked a lot. It’s getting late so I think that I’ll __________”

' src=

Hi, I'm Brad. I've spent the last seven years teaching English and creating websites for English learners and teachers. I recently moved from Costa Rica to Orlando, Florida, where I teach intensive English classes at a state college. If you'd like to contact me, I can be reached via email at [email protected] .

Similar Posts

53 Idioms for Describing Feelings and Moods

53 Idioms for Describing Feelings and Moods

Here are over 50 common idioms for talking about emotions and feelings (anger, frustration, happiness, sadness, boredom, etc.). How many of them do you know?

12 Idioms and Expressions for Talking About Busy People

12 Idioms and Expressions for Talking About Busy People

We have a variety of other ways to say busy . Here are 12 alternatives you can use.

40+ Idioms About Communication

40+ Idioms About Communication

Here are 40+ idioms related to communication that you are likely to come across. How many of the idioms are you familiar with?

15 Words to Describe Technology & Users

15 Words to Describe Technology & Users

In today’s world, nobody can deny that technology plays an essential role in our lives. From smartphones to computers to brand-new AI advancements, technology is truly all around us. New products and software are constantly being released and are often the subject of news headlines. This is why it is important to know how to…

40 Idioms About Crime and Criminal Justice

40 Idioms About Crime and Criminal Justice

We use a ton of idioms for talking about criminal justice. Here are 40 of them you’ll probably hear at some point. How many do you know?

30 Marriage and Wedding Idioms

30 Marriage and Wedding Idioms

30 idioms about engagements, weddings, marriages, and spouses along with plenty of examples of the idioms in use.

Langu logo

  • Find a teacher
  • For Companies
  • log in/sign up

All around the world: Country-related idioms and phrases in English

Forgot password, new student, returning student, welcome back, want to teach for langu.

All around the world: Country-related idioms and phrases in English

Choosing your next summer holiday destination is not easy - there are too many wonderful places to choose from. If you need a source of inspiration and at the same time you’d like to expand your English vocabulary, our list of English idioms and phrases related to nations and countries will surely come in handy!

“It’s all Greek to me”

Have you ever been in a situation when someone started talking directly to you in a foreign language or perhaps in a language you do know but with a very strong, unfamiliar accent? Or maybe you read a text that is so badly-written or difficult that it feels as if it’s not English? Or maybe you’re listening to a pair of doctors or engineers having a conversation using lots of specialised jargon. You understand the words, but you don’t know what they’re talking about.  The idiom it’s (all) Greek to me can be used in such situations - when a text or a dialogue is incomprehensible, difficult to decipher, to understand.

“Bring owls to Athens / Send owls to Athens”

And while we’re on the subject of Greece, you might also encounter a somewhat obscure but nonetheless interesting idiom which is connected to the Greek capital. The city of Athens was named for the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena, who in art was often accompanied by an owl - a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. You could find the owl depicted on murals or vases but also on city coins, so the animal was almost omnipresent. Given their number, bringing or sending even more owls to Athens would be futile; and this is exactly what the saying indicates - a pointless, unnecessary task or action.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do”

Going west from Greece, we now reached the Italian Peninsula which housed another ancient civilisation - the Romans - who formed the Roman Empire. Its main capital city, just like of Italy today, was Rome and there are several idioms related to it. Whenever you go abroad it is always a good idea to study local customs and observe local people so as to fit in and avoid making any faux pas. Every culture and every social group has its own expectations and set of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, so should you enter a different group of people, because you’re moving out to another country or start working in a new company, try to blend in and follow the local rules, so when in Rome, do as the Romans do .

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”

Working in a company can be really stressful at times, especially if you do huge projects that require good team coordination and time management. However overwhelming deadlines might be, you need to remember that reaching a high quality requires a lot of time and patience. This applies to other areas of life, such as language learning, competitions, or romantic relationships. Rome wasn’t built in a day , so you need to be patient before you can see some satisfactory results. Another similar expression I really like in our culture of instant gratification: “Overnight success takes years.”

“Fiddle while Rome burns”

In 64 AD, a great fire broke out in Rome, raging for five days and destroying multiple districts of the city. The emperor at that time was Nero. Rumor has it that instead of fighting the fire, he preferred to use it as a source of inspiration for his work. Just as Nero ignored the dire situation his people were in, you might use the idiom fiddle while Rome burns in relation to someone who doesn’t respond adequately in the case of an emergency or an urgent situation, and who keeps doing the unimportant tasks, ignoring the greater problem.

“Pardon my French / Excuse my French”

England had a longstanding rivalry with France, which was reflected in the language as well. We can find some French-related idioms and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they are not positive. It seems that the animosity between the two nations was so strong that the French language didn’t sound too pleasing and became synonymous with foul language and obscenities. If you find yourself using swear words while talking to someone, you might say pardon my French , so as to apologise for using a crude language.

“French leave”

You’re at a party that is the complete opposite of fun - bland food, bad music, nobody to talk to - or maybe you’re just not in the mood for partying and you came only because you wanted to make someone happy. While it might be rude, in such a situation sometimes the best thing to do is to take the French leave and just go home without notifying anybody. The idiom can be used in other situations as well, such as when you leave an important business meeting, an obligatory conference, or a military post. Surprisingly, it seems that the English are more notorious for leaving without saying goodbye, since several languages (for example Italian, Polish, and obviously French) call such an act the English leave instead.

“Go Dutch”

Eating out with your friends is a very pleasant way to spend your free time but when it’s time to leave, things might get complicated if you ordered many meals. Counting how much each person paid and then trying to distribute the change equally can be troublesome. Nobody wants to sit at the empty table for 20 minutes - sometimes it’s just better to go Dutch instead and let everyone pay for themselves.

“Dutch courage”

Need some encouragement before making a decision or taking action? For some people there’s no better way to boost their self-confidence and muster their strength than a shot of vodka or any other strong alcohol beverage. The idiom Dutch courage refers to a) the act of drinking alcohol in order to do something that requires bravery or a lot of confidence in one’s abilities, or b) the newly-found courage gained by being drunk. The phrase can be traced to the Anglo-Dutch rivalry of the 17th and 18th century, which shows us how various conflicts are reflected in language as well.

“Chinese puzzle”

Further east, we reach China, an enormous place where gunpowder, paper and the compass were invented, among other things. The Chinese were indeed very crafty and apart from many inventions, they also created many clever puzzles consisting of interlocked elements that need to be moved around and rotated in order to separate all the pieces and solve the puzzle. Finding a solution to such a puzzle is not easy, since these objects are designed to be complex. So when a situation, a problem, or an idea is (like) a Chinese puzzle , it is complicated and difficult to understand. But don’t worry, sooner or later you will find the right solution!

“Mexican standoff”

In case of a conflict, there are several approaches and strategies you can take. You can collaborate and try to find a solution that will profit everyone, you can reach a compromise that will leave both parties unsatisfied, you can also try to avoid the conflict and withdraw, but if it’s not possible you might as well give in and fulfil the demands, or you can be unforgiving and try to have it your way. If both parties decide to be competitive and assertive, we might reach a Mexican standoff - a stalemate or a situation where neither side wants to attack or go first, but at the same time neither side wants to retreat, and any aggressive action by any party can result in everyone’s demise.

“As American as apple pie”

Last but not least, we reach the United States of America! There are many things the USA is famous for - baseball and American football, the Grand Canyon, the movie industry of Hollywood, NYC, Las Vegas. But there are also less commonly known aspects of American way of life - cultural traditions and customs, such as throwing baby showers, writing dates with month number first, and obligatory tipping in restaurants. If something is very American in nature, characteristic of American culture, society or politics, you might say it is as American as apple pie .

Recent posts

  • 5 Easiest Languages to Learn for English Speakers By Łukasz Książkiewicz, on April 19, 2024
  • Zabawne Błędy Językowe By Łukasz Książkiewicz, on April 11, 2024
  • Lost in Syntax: A Hilarious Journey through Language Fails By Łukasz Książkiewicz, on April 5, 2024
  • Founders' Posts
  • Language Learning Life
  • Learning English
  • Learning Spanish
  • Posts in English
  • Posts in Polish
  • Posts in Spanish

tour related idioms

Wapiti Travel

The 86 most inspirational travel proverbs

By: Author Sylvia

Posted on Last updated: August 22, 2022

Are you looking for the most inspirational travel proverbs? You came to the right place.

Quotes and images are extremely powerful. They can inspire you to make a change in your life. 

In this blog post, you will find a collection of the 86 best travel proverbs to inspire and motivate you to pack your bags and go out and discover.

The quotes range from age-old pearls of wisdom to contemporary quotes.

We also included some best wishes for traveling abroad. Let yourself be inspired by these proverbs about traveling to lead life, experience adventures, and do the trips that you always dreamt of.

The most inspirational travel quotes 

1. “traveling is a brutality. it forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. you are constantly off balance. nothing is yours except the essential things: air, sleep, dreams, sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – cesare pavese, 2. “the traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – g.k. chesterton.

Who are you a traveler or a tourist? I guess we are a bit of both. On the one hand, we are absolutely tourists because when we are traveling somewhere we absolutely want to see the highlights. On the other hand, we’re open to discover new things and to gain experiences that you do not find in a travel guide. So, in a certain sense, we’re both a traveler and a tourist.

3. “I wish travel therapy was covered by my health insurance.”

travel proverbs

I think many people would like this and perhaps it is not a bad idea since traveling is really a sort of therapy for us and maybe for you too.

When we have a lot of stress or we feel bad we should pack our bags and go traveling. We always return as reborn.  Unfortunately, this is not always possible, but that would of course change as soon as it is reimbursed by the insurance. Maybe we should start a petition. Who is in?

4. “Fear is only temporary. Regrets last forever.”

Sometimes it’s is really hard to overcome the fear, but in general, we prefer to feel the fear and do it anyway than to regret something. 

I must keep this quote in mind when Kris wants to go parasailing again😏.

56 travel together quotes for friends and loved ones

5. “When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” -Susan Heller

In this area, we are a contrarian couple. For some reason, Kris usually takes more clothes on a trip than I do. I’m the one who only takes half the clothes but usually one week in our trip I will start complaining that I’m missing clothes…😏

6.“Life is a journey. Make the best of it.”

travel proverbs

7. “Adventure may hurt you but monotony will kill you.”

This adventure travel quote applies mainly to me. I am a person who gets bored very quickly and always has to get new challenges. So please, give me a new adventure and a new destination every day. The experiences are sometimes disappointing but even then it is still much more fun to do something new every day opposed to just doing nothing or doing the same thing over and over again for days, weeks or even years.

8. “Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”  – Franz Kafka

25 travel with friends quotes.

9.  “A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill

travel buddy quotes

10. “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.”– Babs Hoffman

Sometimes you let yourself be distracted by small setbacks or worry about small things. We also did this when we were traveling in India because of the many scamming practices.

We felt like we were a walking ATM and we were annoyed because we got the impression we couldn’t trust anyone.

Obviously, this wasn’t much fun, but we did see beautiful palaces, monuments, and even a tiger.

It was not always easy, but we did our best to enjoy the trip and let the scamming practices as much as possible go over us.

11. “Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure.” – Irving Wallace

Traveling does indeed ensure that the feeling of monotony disappears and when we have a new journey ahead and arrive at a new place, a feeling of excitement and expectation comes to the surface.

For us,  it is the best medicine against boredom and monotony.

12. “The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself.” – Wallace Stevens

travel quotes inspirational

13. “Work, Travel, Save, Repeat.”

Until a year ago this was the exact description of the life of myself and my husband.

We both worked full time and saved most of our money to do one long holiday of 3 weeks and a city trip of a few days.

Then we started working again for the rest of the year and repeated this process the following year.

We did this for about 15 years before we decided to change our lives and go completely for our passion. As you can guess that is traveling. This travel blog is the result.

14. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

In some places, such as Vancouver and Lisbon, we immediately felt at home. Other places such as China and India were much more fascinating but it was not always easy to travel around.

Afterward, however, we look back on all our trips with satisfaction. We keep good memories of every trip we did.

15. “Travel, your money will return, your time won’t.”

travel proverbs

We often tend to forget this ourselves, but time is actually one of the most precious possessions we have in this world. After all, the time that passes will never return. The following travel proverb also fits nicely.

16. “Dare to live the life you’ve always wanted.”

This is a proverb that certainly applies to us. For a long time we both worked full time and even though we were not 100% happy, we didn’t change anything about our lives. 

We did as most others do.  Hitting the traffic jam in the morning to head to work and again in the evening to go back home.

After all, we both had a good job. We were stuck in the golden cage and we continued on until Kris got his burnout in 2016. We were then forced to review our choices.

After much thought and a considerable amount of ups and downs, we finally made some drastic changes in our lives.

One of them was the creation of this travel website where we want to inspire you with our journeys around the world.

17. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

Every new destination brings us excitement and new adventures.

But you have to be open to them. Are you someone who looks at the world with an open mind?

18. “All you need is a passport.”

Travel sayings

19. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” – Robert Frost

20. “to travel is to live” –  hans christian andersen.

I fully agree with this travel quote. Especially on a journey where I discover new places,  where I can learn new things and where I meet new people. 

Those are the journeys where I really feel like I’m living.

21. “Travel is the only thing that you buy that makes you richer.”

best travel quotes

22. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Last year, we seriously left our comfort zone and this has brought us a lot of adventure and new things. It is only by leaving your comfort zone and by doing things you are actually a little afraid of that new things come up and you experience new adventures.

For example, I was quite afraid to quit my job and especially to give up a number of so-called securities such as a permanent job, a fixed income, and a company car.

After hesitating for a long time, I finally made the decision.

Now I am very happy that I no longer have to endure the traffic jams every day.  I can now organize my own hours and work on what I love to do.

And even though not every day is puppy dogs and rainbows, we earn less and we work harder than before, yet we are much happier.

And this was only possible because we dared to leave our comfort zone and took a step into the unknown.

23. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – Augustine of Hippo

24. “be brave. take risks. nothing can substitute experience.” – paulo coelho.

Explore quotes

And should something be disappointing, you can still go back. Everything flows, nothing is final. So be brave and take risks. You can not discover new things when you do not dare to let something go.

25. “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

26. “our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” – lawrence block, 27. “it is better to travel one mile than to read a thousand books.” – confucius.

travel proverbs

Some people say that they do not need to travel because they can see everything on television, search it on the internet or read it in a book.

For us, television, the internet, and books cannot replace the experience that you have while you are traveling.

A documentary on TV, a video on the internet, travel guides or travel magazines … none of them can give you the feeling that you will experience in a certain place.

We absolutely love doing a lot of research before we head to a new destination, it gets us into the travel mood, but nothing can live up to the real thing.

28. “I’m not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” –Mary Anne Radmacher

29. “life is short and the world is wide.”, 30. “airplane travel is nature’s way of making you look like your passport photo.” – al gore.

Funny travel quotes

31. “Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.” -Douglas Ivester

It’s great to have a lot of memories but you shouldn’t get nostalgic. It is those dreams and those big plans for the future that gives you that drive to go on. 

As soon as I get back home I start dreaming and planning towards the next adventure.

32. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes” – Marcel Proust

There is so much to see in this world and our bucket list keeps growing.

That is why we don’t often head to the same destination twice. But even if we do so, we always discover new things.

Or we see things in a different way. And so, time after time, it remains fascinating and educational to travel.

33. “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”– Susan Sontag

Travel slogan

We have been fortunate to have already seen a lot of the world. We saw the cherry blossoms bloom in Tokyo, we set foot on Antarctica, we admired the Taj Mahal, we were lucky to see orangutans in Borneo,   we could check all of  the big five off of our list in South Africa, etc.

Nevertheless, our bucket list keeps growing.

Since a long time I dream of doing a sledding trip in Lapland, we would love to go gorilla spotting in Africa, do a road trip through Australia and New Zealand, admire the Northern Lights, stay in a luxury tent camp in the desert, stay overnight in an ice hotel etc.

Our list keeps growing. 

We will not be ready with our bucket list in the coming years so you will be able to keep track of our travel adventures for a long time.

34. “Travel your way”

This is our personal motto and also the tagline of our blog.

We absolutely don’t like organized trips and you will never see us on a group trip (or it should be that this would be the only option to visit a specific place).

We find it fantastic to travel around independently and to organize our own itinerary. We spend quite some time on this but figuring out everything in advance is already part of the fun.

Afterward, we share our travel tips and itineraries on this blog.  We hope they will inspire you and help you to “travel your way”.

35. “The world is our playground.”

36. “go, fly, roam, travel, voyage, explore, journey, discover, adventure.”.

Adventure sayings

We can not say it better: go out and discover the world. There is so much to see and to experience that you will not have enough time.

37. “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” -Paul Brandt

One of my favorite activities on a Sunday morning is to browse through travel guides while enjoying a nice cup of coffee.

I dream away when I read about all those fantastic destinations and adventures.  Places we haven’t been yet and activities we haven’t experienced yet…

That’s how these things ended up on our bucket list:  making a boat tour on the Kerala backwaters, doing a road trip through Iceland, swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines and much more.

38.”We can’t really appreciate home until we leave it.”

39. “like all great travelers, i have seen more than i remember, and remember more than i have seen.” – benjamin disraeli.

travel by inspire

From all our travels we especially remember all the fun experiences.

Like the time when we had to open a crab in a restaurant in Vietnam with tongs full of paint and the time we stumbled into a 5-star hotel in Peru with our backpack after spending 5 hours on a local bus.

We smelled hours in the wind and we were stared at by people wearing a tuxedo, complete with bow tie. We will remember the look at their faces for a long time …

We also have funny memories about the 5 tarantulas that apparently lived in a tree near the entrance of our hotel in the Amazon in Peru.

We passed the tree every day until, during a night walk, our guide with his flashlight showed the fuzzy creatures. From then on we kept a little more distance from the tree …

40. “Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”–Ray Bradbury

41. “when overseas you learn more about your own country than you do about the place you’re visiting.” – clint borgen.

Because we travel so often, we appreciate Belgium more. For example, we are happy that in Belgium we do not have to show our ticket 30 times when we visit a monument like in India. We are also happy that we can walk outside in the dark without feeling unsafe like in South Africa.

At the same time, we miss the ultra luxurious heated toilets of Japan, the beautiful vast landscape in South America, the bounty islands in Malaysia etc.

Luckily, all these wonderful experiences are just a plane trip away and our new work offers us more freedom than we ever had before.

42. “A great way to learn about your country is to leave it.” – Henry Rollins

travel quotes inspirational

43. “Travel is the healthiest addiction.”

Traveling is for us definitely an addiction. When we are not planning the next trip, we really get withdrawal symptoms. So it is definitely an addiction. Glad to read that it is a healthy addiction.

44. “ The tans will fade but the memories will last forever.”

travel sayings

Although we don’t do a lot of sunbathing when we are traveling, I completely agree with this quote. We have so many great memories of our travels that will stay with us forever.

For example, we felt like superstars in China because everyone wanted to take pictures with us, we have great memories of a canoe trip with our parents in Canada and of a beautiful helicopter tour we did on a glacier in Alaska. Our tan has faded,  but even several years later these memories still bring smiles to our faces.

45. “The goal is to die with memories not dreams.”

46. “no place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.”– chuck thompson.

After we had read so many stories about the scams, the filth and the heat we were really afraid to go to India . It was so bad that a few days before we would actually leave, we were really saying how stupid we were to have chosen India as our next destination.  It seemed like we had made the decision in a moment of madness.

After all, it wasn’t so bad. It was certainly hot and sometimes we were seriously annoyed by the pushy Indians but we did not find it any dirtier than in other Asian countries that we have visited before.

Although it is not our favorite destination in the world, it was much better than we had expected and we are happy that we have seen the Taj Mahal, the forts, the Kerala backwaters and, last but not least, as big animal lovers, a tiger.

India has given us unforgettable experiences that will always stay with us and it turned out the experience was much better than what we expected.

47. “I need a six month holiday, twice a year.”

funny travel quotes

Fortunately, since we started this travel magazine, we can travel as much as we want without having to ask permission from a boss.

48. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” – Freya Stark

 49. “twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. so throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. catch the trade winds in your sails. explore. dream. discover.” – mark twain.

This is one of my favorite quotes and it has often helped me when I had to take a difficult decision such as quitting my permanent job to start this travel blog.

50. “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” – Jack Kerouac

travel proverbs

In the meantime, I quit my job for a while and although I liked it a lot, had super nice colleagues and we now have to work much harder for less money, I have not missed it for a minute.

51. “You don’t have to be rich to travel well. ”– Eugene Fodor

52. “live your life by a compass, not a clock.” – stephen covey, 53. “there’s no way i was born to just pay bills and die.”.

travel proverbs

Within our circle of friends and acquaintances, we also see so many people who do nothing more than sleep, work and eat. And for a long time, I felt that we were on the same treadmill. Even now that we are self-employed, this quote must occasionally remind us that there is much more to life than working and paying the bills.

54.  “Quit your job, buy a ticket, get a tan, fall in love, never return.”

We have not dealt with it so drastically, although I would certainly love to live and work for a couple of years abroad.  We will see what the future brings.

55. “Life is a trip. Plan your next vacation.” – Matthew E. Fryer

This is a quote that certainly applies to us. 

Even when we were both still working full time we always planned our vacations well up in advance. 

It gave us peace of mind to know that a next trip was already planned. 

Life was less hard knowing that we had an upcoming vacation that we could look forward to.

Now that we have quit our jobs we have more freedom but we still spend a lot of time working on the site from behind our office desks. 

And more or less the same rule still applies to us. 

When I write this, we have just returned from a month in India and when we got home, we immediately booked tickets for our next destination. Dubai, here we come!

56. “The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”

short travel quotes

You only live once and time passes quickly. 

Still few people dare to dream or dare to go for their dreams.

Dare to take small steps towards your personal dream life and do not let yourself be influenced too much by what your environment or the society expects you to do.

57. “I am a passionate traveler, and from the time I was a child, travel formed me as much as my formal education.” – David Rockefeller

Travel should be mandatory on each school curriculum.

It is by traveling and by coming into contact with other cultures and customs that you learn to see things in a different way.

So I agree completely with David Rockefeller that it formed us as much as our formal school education.

58. “Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” – Izaak Walton

I am fortunate that I can travel together with Kris and even though I hear from solo travelers how great it is to travel alone and how many cool and interesting people they meet.

Yet I would not want it any other way. After all, nothing is more fun than to experience unforgettable things such as spotting a tiger or seeing a beautiful sunset together with your partner.

It is always more fun to be able to share experiences with someone else.  It makes the memory for me more beautiful.

59. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

best travel quotes

60. “He who would travel happily must travel light.” – Antoine de St. Exupery

61. “with the right mindset and spirit, only the sky is the limit.”, 62. “once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.”– dalai lama.

travel slogans

This should not always be a far away destination. Even close to home, you probably have fantastic spots that are worth a visit. Last year we spent a fun family weekend on the Wadden Islands in the Netherlands which are only about a 3-hour drive from our home.

63. “Take every chance you get in life because some things only happen once.” – Karen Gibbs

Dare to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. You never know where it will lead you.

64. “Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.” – Jaime Lyn Beatty

65. “it feels good to be lost in the right direction”.

best travel quotes

66. “Adventure is a path. Real adventure, self-determined, self-motivated, often risky, forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world” – Mark Jenkins

67. “better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times.”.

Not everything is as good or as beautiful as we had expected or hoped it to be.

Still, we are always glad to have seen it ourselves so that we could form an opinion of our own.

It is always more fun to have seen something yourself than to hear the stories from someone else.

The next travel proverb below fits in nicely.

68. “Don’t listen to what they say. Go see.”

travel proverbs

69.  “I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met.” – John Green

70. “ perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends” – maya angelou, 71. “blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.” – lovelle drachman.

Best wishes for traveling abroad

73. “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” –  Gustave Flaubert

I regularly have this feeling while we are traveling.

With a beautiful sunset or during wildlife spotting.

Read also: What to do in the Azores.

I often have the feeling that we are only tiny radar wheels in this immense and fantastic world!

74. “Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle

And take plenty of pictures.

75. “I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine.” – Caskie Stinnett

adventure travel quotes

76. “Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret” – Oscar Wilde

77. “travel far enough, you meet yourself” – david mitchell, 78. “if you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” – james michener.

travel quotes inspirational

I personally like this quote a lot. When we are traveling I always taste the local food and often ask for the specialties of the country. Sometimes I’m lucky and I choose something really tasty, other times it is really disappointing.

Once I got ice cream with real peas in China. 

It was recommended to me and apparently Chinese really like it. I tried it, but it was not really my taste. 

I will never order it again but I’m happy I tried it.

79. “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous 

80. “we travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” – ray bradbury, 81. “travel is only glamorous in retrospect” – paul theroux.

travel proverbs

During your trip, you often experience less blissful moments. After a long flight, you often suffer from a jet lag during the first days.

You drag yourself to the tourist sights during the day and at night you can count at least 20 times the number of squares in the wallpaper. Sometimes the other cultures are so shocking and so stifling that you long for home.

A complete guide to the Azores.

We have seen people suffer from altitude sickness and side effects of malaria pills. It is not all puppies and sunshine. But you do not see that in the pictures, of course.

These deprivations are fortunately quickly forgotten and the positive memories of a trip stay longer.

But traveling is indeed really glamorous when you think about it afterward while admiring the photos from your couch in the living room.

82. “When in doubt, travel.”

When I have to make a difficult decision or I doubt about something, traveling certainly helps me to take a step back, relax and see things from a different perspective.

83. “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” – Anais Nin

 84. “ travel doesn’t become adventure until you leave yourself behind ” – marty rubin.

reis quotes

85. “ I travel because it makes me realize how much I haven’t seen, how much I’m not going to see, and how much I still need to see.” – Carew Papritz

And that’s probably why our bucket list keeps growing and growing …

86. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

We hope that these holiday quotes and proverbs about travel have inspired you to travel and to discover this amazing world in which we live.

Traveling has changed our lives and we are convinced that it can also change yours. So book that ticket and go out because within 20 years you will be sorrier for the things you did not do, than for the things you did.

What’s your next destination?

  • TheFreeDictionary
  • Word / Article
  • Starts with
  • Free toolbar & extensions
  • Word of the Day
  • Free content

nickel tour

  • tour de force

what happens on tour stays on tour

  • whistle-stop tour

a tour de ˈforce

A ˌwhistle-stop ˈtour, grand tour, the.

  • a whistle-stop tour
  • strike up the band
  • play first chair
  • stop the show
  • the schoolmaster is abroad
  • one-hit wonder
  • tough nut to crack
  • tough nut to crack, a
  • tough old bird
  • tough on (someone or something)
  • tough row to hoe
  • tough sledding
  • tough something out
  • tough times
  • tough titties
  • tough toodles
  • tough tookus
  • tough tuchus
  • tough/bad luck
  • tough/hard/long row to hoe, a
  • tougher on (someone or something)
  • tougher than a two-dollar steak
  • toujours perdrix
  • tourist trap
  • tout (someone or something) as
  • tout around
  • tout de suite
  • tout for (something)
  • tow (someone or something) into (something or some place)
  • tow (someone or something) out of (something or some place)
  • Toupet fundoplication
  • Toupet procedure
  • Toupet's procedure
  • Touquet Automobiles de Collection
  • Tour (music)
  • Tour Aéroréfrigérante
  • Tour Andover Controls
  • Tour Athletic Club
  • Tour Confirmation
  • Tour d'echelle
  • Tour de Coffee Culture
  • Tour de Fleece
  • Tour de Force Speakers
  • Tour de France
  • Tour de France (cycling competition)
  • Tour de France à la voile
  • Tour De France Challenge
  • Tour de France cycliste
  • Tour de France de Jonathan
  • Tour de Fraud
  • Tour de Jeu
  • tour de maître
  • Tour De Qinghai Lake
  • Tour de Québec
  • tour director
  • Facebook Share

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

FluentU Logo

90 English Tourism Vocabulary Words and Phrases [With Sample Dialogues]

English is the most common language used in the international tourism industry.

People who work in the tourism industry use it to communicate with tourists from all over the world.

If you work in tourism or hope to find a job in the industry, it helps to know the right words and phrases for this type of work.

Interacting with Customers

Greeting customers, asking customers questions , responding to questions, checking for understanding, common scenarios in tourism english, giving recommendations, giving directions , making friendly small talk, jobs in hospitality and tourism, jobs at hotels and resorts, bar and restaurant staff, jobs at travel and tourism companies, more tourism vocabulary in english, how to learn english tourism vocabulary, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

travel-agent-giving-tickets-to-customers

You always want to welcome customers or guests with a friendly, professional greeting :

  • Good morning (before 12 p.m.)
  • Good afternoon (between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m.)
  • Good evening (after 5 p.m.)
  • Welcome to… [company name] . My name is… [your name] .

Be sure to always use a respectful term to refer to your customers:

  • Miss — Young women (under age 30)
  • Ma’am — Mature women (over age 30)
  • Sir — Men of all ages

For example, using these terms you can now greet customers in a very respectful way:

  • Good morning, miss .
  • Good afternoon, sir .

If you are working at a hotel, restaurant or tour agency, you can greet a customer and then ask them this question:

Do you have a reservation with us?

To answer the phone, you only need one simple phrase:

Hello, you’ve reached [company name]. This is [your name]. How may I help you?

If you are working with customers in a hotel, before they go to their rooms you can say one of these phrases:

  • We hope you enjoy your stay!
  • Please let us know if you have any questions or comments during your stay.

You will want to make sure your customers are safe and happy while they are with you. You can do this by asking friendly and polite questions, such as:

  • How are you doing this morning? (or afternoon/evening)
  • Have you been having a good time?
  • Is there anything else we can do to make your experience more enjoyable?

Customers will have many questions, and sometimes you will not know the answer. You may need to ask a coworker or supervisor. When this happens, you can use the following phrases:

  • I will get that information for you right away.
  • That’s a great question! I will check with my supervisor and let you know.

As a guide, host or receptionist, you will need to double-check for understanding. These phrases are simple and quick ways to make sure you have understood the guest or customer:

  • I heard you ask (about flights) . Is that correct?
  • So, you said (you wanted to visit the ruins) , right?
  • Okay, I understand that (your flight leaves at 3 PM) . Is that correct?

To ask for clarification

Your guest may use vocabulary that you are unfamiliar with. Likewise, they might have an accent that is difficult for you to understand. Here are some polite ways to ask them to repeat or clarify what they said:

  • I’m sorry, I didn’t quite understand that. Can you say that again?
  • Pardon my English, but I didn’t understand that. Can you say that again?
  • I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Can you describe what you mean?

To invite your guests to ask questions

You can make all of your guests feel welcome by encouraging them to ask questions:

  • Does anyone have any questions?
  • Yes, sir? / Yes, ma’am? Do you have a question?
  • Please feel free to raise your hand any time if you have a question.
  • So, any questions?

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

FluentU Ad

Try FluentU for FREE!

Tourist-asking-for-location-from-local-people

When working in tourism, you might need to give directions to tourists, share recommendations for a good restaurant or attraction or make friendly conversation.

In these scenarios, you will play the part of the “guide,” but it could be any job where you interact with tourists. Practice these dialogues so you feel confident using these words and phrases in your interactions.

  • For (authentic cuisine, family activities, etc.), I recommend…
  • My favorite place is…
  • Personally, I suggest…

Tourist: Excuse me, do you know a good place for ice cream?

Guide: Oh, yes. For really good ice cream, I recommend Maria’s. It’s located about six blocks from here, and it’s my favorite place. Personally, I suggest the chocolate cherry flavor. I think your family will like it.

Tourist: Great, thanks!

If you work in tourism, you will need to give directions to visitors. Here are some key phrases you might use to explain how to get somewhere: 

  • Go straight
  • Stop at the…
  • Continue until…
  • Take the subway (or bus, train, etc.)
  • Follow the signs for…
  • At the traffic light
  • At the next street (or light, block, etc.)
  • In five blocks
  • Near the hotel (or beach, station, etc.)
  • On the main plaza

See this post for more words and phrases for giving directions: 

Asking for and giving directions in English is a helpful skill, and this guide will show you the important vocabulary you need to know, with audio pronunciation included!…

Tourist: Can you tell me how to get to the theater?

Guide: Sure! The theater is near the train station. You need to go straight down this street for one block. At the next street, turn left. Continue until you see a sign for the theater, in about five blocks. If you’re lost, you can follow the signs for the train station. Does that make sense?

Tourist: Yes, thank you!

Here’s a helpful video to practice basic phrases for giving directions:

Here are some phrases that you can use when you want to make friendly conversation with a guest or visitor:

  • So, are you enjoying your time in (Paris) so far?
  • Tell me, what is your favorite part of the city so far?
  • What do you think of the (architecture, food, beach, festival, etc.) ?

airport-shuttle-driver-and-passengers

This vocabulary will help you a lot when you are working in the tourism industry or searching for jobs. 

  • Bellhop / baggage handler — the person who will open the front door for guests and carry their bags to their rooms
  • Concierge / receptionist — the person at the front desk who welcomes the guests, gives out room keys, helps guests make reservations and takes payments for reservations
  • Maid / housekeeper — the person who cleans the hotel rooms ( see English vocabulary for housekeeping here ) 
  • Janitor — the person responsible for cleaning everything outside of hotel rooms, such as the lobby and other common areas 
  • Groundskeeper — the person who takes care of all the plants outside the hotel
  • Maintenance worker — the person who fixes anything that stops working in the hotel 
  • Manager / supervisor — the person who makes sure everything goes well at the hotel, hires employees, teaches new employees how to do their jobs and makes sure that guests are happy
  • Event planner — the person who makes sure the hotel is ready for big events such as business conventions (meetings) or weddings 

Here are a couple of vocabulary guides for working in hotels:

Practicing English for receptionists can help you greet and assist hotel guests with ease. By studying the right phrases, you can prepare yourself to handle common…

Knowing hotel vocabulary in English is essential if you want to work in the hospitality industry. Check out our list of 100+ vocabulary words and phrases on everything…

These jobs might exist at a hotel if it has a bar and/or restaurant. 

  • Bartender — the person who makes and serves drinks at the bar 
  • Host / hostess — the person who stands at the entrance to the restaurant and welcomes guests, brings them to a table and takes reservations on the phone and in person
  • Server / waiter / waitress — the person who serves customers who are eating at the restaurant (“waiter” refers to a male, “waitress” refers to a female and “server” can refer to any gender)
  • Busboy / busser — the person who makes sure that tables are clean and ready for customers
  • Chef / cook — the person who prepares food at the restaurant

If you work or want to work in a bar or restaurant, check out this vocabulary guide next:

Click here to learn English for restaurant staff! Here, we have information about six essential restaurant positions, the common phrases used by each one and study…

There are entire companies that exist just to help travelers book their trips. If you work for one of these companies, you will either work in an office or outside the office helping travelers enjoy their time in your city or country.

  • Secretary / administrative assistant — someone who takes care of the whole office by organizing paperwork, making and receiving phone calls, organizing the office schedule and taking reservations for tours and trips
  • Travel agent — someone who helps people find the most affordable flights, hotels, etc. and helps them buy tickets and make reservations before they travel
  • Tour guide — someone who goes out with tourists and takes them on adventures to explore towns, cities, farms, mountains, jungles and more
  • Taxi driver / private driver — someone who drives tourists in a taxi or private car between different places, and sometimes on a tour around the area
  • Shuttle driver — someone who drives a large vehicle (usually a small bus or large van) to transport groups of people between places, such as from the hotel to some popular tourist destinations or between the hotel and the airport
  • Airline agent — someone who works at the desk of an airline (a company that owns airplanes and provides transportation services with them)
  • Flight attendant — someone who takes care of passengers on airplanes by serving food and drinks and giving safety instructions ( see English vocabulary for flight attendants here )
  • Cruise attendant — someone who takes care of people on boats and ships by doing the same things as flight attendants, providing services like food and drinks and giving safety instructions
  • Translator — someone who translates between different languages in writing, such as for tourism guides or flyers 
  • Interpreter — someone who translates between two languages by listening and speaking, often to help tourists and visitors understand and speak with local people
  • Recreational guide — someone who goes with tourists to do activities like yoga, surfing, cycling, running, hiking and climbing mountains

Here is a list of common tourism-related English words. You might be asked questions with these words or you might need to use them yourself. Make sure you’re familiar with them and can use them in full sentences.

  • Tourist – someone who travels to different places for enjoyment or to see new things
  • Attractions — places of interest that are often visited by tourists, such as museums or amusement parks
  • Landmark – a special or famous place that people can easily recognize, often used for giving directions
  • Destination – a place to which people travel for leisure, business or other purposes
  • Guide – a person who helps tourists by showing them around and giving them information about a place
  • Guidebook – a book that provides information for travelers about a particular destination, including attractions, hotels and restaurants
  • Souvenir – a small item that people buy to remember a place they visited, like a keychain or a postcard
  • Itinerary – a plan or schedule that shows the activities or places someone will visit during their trip
  • Accommodation – a place where travelers can stay overnight, such as a hotel, hostel or campground 
  • Transportation – the way people travel from one place to another, such as by car, bus, train or airplane
  • Passport – a document issued by a government that proves a person’s identity and nationality, allowing them to travel internationally
  • Visa – a stamp or document given by a country’s government that allows someone to enter or stay in that country for a certain period of time, usually for tourism, work, or study
  • Business district — also called the financial district, this is the center of the city where many offices, banks and companies are located
  • Entertainment district — a part of a city where there are lots of restaurants, bars, theaters and other fun places
  • Dining district — an area within a city with a lot of restaurants 
  • Custom — a traditional way of doing something that is common in a particular culture or society
  • Highlight — the most interesting or exciting part of something, often the main attraction 
  • Scenery — the natural features of an area, such as mountains, rivers or forests, that people find beautiful to look at
  • Surroundings — the area or environment around a particular place, including nearby buildings, landscapes and neighborhoods
  • Depart — to leave from a place, especially when traveling
  • Arrive — to reach or get to a place or destination, especially when traveling
  • Recommend — to suggest or advise someone to do something because you think they will enjoy it
  • Read the “English for International Tourism” textbooks. They are available in low-intermediate ,  intermediate  and  high-intermediate levels. As long as you have a foundation in English, this series is perfect for learning how to communicate with coworkers and tourists in different tourism-related scenarios. Here are some more English for Tourism books we recommend.  
  • Take an English for Tourism course. You can find some great courses on Udemy, such as this English for Business and Tourism course aimed at low-intermediate to intermediate students. Or take lessons with a tutor who specializes in tourism on Preply .
  • Complete tourism English courses on Memrise. Focus on Memrise English courses for tourism. These lessons feature English vocabulary words and phrases that anyone in the tourism industry would use in their daily activities. Try spending at least 30 minutes a day using Memrise to brush up on your tourism vocabulary—you’ll notice a difference!
  • Follow travel vloggers on YouTube. Look for channels or specific videos about the place where you will be working. Engage in discussions in the comments as well! Not only will that make using YouTube more fun , but it will also require you to learn and use new words during your chats back and forth with others.
  • Participate in discussions on travel forums. Travel forums allow you to use your new tourism vocabulary with native speakers and practice written English . On TripAdvisor , you can talk with English speakers about traveling, hotels, restaurants, transportation and more. The /r/travel subreddit is a great place to talk about everything related to tourism. 
  • Give yourself daily homework. A great place to start is  the tourism section of ESL Conversation Questions . You’ll find a variety of tourism-related topics that you can discuss with your friends and coworkers. If you’re a hospitality professional, check out Oxford University Press’ free online workbook series, English for Careers . 

Bookmark this page so you can come back and view this tourism vocabulary whenever you have some free time.

Soon you will be able to communicate with any tourist who crosses your path!

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

learn-english-with-videos

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

learn-english-with-subtitled-television-show-clips

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

learn-conversational-english-with-interactive-captioned-dialogue

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

practice-english-with-adaptive-quizzes

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Enter your e-mail address to get your free PDF!

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

  • ABBREVIATIONS
  • BIOGRAPHIES
  • CALCULATORS
  • CONVERSIONS
  • DEFINITIONS

Phrases.com

Phrases.com »

Phrases related to: tour, yee yee we've found 17 phrases and idioms matching tour ., we need you, help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web, you need to be logged in to favorite ., create a new account.

Your name: * Required

Your email address: * Required

Pick a user name: * Required

Username: * Required

Password: * Required

Forgot your password?    Retrieve it

The Web's Largest Resource for

Phrases, verbs & idioms, a member of the stands4 network, alternative searches for tour :.

  • Search for tour on Amazon

Are you a phrases master?

All's fair in love and ____________., browse phrases.com.

Kenyan tour guide rescues 14 tourists after devastating floods crash through the Maasai Mara

James Apolloh Omenya tells Sky News how he led tourists to safety after waking up to find his tent was "floating". Flooding and landslides have left more than 200 people dead in the West African nation.

Friday 3 May 2024 17:41, UK

One of the vehicles on the camp was almost completely submerged. Pic: Pic: James Apolloh Omenya

A Kenyan tour guide has rescued 14 tourists after heavy rains caused devastating floodwaters to crash through the Maasai Mara national reserve.

James Apolloh Omenya's quick thinking also helped rescue 25 staff members at the Talek Bush Camp in the wilderness reserve in southwestern Kenya .

The West African nation has been battered by heavy downpours since rainy season started in March.

Flooding and landslides have killed more than 200 people and destroyed homes, roads and infrastructure across the country.

Mr Omenya was asleep in his tent at the camp on Wednesday when his driver woke him up at around 1.20am local time to warn him of heavy rainfall and flooding.

"When I woke up our tent was literally floating," he told Sky News.

"We stepped out of the tent and after a short while the water was reaching up to our waists."

More on Kenya

tour related idioms

Kenya: Dozens killed after dam collapses as floods cause widespread devastation

A girl wades through flood waters after the Nairobi river burst its banks and destroyed their home within the Mathare valley settlement. Pic: Reuters

Devastating flooding in east Africa claims dozens of lives and displaces thousands

FILE - Kenya's military chief General Francis Ogolla is dressed in full uniform at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 14, 2023. Ogolla died in a helicopter crash west of the country, President William Ruto announced Thursday, April 18, 2024, evening and declared three days of national mourning. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File)

Head of Kenya's military General Francis Ogolla among nine killed in helicopter crash

Related Topics:

Realising the danger the fast-flowing water posed to tourists and staff members at the camp, Mr Omenya woke them up before leading them all to a single room where they were more safe.

However, when he looked outside, Mr Omenya could see the water level was going to keep rising and felt the room wasn't going to keep them dry for much longer.

"I realised we needed to get everyone to a higher platform.

"It was still raining, the water level was rising and some of the tourists looked extremely worried.

"In the camp there are concrete water tankers that are about 27ft (8.2m) above the ground on a platform - so I went and got a ladder and moved it up next to the tank."

The tourists keep dry next to the water tanks. Pic: James Apolloh Omenya

The group of tourists, which included three people from the UK, were finally rescued by the Kenya Red Cross at around 10.40am local time on Wednesday morning.

Some were flown to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, while others chose to stay in the Maasai Mara to attempt to finish their trip.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Mr Omenya said: "You have to stay calm in a crisis and put people's safety first.

"I love God, and by saving someone's life you are saving humanity."

Read more Sky News: Dozens killed after dam collapses in Kenya At least 29 killed in Brazil floods

Pic: James Apolloh Omenya  stands a rescue helicopter that come to collect stranded people. Pic: James Apolloh Omenya

The 14 tourists were among around 110 people the Kenya Red Cross said it rescued in the reserve after more than a dozen hotels, lodges and camps were flooded due to the downpours.

The flooding came after a river within the Maasai Mara broke its banks early Wednesday.

Mr Omenya said two 4x4s and two saloon cars used by the Talek Bush Camp were completely submerged - with one carried around 150m down the road before it hit a bush and stopped.

James Apolloh Omenya, second from right, with Narok County governor Patrick Ole Ntutu, third from right, and tourists after the rescue effort. Pic: James Apolloh Omenya

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Tourists evacuated from Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve amid flooding and heavy rains

The reserve, in southwest Kenya, is a popular tourist destination and features the annual wildebeest migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania.

The flooding could have a significant impact on the park's ecosystem - affecting animals through drowning as well as disrupting habitats, food sources and water sources, the Nation news service in Kenya reports.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

tour related idioms

Narok County Natural Resources Network chairperson Nicholas Ole Murero has said giraffes and gazelles have been most affected.

Kenya is bracing for rainfall this week.

Kenyan President William Ruto has said "meteorological reports paint a dire picture," citing the possibility of Cyclone Hidaya hitting coastal Kenya in the coming days.

The cyclone is expected to make landfall in Tanzania, Kenya's southern neighbour, on Saturday.

Related Topics

  • Search Please fill out this field.
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Newsletters
  • Sweepstakes

See Inside Benny Blanco’s Playful L.A. Home — Plus, Where He Makes Girlfriend Selena Gomez’s Favorite Drink

The mega-successful music producer showed off his "kooky" and eclectic Los Angeles home in a tour with Architectural Digest

Charlotte Phillipp is a Weekend Writer-Reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024, and was previously an entertainment reporter at The Messenger.

tour related idioms

Selena Gomez/Instagram;Jenna Peffley/Architectural Digest

Songwriter extraordinaire Benny Blanco is all about personality — especially when it comes to his 1939 Los Angeles house.

In a home tour with Architectural Digest published May 1, Blanco, 36, showed off his colorful, playful L.A. abode, complete with features like custom reupholstered 15-seater couches with crazy designs, 1970s club speakers and art from the likes of Picasso and Martin Wong.

In the nearly 15-minute tour , the music producer shows off his vintage-inspired living room, full of gifts and collectors' items.

Jenna Peffley / Architectural Digest

"I just feel like there's so much energy in this room. Oh my God, I sound like one of those people," he says with a laugh. "Oh my God, that's crazy. I'm not one of those people... there's not, like, a crystal up my butt right now."

"I really do believe in, like, energy of, like, artwork and music and places and I dunno, it makes me feel good when I'm in this room and I can kind of just, like, forget about the outside world for a second, and then be flooded with anxiety the second I leave this room," he adds.

One of his favorite rooms in the house, Blanco says, is his stone white kitchen, full of cookbooks and eclectic decorations.

"Honestly, this is the room we spend the most amount of time in," he says, referencing his upcoming cookbook Open Wide and the many celebrity chefs he's hosted over the years.

In another clip, the songwriter, who has worked with artists including Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Kesha, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Kanye West, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber over the course of his career, opens up about his relationship with Selena Gomez — and the drink he always makes for her at his vintage-inspired bar station.

"My girlfriend actually only drinks one drink, no matter what," he says of Gomez, 31. "It's just vodka, ginger beer, and lime."

Blanco also goes on to show off his collection of liquors to AD, including homemade amaros that "taste like chocolate," and even his prized possession: a massive custom-built brick pizza oven from Gozney that reads: "Blanco."

"I'm the type of person where, when a friend comes over to my house and they're like, 'Oh, I really love this one amaro,'" he says. "The next time they come, I try to make sure that there's, like, a bottle ice cold waiting for them. And honestly, I either want to be like a gentleman or be like I'm in a frat house and be taking, like, jello shots outta someone's stomach."

Blanco and Gomez  publicly confirmed their romance  in early December, but have known each other for years before they started dating in June 2023. As early as 2019, they collaborated on the music video for Tainy and J Balvin's song "I Can't Get Enough."

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

As for his eccentric-yet-comfy L.A. abode, Blanco says he hopes his guests can feel at home despite the crazy design features.

"I know the house is kooky," Blanco acknowledged in the magazine's article about his home. "One time, a friend told me, 'I love coming over to your house because I feel like I can just let go and be my true self.' That’s exactly what I’m going for here."

Related Articles

Luke Bryan's Farm Tour visits Westmoreland County in September

Mike Palm

Mike Palm is a TribLive digital producer who also writes music reviews and features. A Westmoreland County native, he joined the Trib in 2001, where he spent years on the sports copy desk, including serving as night sports editor. He has been with the multimedia staff since 2013. He can be reached at [email protected] .

Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

Get Ad-Free >

TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.

News Spotlight

  • How to Build Confidence in Kids Through Martial Arts Training Norwin Ninjas Partner News
  • Spring Hiking near Foggy Mountain Lodge Foggy Mountain Lodge Partner News
  • European court upholds Italy's right to seize prized Greek bronze from Getty Museum, rejects appeal AP
  • Gov. Shapiro, once Pa.'s top cop, backs inmate's appeal of life sentence for felony murder TribLive
  • Briefs: Acting assistant principal named TribArchive
  • West Mifflin native Logan Cooley named finalist for Hobey Baker Memorial Award TribLive
  • 6th-round pick Logan Lee figures to provide durability, maturity to Steelers D-line TribLive
  • Choosing the Perfect Lodge for Your Stay at Foggy Mountain Foggy Mountain Lodge Partner News
  • Are Ceramic Coatings Good For Your Car's Paint? Elusive Auto Shine Partner News
  • How to Choose a Trustworthy Contractor: 4 Essential Tips Highlander Waterproofing and Foundation Repair Partner News

5 things to do in Westmoreland: May 3-5

an image, when javascript is unavailable

Rolling Stones Kick-Start ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Tour With Thrilling Houston Concert

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

Over the past couple of decades, the Rolling Stones have looked for any reason to hit the road besides the release of a new album of original songs. They’ve launched tours celebrating their 50th anniversary, reissues of select archival records, the 2016 covers LP Blue & Lonesome , and their 60th anniversary. Some years they headed out on the stadium circuit for no particular reason whatsoever, knowing a Stones tour is a major event in and of itself.

The first step was Houston’s NRG Stadium on Sunday night. After a strong opening set by Gary Clark Jr. that centered around his new LP, JPEG Raw , the band took the stage to the familiar opening notes of “Start Me Up.” This is the first time Mick Jagger has faced a stadium crowd since his 80th birthday last year, but his voice and body seem like they stopped aging sometime around Steel Wheels . It’s almost impossible to fully believe until you see it in person. (“People say Joe Biden is too old to be president,” an elderly woman behind me said early in the night. “They need to look at Mick!”)

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history.

He wasn’t kidding. The 1965 Aftermath track wasn’t played live once until their 2022 European tour, and this was the first time it crossed the Atlantic. But it’s not something you hear much on classic rock radio, and the audience reaction was pretty muted at first. “I don’t think you really knew it,” Jagger said at the end. “But you got to know it as it went along.”

The Hackney Diamonds portion of the evening began at this point with leadoff single “Angry,” which popped onstage much like it did during their surprise album release show at the New York club Racket last year. “Beast of Burden” won the fan vote for the night, and it provided veteran backup Stones singer Bernard Fowler with a much-deserved spotlight moment. “You’ve got one more vote in November,” Jagger said. “Don’t forget to vote then too. What to play now? Something old … something new.”

Rolling Stones Unveil 'Hackney Diamonds' Edition of Band's Crossfire Hurricane Rum

Neil young stuns at 2024 tour launch, unveils lost 'cortez the killer' verse, billie eilish, lorde, green day among artists to sign letter in support of ticketing reform act.

At the midway point of every Rolling Stones concert in recent memory, Jagger introduces the band one by one before heading offstage so Keith Richards can sing a couple of songs. For some reason, perhaps to squeeze more new songs into the set without cutting any of the standards, Richards was limited to just a single tune. He made it count by singing 1981’s “Little T & A” for the first time since 2016, though it was disappointing he didn’t get a chance to break out “Tell Me Straight” from Hackney Diamonds . It feels inevitable that’ll happen before this tour ends.

Jagger returned for “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Gimme Shelter,” which gave new background singer Chanel Haynes a chance to emerge from the wings and show off her stunning pipes. She first entered Stones World in 2022 when Sasha Allen, their previous background singer, couldn’t make a Milan show. Haynes was playing the lead role in the West End musical Tina at the time, and she parachuted in at the last second to save the show. This frustrated the producers of Tina , who fired her for handing the show off to her understudy that night when she wasn’t ill, but it impressed the Stones enough to hire her for this tour.

The main set wrapped up with “Honky Tonk Women,” “Miss You,” “Paint It Black,” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” These are songs they’ve done hundreds and hundreds of times for good reason. The hardcores may yearn for deeper cuts like “Memory Motel” or “Moonlight Mile,” but Jagger knows they’d cause many people to sit down and start scrolling through Instagram. And when you have a song like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” in your repertoire, you simply have to play it every time you do a gig.

“Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” one of the finest songs on Hackney Diamonds , kicked off the brief encore set. If it wasn’t challenging enough to channel Merry Clayton a few songs back, Haynes had to now deliver Lady Gaga’s soaring vocal parts from the original recording. Unsurprisingly, she crushed it. For a moment, it really felt like witnessing a scene from some alternate-universe version of A Star Is Born.

The night closed out with a joyous “Satisfaction,” meaning they played just three songs from Hackney Diamonds. That’s typical for a tour in support of a latter-day Rolling Stones album, but this one really deserved more. They dropped “Midnight Rambler,” one of the Richards songs, and the acoustic set to make room for the three new ones in the show, but it be worth further restructuring to squeeze in “Whole Wide World,” “Bite My Head Off,” and “Tell Me Straight.” These are stellar songs that deserve a spot in the set, even if it means tossing aside “Paint It Black” or “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” sometimes.

Randy Travis Lost Most of His Speech in 2013. How Did He Record a New Song?

Kendrick lamar comes back for more on his second drake diss track this week '6:16 in la', dua lipa finds her bliss on 'radical optimism', watch kate hudson's soulful performance of 'gonna find out' on 'fallon'.

The Rolling Stones’ 4/28/24 Set List in Houston

“Start Me Up” “Get Off of My Cloud” “Rock Off” “Out of Time” “Angry” “Beast of Burden” “Mess It Up” “Tumbling Dice” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” “Little T & A” “Sympathy for the Devil” “Gimme Shelter” “Honky Tonk Women” “Miss You” “Paint It Black” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” “Satisfaction”

Ghostface Killah and Nas Team up for the First Time in Decades on ‘Scar Tissue’

  • Together Again
  • By Andre Gee

Donna Summer’s Widower on Suing Kanye West for 'I Feel Love' Sample: 'Wrong Is Still Wrong'

  • 'Not About Money'
  • By Tomás Mier

Kendrick Lamar, Dua Lipa, Danny Ocean, and All the Songs You Need to Know

  • By Rolling Stone

Randy Travis's New Song Recreates His Voice With AI Technology

  • By Ethan Millman

Morgan Wallen's Chair-Throwing Case Will Continue in August

  • Chair Trial
  • By Jon Blistein

Most Popular

Ethan hawke lost the oscar for 'training day' and denzel washington whispered in his ear that losing was better: 'you don't want an award to improve your status', abc news meteorologist rob marciano out at the network, king charles’ latest appearance has body language experts predicting a 'problem' in future events, ed orgeron divorce court finds loophole in ‘binding’ term sheet, you might also like, ‘night court’ renewed for season 3 at nbc, j.crew just released a limited-edition collab with the westminster kennel club dog show that’s selling out in a flash, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, the 20 best ‘sex and the city’ episodes, sportico transactions: moves and mergers roundup for may 3.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

How Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Relationship Has Changed After Spending Tour Break Together

preview for Taylor Swift’s Iconic Career Evolution

As Taylor Swift gets ready for the next leg of her international Eras Tour, she is also preparing to part ways with boyfriend Travis Kelce again. The pair have been dating since 2023, and have had to manage very different and distant obligations. Luckily, a source says that “all the time they’ve spent together recently” in between tour dates has “deepened their bond.”

The source added that the couple took “a trip up the California coast” after Swift’s new album release of The Tortured Poets Department to “celebrate privately,” saying, “They’re making the most of the time they have together.”

The pair were not entirely alone—they were seen in Carmel-by-the-Sea with friends Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper, as well as Kelce’s mom, Donna.

Another source previously said that during this break from work, the pair were “focused on rest and recuperation and relaxing at home and having low-key and chill time together.”

“They are enjoying movie nights in her home theater, catching up on films and shows they’ve missed,” they continued, explaining that the couple is working on “scheduling” the upcoming long distance and their various projects so that they can “see each other as much as possible” because they “don’t want to spend too much time apart.”

Kelce is spending the NFL offseason in Los Angeles after the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win in February, taking time to see Swift in both Singapore and Australia when she was performing. He is currently filming a new game show called Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity.

Celebrity News 2024

celebrities attend the 2023 us open tennis championships day 9

Ryan Gosling & Eva Mendes Through the Years

anya taylor joy

Anya Taylor-Joy Channels Athena at Premiere

ryan gosling and eva mendes

Ryan Gosling Reacts to Eva Mendes’ Interview

taylor swift in new york city on september 13, 2023

Taylor Wore 2 Chic Minidresses in Vegas

princess charlotte

Kate Took Photo for Charlotte’s 9th Birthday

a man and woman

Kim and Odell’s Rumored Relationship Timeline

selena gomez at rare beauty's mental health summit

Selena Gomez Speaks at Rare Beauty Summit

a man and woman in formal wear

Why Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr. Broke Up

bottega veneta front row milan fashion week womenswear fallwinter 2024 2025

All About Julianne Moore’s Husband Bart Freundlich

'game of thrones' tv show premiere, arrivals, los angeles, usa 12 jul 2017

All About Jacob Anderson’s Wife, Aisling Loftus

hbo max post emmys reception party

All About Theo James’ Wife, Ruth Kearney

Kendrick Lamar '6:16 In LA,' Conspiracies Swirl Around New Drake Diss

Kendrick Lamar '6:16 In LA,' Conspiracies Swirl Around New Drake Diss

Kendrick Lamar Drops 2nd Drake Diss '6:16 In L.A.,' Fires On Akademiks Too

Kendrick Lamar Drops 2nd Drake Diss '6:16 In L.A.,' Fires On Akademiks Too

Jess Hilarious Digs Up Gillie Da Kid's 'Chicken Man' Past After Kendrick Jab

Jess Hilarious Digs Up Gillie Da Kid's 'Chicken Man' Past After Kendrick Jab

Kendrick Lamar's Drake Diss, 'Euphoria' Played During NBA Playoffs

Kendrick Lamar's Drake Diss, 'Euphoria' Played During NBA Playoffs

Mariah The Scientist Arrested for Brawl in Atlanta Lounge

Mariah The Scientist Arrested for Brawl in Atlanta Lounge

Nicki minaj brings out cyndi lauper for 'pink friday girls' duet, nicki minaj & cyndi lauper pink friday girls ... just wanna have fun 💞.

Nicki Minaj pulled out all the stops with surprise guests at her New York homecoming 'Pink Friday 2' tour stop but no one expected her grand reveal -- the one and only Cyndi Lauper !!!

The iconic singer shocked the Barclays Center, full of Barbs on Wednesday night, as Nicki brought the house down performing “Pink Friday Girls.”

Cyndi’s style is still as eclectic as ever … she hit the stage with a multi-colored graffiti jacket and her signature spiky hairdo.

Nicki’s record samples Cyndi’s classic “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment to see her step in with her own golden vocals!!!

When it was all said and done, both artists shared a big hug and a moment of mutual respect and appreciation ... but, ultimately, Nicki bowed graciously to thank her special guest for joining her onstage. She also told the crowd what an inspiration Cyndi had been to her.

Young M.A. , Kai Cenat and Pepa from Salt N Pepa were also in the building.

A great night for Gag City!!!

  • Share on Facebook

related articles

tour related idioms

Nicki Minaj Hurls Object Back into Crowd After Almost Getting Hit in Face

tour related idioms

Nicki Minaj's Husband Begs Court to Let Him Go on Tour with Her Outside U.S.

Old news is old news be first.

IMAGES

  1. English is FUNtastic: 10 travel-inspired Idioms

    tour related idioms

  2. 12 Idioms Based On Travel

    tour related idioms

  3. The 30 Most Useful Idioms and their Meaning

    tour related idioms

  4. The 30 Most Useful Idioms and their Meaning

    tour related idioms

  5. TRAVEL Idioms: 60+ Useful Transport and Travel Idioms in English

    tour related idioms

  6. 50+ List of Idioms with Meaning and Examples PDF

    tour related idioms

VIDEO

  1. Idioms connected with Machines (#276)

  2. cake related idioms 🎂✨#viral #idioms #english #youtubeshorts @alisons_daily

  3. 100 idioms in themes. German idioms. Part 14. Transport

  4. I’m in the desert, so it’s time to learn the related idioms 🤩🙌🏼🇦🇪 #english#idioms#ielts#words

  5. Food Related Idioms #idioms #englishidioms #englishidiom #idiom

  6. Music Related Idioms Lesson #ielts #ieltsspeaking #ieltspreparation #idioms

COMMENTS

  1. 10 Idioms Tour Guides Use

    1. travel light: Don't pack a lot of items. Bring only what you need. Please travel light tomorrow. We have a lot of walking to do. 2. hit the road: Depart. Begin a tour. We'll hit the road as soon as the bus driver arrives. 3. off track OR off the beaten path: wrong way; away from the main road or route.

  2. 30 Inspiring travel idioms you won't want to miss

    Find some more money-related idioms here. Hit a roadblock. This is a saying with two meanings. An actual roadblock is something used by the police to stop the illegal activity of a driver. As a travel-related idiom, to hit a roadblock refers to something getting in the way and stopping you from making progress in a project.

  3. 30 Idioms for Travel

    3. "To Pack One's Bags" - Preparing for a Trip. Meaning: Getting ready to leave for a journey. In a Sentence: She took a day off work to pack her bags for the spontaneous weekend trip. 4. "To Be on a Roll" - Experiencing Successes. Meaning: Having a series of successful events or experiences.

  4. 60 Best Travel-related Idioms

    Travel-Related Idioms Traveling is an adventure that exposes us to different cultures, customs, and languages. This listing will help you to use language that. ... The tour guide went the extra mile to make the tourists' experience memorable, arranging special surprises along the way. 6.

  5. 115 Idioms About Travel: What They Mean & How To Use Them

    Catch The Red-Eye. Catching the red-eye is one of the idioms about travel we have all experienced at least once. This means taking a flight leaving late at night. Example: "Since I am catching a red-eye I will be sure to stay awake so I can sleep on the plane.".

  6. The Most Interesting Travel Idioms And Expressions

    In this post, you'll find the most popular travel idioms and expressions, as well as their meaning. Contents hide. Bump in the road. Break the journey. Hit the road. Hit the beach. Jet set. To be on track. To have itchy feet.

  7. 90+ Travel Idioms: Fun Ways to Talk About Traveling and Adventures

    Itchy Feet. Meaning: A strong desire to travel and see new places. Example: "She's had itchy feet ever since her return from Europe.". On the Fly. Meaning: Doing something quickly without much preparation. Example: "We booked the hotel on the fly, without any prior planning.". Jump on the Bandwagon.

  8. Travel idioms and expressions

    We have flown through 20 travel idioms and expressions that are frequently used by native English speakers. Let these idioms and expressions inspire your next adventure and serve as a reminder of the wonderful memories created along the way. Tip: We recommend learning new vocabulary by topic, and to create examples that help you to remember new ...

  9. 24 Action and adventure idioms to explore (with examples)

    Set sail. You might use this adventure idiom when you are beginning a trip on a boat or ship. However, set sail can be used in a broader sense to refer to starting any kind of adventure. "The explorers set sail to discover new lands beyond the horizon.". Find some more water-related idioms here.

  10. Travel-related idioms for your next holiday to an English ...

    To pack everything but the kitchen sink. This idiom is the exact opposite of "travelling light": it's for you if you can't resist bringing a much larger number of things than is necessary. "If you are a lazy traveler or someone who packs everything but the kitchen sink, you are in luck.". Break the journey.

  11. Journey Through Language: 8 Idioms for Travel Enthusiasts

    Travelers and language lovers, embark on a linguistic adventure with these 8 English idioms for travel. Discover the meaning and examples of these idioms, and deepen your understanding of the colorful and vibrant English language. So pack your bags and let's set sail on this linguistic journey!

  12. English idioms by theme

    Idioms: Travel and Transport-1from: 'jump on the bandwagon' to: 'hit the road'. jump on the bandwagon. If a person or organisation jumps on the bandwagon, they decide to do something when it is already successful or fashionable. "When organic food became popular, certain stores were quick to jump on the bandwagon and promote it."

  13. 9 Common Idioms about Travel

    Idioms about Travel. 1. Off the beaten track. A place or route that is far away from where many people live. The explorers have just found a village off the beaten track. I want to stay on that island for all of summer vacation because it's off the beaten track. I don't want to be disturbed by the crowd. Finding a campsite off the beaten ...

  14. 100 Idioms: Meanings & Examples

    Here are 100 common English idioms with meanings and example sentences: Download this lesson. 1. A blessing in disguise. 00:00. 00:00. Meaning: Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be good. Example: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it pushed me to start my own business. 2.

  15. English Idioms for Traveling

    An example of this may be a tour through forests, beaches, woods, or jungle areas. This doesn't mean that there are dangers, necessarily, but this means that these places may not be typical places for tourists to venture to. ... Here are 40+ idioms related to communication that you are likely to come across. How many of the idioms are you ...

  16. All around the world: Country-related idioms and phrases in English

    Choosing your next summer holiday destination is not easy - there are too many wonderful places to choose from. If you need a source of inspiration and at the same time you'd like to expand your English vocabulary, our list of English idioms and phrases related to nations and countries will surely come in handy! "It's all Greek to me"

  17. The 86 most inspirational travel proverbs

    The most inspirational travel quotes. 1. "Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things: air, sleep, dreams, sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of ...

  18. Tour

    go on tour To travel to many different locations to give a specific performance. The band announced that they would be going on tour this spring across Europe to promote their latest album. Our play is going on tour to the West Coast for six weeks this fall. See also: go, on, tour grand tour 1. An extended tour or sightseeing trip in, through, or across ...

  19. 90 English Tourism Vocabulary Words and Phrases [With Sample ...

    90 English Tourism Vocabulary Words and Phrases [With Sample Dialogues] English is the most common language used in the international tourism industry. People who work in the tourism industry use it to communicate with tourists from all over the world. If you work in tourism or hope to find a job in the industry, it helps to know the right ...

  20. Common idioms & expressions used in tourism Flashcards

    Created by. TB_learn. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like travel light, hit the road, off track and more.

  21. Phrases that contain the word: tour

    Phrases related to: tour Yee yee! We've found 17 phrases and idioms matching tour. Sort: Relevancy A - Z. à chacun son tour: Every dog has his day; Now it is my turn. Rate it: (0.00 / 0 votes) c'est la tour de Babel: Lieu, assemblée où tout le monde parle à la fois et sans s'entendre, où règne une grande confusion d'opinions et de ...

  22. Tour Words

    Ultimately, the words related to tour encapsulate the essence of travel - the thrill, the beauty, the connection, and the growth. They invite us to embark on new journeys and explore the richness of our world. So, let us embrace these words and let them guide us on our next adventure, as we unravel the mysteries that lie beyond our doorstep.

  23. Kenyan tour guide rescues 14 tourists after devastating floods crash

    A Kenyan tour guide has rescued 14 tourists after heavy rains caused devastating floodwaters to crash through the Maasai Mara national reserve. James Apolloh Omenya's quick thinking also helped ...

  24. See Inside Benny Blanco's Playful L.A. Home

    In a home tour with Architectural Digest published May 1, Blanco, 36, showed off his colorful, playful L.A. abode, complete with features like custom reupholstered 15-seater couches with crazy ...

  25. Luke Bryan's Farm Tour visits Westmoreland County in September

    Luke Bryan is coming to Westmoreland County this fall. The country music star's annual Farm Tour will visit Cunningham Family Farm in South Huntingdon on Sept. 28. The farm is located at 355 ...

  26. Rolling Stones Start 'Hackney Diamonds' Tour in Houston

    Related Neil Young Stuns at 2024 Tour Launch, Unveils Lost 'Cortez the Killer' Verse Billie Eilish, Lorde, Green Day Among Artists to Sign Letter in Support of Ticketing Reform Act

  27. How Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Relationship Has Changed After

    As Taylor Swift gets ready for the next leg of her international Eras Tour, she is also preparing to part ways with boyfriend Travis Kelce again. The pair have been dating since 2023, and have had ...

  28. Nicki Minaj Brings Out Cyndi Lauper for 'Pink Friday Girls' Duet

    Nicki Minaj pulled out all the stops with surprise guests at her New York homecoming 'Pink Friday 2' tour stop but no one expected her grand reveal -- the one and only Cyndi Lauper!!!