🌍 Vacation

⏱ 15 min read

In this lesson you will learn useful everyday English vocabulary and expressions for talking about vacations, planning trips, describing travel experiences, and discussing activities while you're away. Each English word or phrase includes a simple meaning plus translations in several languages.

🟢 Basic Vacation Vocabulary

🏖️ Vacation
time away from work or school for rest or travel
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Vacaciones
🇫🇷 French: Vacances
🇩🇪 German: Urlaub
🇮🇹 Italian: Vacanza / Vacanze
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Férias
✈️ Trip / Journey
going from one place to another
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Viaje
🇫🇷 French: Voyage / Trajet
🇩🇪 German: Reise
🇮🇹 Italian: Viaggio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Viagem
🏨 Hotel
a place where visitors stay overnight
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hotel
🇫🇷 French: Hôtel
🇩🇪 German: Hotel
🇮🇹 Italian: Hotel
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Hotel
🧳 Luggage
the bags you take when you travel
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Equipaje
🇫🇷 French: Bagages
🇩🇪 German: Gepäck
🇮🇹 Italian: Bagaglio
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Bagagem
📸 Photo
a picture you take with a camera or phone
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Foto
🇫🇷 French: Photo
🇩🇪 German: Foto
🇮🇹 Italian: Foto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Foto
🗺️ Map
a drawing that shows where places are
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Mapa
🇫🇷 French: Carte
🇩🇪 German: Karte
🇮🇹 Italian: Mappa
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Mapa

🟡 Tourism & Activities Vocabulary

🏝️ Island
land with water all around it
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Isla
🇫🇷 French: Île
🇩🇪 German: Insel
🇮🇹 Italian: Isola
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Ilha
🌊 Beach
sand next to the sea
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Playa
🇫🇷 French: Plage
🇩🇪 German: Strand
🇮🇹 Italian: Spiaggia
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Praia
🏛️ Museum
a place where you can see art or history
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Museo
🇫🇷 French: Musée
🇩🇪 German: Museum
🇮🇹 Italian: Museo
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Museu
🍽️ Restaurant
a place where you sit down and eat a meal
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Restaurante
🇫🇷 French: Restaurant
🇩🇪 German: Restaurant
🇮🇹 Italian: Ristorante
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Restaurante
🎟️ Ticket
a pass that lets you enter or travel
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Boleto / Billete
🇫🇷 French: Billet
🇩🇪 German: Ticket / Eintrittskarte
🇮🇹 Italian: Biglietto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Bilhete / Ingresso
🚶 Tourist
a person visiting a place for pleasure
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Turista
🇫🇷 French: Touriste
🇩🇪 German: Tourist / Touristin
🇮🇹 Italian: Turista
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Turista

🔵 Travel & Vacation Actions

✈️ To travel
to go from one place to another
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Viajar
🇫🇷 French: Voyager
🇩🇪 German: Reisen
🇮🇹 Italian: Viaggiare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Viajar
🧳 To pack
to put clothes and things into a bag
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Hacer la maleta
🇫🇷 French: Faire sa valise
🇩🇪 German: Packen
🇮🇹 Italian: Fare le valigie
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Fazer a mala
🏨 To book / reserve
to arrange a hotel or ticket in advance
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Reservar
🇫🇷 French: Réserver
🇩🇪 German: Buchen / Reservieren
🇮🇹 Italian: Prenotare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Reservar
🏛️ To visit
to go and see a place
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Visitar
🇫🇷 French: Visiter
🇩🇪 German: Besuchen
🇮🇹 Italian: Visitare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Visitar
📸 To take photos
to make pictures with a camera or phone
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Tomar fotos / Sacar fotos
🇫🇷 French: Prendre des photos
🇩🇪 German: Fotos machen
🇮🇹 Italian: Scattare foto
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tirar fotos
🗺️ To explore
to look around a new place
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Explorar / Recorrer
🇫🇷 French: Explorer
🇩🇪 German: Erkunden
🇮🇹 Italian: Esplorare
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Explorar

🧠 Talking About Vacations and Travel

💡 Use be on vacation to say that someone is on vacation.
We are on vacation on the coast.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Estamos de vacaciones en la costa.
🇫🇷 Nous sommes en vacances sur la côte.
🇩🇪 Wir sind an der Küste im Urlaub.
🇮🇹 Siamo in vacanza sulla costa.
🇵🇹 Estamos de férias na costa.
My parents are on vacation this week.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Mis padres están de vacaciones esta semana.
🇫🇷 Mes parents sont en vacances cette semaine.
🇩🇪 Meine Eltern sind diese Woche im Urlaub.
🇮🇹 I miei genitori sono in vacanza questa settimana.
🇵🇹 Os meus pais estão de férias esta semana.
💡 Use going to + verb to talk about travel plans you are going to do.
We are going to visit several towns during the trip.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Vamos a visitar varios pueblos durante el viaje.
🇫🇷 Nous allons visiter plusieurs villages pendant le voyage.
🇩🇪 Wir werden während der Reise mehrere Orte besuchen.
🇮🇹 Andremo a visitare diversi paesi durante il viaggio.
🇵🇹 Vamos visitar várias vilas durante a viagem.
I'm going to book the hotel tonight.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Voy a reservar el hotel esta noche.
🇫🇷 Je vais réserver l'hôtel ce soir.
🇩🇪 Ich werde das Hotel heute Abend buchen.
🇮🇹 Prenoterò l'hotel stasera.
🇵🇹 Vou reservar o hotel esta noite.
💡 Use be in to talk about your current location and go to to talk about your destination.
We are in Madrid.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Estamos en Madrid.
🇫🇷 Nous sommes à Madrid.
🇩🇪 Wir sind in Madrid.
🇮🇹 Siamo a Madrid.
🇵🇹 Estamos em Madrid.
Tomorrow we're going to Toledo.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Mañana vamos a Toledo.
🇫🇷 Demain nous allons à Tolède.
🇩🇪 Morgen fahren wir nach Toledo.
🇮🇹 Domani andiamo a Toledo.
🇵🇹 Amanhã vamos a Toledo.

❓ Useful Vacation & Travel Questions

✈️ Where are you going on vacation?
asking about someone's holiday destination
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Adónde vas de vacaciones?
🇫🇷 French: Où vas-tu en vacances ?
🇩🇪 German: Wohin fährst du in den Urlaub?
🇮🇹 Italian: Dove vai in vacanza?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Para onde vais de férias?
🏨 Have you booked the hotel yet?
asking if the hotel is already reserved
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Ya reservaste el hotel?
🇫🇷 French: As-tu déjà réservé l'hôtel ?
🇩🇪 German: Hast du das Hotel schon gebucht?
🇮🇹 Italian: Hai già prenotato l'hotel?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Já reservaste o hotel?
🗓️ How long are you going to be there?
asking how many days the trip lasts
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Cuánto tiempo vas a estar allí?
🇫🇷 French: Combien de temps vas-tu y rester ?
🇩🇪 German: Wie lange wirst du dort sein?
🇮🇹 Italian: Quanto tempo ci starai?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Quanto tempo vais estar lá?
🗺️ What places do you want to visit during the trip?
asking which sights they plan to see
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Qué lugares quieres visitar durante el viaje?
🇫🇷 French: Quels endroits veux-tu visiter pendant le voyage ?
🇩🇪 German: Welche Orte möchtest du während der Reise besuchen?
🇮🇹 Italian: Quali posti vuoi visitare durante il viaggio?
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Que lugares queres visitar durante a viagem?

💬 Common Vacation Phrases

🏖️ We're spending a few days on vacation near the sea.
we are staying by the ocean for a short time
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Estamos pasando unos días de vacaciones cerca del mar.
🇫🇷 French: Nous passons quelques jours de vacances près de la mer.
🇩🇪 German: Wir verbringen ein paar Urlaubstage in der Nähe des Meeres.
🇮🇹 Italian: Stiamo passando alcuni giorni di vacanza vicino al mare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Estamos a passar alguns dias de férias perto do mar.
✈️ I'd like to visit a new country during my next vacation.
I want to travel to a country I have not seen
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Me gustaría conocer un país nuevo durante mis próximas vacaciones.
🇫🇷 French: J'aimerais découvrir un nouveau pays pendant mes prochaines vacances.
🇩🇪 German: Ich würde gerne während meines nächsten Urlaubs ein neues Land kennenlernen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Mi piacerebbe conoscere un nuovo paese durante le mie prossime vacanze.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Gostaria de conhecer um país novo durante as minhas próximas férias.
📸 We took photos of the places that caught our attention the most.
we photographed the sights we liked best
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Sacamos fotos de los lugares que más nos llamaron la atención.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons pris des photos des endroits qui ont le plus attiré notre attention.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben Fotos von den Orten gemacht, die uns am meisten aufgefallen sind.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo scattato foto dei posti che ci hanno colpito di più.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tiramos fotos dos lugares que mais nos chamaram a atenção.
🌊 We found a quiet beach away from the busiest tourist areas.
the beach was calm and not crowded
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Encontramos una playa tranquila lejos de las zonas más turísticas.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons trouvé une plage tranquille loin des zones les plus touristiques.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben einen ruhigen Strand gefunden, der von den belebtesten Touristengebieten entfernt liegt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo trovato una spiaggia tranquilla lontano dalle zone più turistiche.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Encontrámos uma praia tranquila longe das zonas mais turísticas.

💬 Everyday Conversations

Talking about vacation plans
saying you will spend a week on an island
A: Do you already know where you're going on vacation this summer?
B: Yes. We're going to spend a week on an island, and we want to explore it by car.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Ya sabes adónde vas a ir de vacaciones este verano?
🇪🇸 B: Sí. Vamos a pasar una semana en una isla y queremos recorrerla en coche.

🇫🇷 A: Tu sais déjà où tu vas en vacances cet été ?
🇫🇷 B: Oui. Nous allons passer une semaine sur une île et nous voulons la parcourir en voiture.

🇩🇪 A: Weißt du schon, wohin du diesen Sommer in den Urlaub fährst?
🇩🇪 B: Ja. Wir werden eine Woche auf einer Insel verbringen und wollen sie mit dem Auto erkunden.

🇮🇹 A: Sai già dove andrai in vacanza quest'estate?
🇮🇹 B: Sì. Passeremo una settimana su un'isola e vogliamo percorrerla in macchina.

🇵🇹 A: Já sabes para onde vais de férias este verão?
🇵🇹 B: Sim. Vamos passar uma semana numa ilha e queremos percorrê-la de carro.
Planning a day of sightseeing
planning a museum visit and lunch
A: What would you like to do tomorrow?
B: We can visit the museum in the morning and then look for a restaurant near downtown.
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 A: ¿Qué te gustaría hacer mañana?
🇪🇸 B: Podemos visitar el museo por la mañana y después buscar un restaurante cerca del centro.

🇫🇷 A: Qu'est-ce que tu aimerais faire demain ?
🇫🇷 B: On peut visiter le musée le matin et ensuite chercher un restaurant près du centre-ville.

🇩🇪 A: Was möchtest du morgen machen?
🇩🇪 B: Wir können morgens das Museum besuchen und danach ein Restaurant in der Nähe der Innenstadt suchen.

🇮🇹 A: Cosa ti piacerebbe fare domani?
🇮🇹 B: Possiamo visitare il museo al mattino e poi cercare un ristorante vicino al centro.

🇵🇹 A: O que gostarias de fazer amanhã?
🇵🇹 B: Podemos visitar o museu de manhã e depois procurar um restaurante perto do centro.

📝 Example Sentences

🏨 We chose a small hotel from which we could walk to the historic center.
the hotel was close enough to walk downtown
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Elegimos un hotel pequeño desde donde podíamos caminar hasta el centro histórico.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons choisi un petit hôtel d'où nous pouvions marcher jusqu'au centre historique.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben ein kleines Hotel gewählt, von dem aus wir zum historischen Zentrum laufen konnten.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo scelto un piccolo hotel da cui potevamo camminare fino al centro storico.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Escolhemos um hotel pequeno de onde podíamos caminhar até ao centro histórico.
🏛️ The visit to the museum lasted longer than expected because there was so much to see.
the museum visit took more time than we planned
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: La visita al museo duró más de lo esperado porque había mucho que ver.
🇫🇷 French: La visite du musée a duré plus longtemps que prévu parce qu'il y avait beaucoup à voir.
🇩🇪 German: Der Museumsbesuch hat länger gedauert als erwartet, weil es so viel zu sehen gab.
🇮🇹 Italian: La visita al museo è durata più del previsto perché c'era molto da vedere.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: A visita ao museu durou mais do que o esperado porque havia muito para ver.
🍽️ A local recommended a restaurant that wasn't listed in our guidebook.
someone from the area suggested a restaurant we did not know
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Una persona del lugar nos recomendó un restaurante que no aparecía en nuestra guía.
🇫🇷 French: Une personne du coin nous a recommandé un restaurant qui n'apparaissait pas dans notre guide.
🇩🇪 German: Ein Einheimischer hat uns ein Restaurant empfohlen, das nicht in unserem Reiseführer stand.
🇮🇹 Italian: Una persona del posto ci ha consigliato un ristorante che non appariva nella nostra guida.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Uma pessoa do local recomendou-nos um restaurante que não aparecia no nosso guia.
🧳 I try to travel with little luggage so I can get around more easily during the trip.
fewer bags make moving around easier
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Intento llevar poco equipaje para moverme con más facilidad durante el viaje.
🇫🇷 French: J'essaie de voyager avec peu de bagages pour me déplacer plus facilement pendant le voyage.
🇩🇪 German: Ich versuche, mit wenig Gepäck zu reisen, damit ich mich während der Reise leichter fortbewegen kann.
🇮🇹 Italian: Cerco di viaggiare con poco bagaglio per muovermi più facilmente durante il viaggio.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Tento viajar com pouca bagagem para me movimentar com mais facilidade durante a viagem.
🏝️ We explored much of the island and discovered several seaside towns.
we looked around the island and found towns by the sea
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Recorrimos gran parte de la isla y descubrimos varios pueblos junto al mar.
🇫🇷 French: Nous avons parcouru une grande partie de l'île et découvert plusieurs villages en bord de mer.
🇩🇪 German: Wir haben einen großen Teil der Insel erkundet und mehrere Orte am Meer entdeckt.
🇮🇹 Italian: Abbiamo percorso gran parte dell'isola e scoperto diversi paesi sul mare.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Percorremos grande parte da ilha e descobrimos várias vilas junto ao mar.
🗺️ Before leaving the hotel, we checked the map to decide which places to visit first.
we used a map to plan the first stops
Show translationsHide translations🇪🇸 Spanish: Antes de salir del hotel, revisamos el mapa para decidir qué lugares visitar primero.
🇫🇷 French: Avant de quitter l'hôtel, nous avons regardé la carte pour décider quels endroits visiter en premier.
🇩🇪 German: Bevor wir das Hotel verließen, haben wir die Karte überprüft, um zu entscheiden, welche Orte wir zuerst besuchen.
🇮🇹 Italian: Prima di uscire dall'hotel, abbiamo controllato la mappa per decidere quali posti visitare per primi.
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Antes de sair do hotel, revermos o mapa para decidir que lugares visitar primeiro.

🏆 Final Practice

English in the Real World:

Read the situation. Choose the best word or phrase from the lesson.
Question 1 of 8
✅ Correct: 0
❓ Questions: 0
🎯 Accuracy: 0%