Expand your IELTS vocabulary – Travel & Holidays

travel documents

Once I forgot my travel documents and I missed my flight.

air/rail/space travel

Air travel today is easier and more affordable than ever before.

overseas/international/foreign travel 

International travel allows us to see the world and learn about different cultures. 

leisure/holiday travel

In my experience, holiday travel with small children is often stressful.

travel arrangements/plans 

Making travel arrangements requires thorough planning: choosing travel dates, making reservations and planning activities.

travel agency/agent

I have used travel agencies to help me plan trips in the past, but I prefer to do it myself.

travel abroad

Travelling abroad has made me better appreciate my home country.

travel on business

As a sales representative, I have to travel on business from time to time.

travel to (somewhere)

I’ve always wanted to travel to Australia.

travel around/across/through (somewhere)

We travelled through Portugal and into Spain.

travel by air/train/car/on foot

We decided to travel by train since none of us wanted to drive.

travel light

I always try to travel light.

travel the world

I wish I could travel the world.

go on/have/take a holiday

I haven’t taken a holiday since I started my own business.

holiday destination

In my opinion, tropical islands make for the best holiday destinations.

holiday arrangements/plans

I believe that proper holiday arrangements are essential to making sure that everything goes smoothly on your holiday.

holiday photos/pictures

People are often more concerned about taking the perfect holiday photo than enjoying the moment.

summer holiday

Summer holidays are usually enjoyable and fun-filled.

camping/skiing holiday

I learned to ski on my first skiing holiday in Canada.

holiday in (somewhere)

We are holidaying in Mexico this year.

campground (or campsite)

noun

a place where people can camp when on holiday

forest/beach/lake/ mountain/river campground, family campground

What I like the most about spending the summers in BC is its many beautiful family campgrounds.

/ˈkæmp.ɡraʊnd/

touristy

adjective

a place where a lot of tourists go and it has many things for them to buy and do (often seen as something negative)

touristy area/place/town

My hometown used to be a pretty little town, but now it’s become very touristy.

/ˈtʊr.ɪ.sti/

ecotourism

noun

going on holiday to places of natural beauty in a way that causes less damage to the environment

ecotourism industry, ecotourism destination, encourage ecotourism,

The ecotourism industry keeps growing as more and more people become aware of how damaging tourism can be to the environment.

/ˈiː.koʊˌtʊr.ɪ.zəm/

book

verb

to arrange to have a seat, room, etc. at a specific time in the future

book a flight/tickets/seats/a room, book early/in advance, book in/into (somewhere), be  booked up/be fully booked

We wanted to stay at a hotel downtown but they were fully booked.

/bʊk/

in season (antonym: out of season)

noun

at the time of year when people want to travel or take a holiday

other collocations with ‘season’: 

holiday/summer/tourist season, high season, low season, off-season

Naturally, hotel rooms are much more expensive in season.

/ˈsiː.zən/

rental

noun

an arrangement to rent something such as a house, car or bike

house/property rental, car/bike/boat rental, rental company

When planning a holiday, I always look for house rentals near the city.

/ˈren.t̬əl/