Ever found yourself puzzled by travel terms or jargon that the pros seem to expect you to know? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! We\’ve put together a comprehensive list of common travel terms and what they mean, so you can have them handy next time you need to look something up. Consider this your trusty travel dictionary to help make your journeys easier.
A-Z guide of travel terms and what they mean
A
- A la Carte: Items or services offered separately, like meals at hotels or resorts that aren’t part of a package.
- Access Lounge: A private airport lounge for certain passengers that offers food, drinks, and a comfy place to relax.
- Adjoining Rooms: Hotel rooms next to each other, often with a connecting door.
- Airport Code: The three-letter code representing an airport (e.g., LHR for Heathrow).
- Airport Transfer: Transportation between the airport and your hotel or destination.
- All-Inclusive: A resort or hotel package that covers meals, drinks, activities, and more.
- Amenity: Extra services or facilities offered by hotels, like free Wi-Fi, pools, or gyms.
- Arrival Time: The time when a flight or transportation is scheduled to arrive.
- Award Ticket: A flight booked using frequent flyer points or miles.
B
- Babymoon: A relaxing vacation taken by expectant parents before their baby is born.
- Base Fare: The cost of a flight before taxes or extra fees.
- Bed Tax: A local tax charged on hotel stays, based on the number of nights.
- Boarding Pass: The document that lets you board your flight.
- Boutique Hotel: A small, unique hotel that’s often independently owned.
- Bulk Fare: A discounted airfare usually given to groups or tour operators.
- Bumping: When passengers are denied boarding because the flight is overbooked.
- Business Class: A premium seating class with more space and better service than economy.
- Bunk Room: A shared room in a hotel or hostel with bunk beds.
C
- Cabin: The passenger section of an airplane or a private lodging unit on a cruise or in a resort.
- Cancellation Policy: Rules explaining what happens if you cancel your booking, including possible fees.
- Carrier: An airline or transportation company.
- Carry-On: A small piece of luggage that you can take with you on the plane.
- Check-in: The process of confirming your arrival at a hotel or airport.
- Circle Trip: A trip that involves multiple stops and ends back at the starting point.
- City Tax: A tax added to hotel stays in certain cities.
- Codeshare Flight: A flight operated by one airline but sold by another airline under its flight number.
- Concierge: Hotel staff who assist with bookings, recommendations, and other guest services.
- Connection: A stop on a flight where passengers change planes.
- Connecting Room: Hotel rooms with a door between them, ideal for families or groups.
D
- Deposit: A payment made in advance to hold your booking.
- Direct Flight: A flight that goes straight to your destination, but it might still have a technical stop without passengers leaving the plane.
- Double Occupancy: A hotel room booked for two people.
- Downgrade: Moving to a lower class of service, like from business class to economy.
- Duty-Free: Shops at international airports that sell goods without taxes.
E
- Early Check-In: Checking into a hotel before the official check-in time.
- ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival): When your flight or transport is expected to arrive.
- ETD (Estimated Time of Departure): When your flight or transport is expected to leave.
- Economy Class: The most affordable class of seating on a plane.
- Excursion: A short trip or tour, often organized by a hotel or resort.
F
- Fare: The cost of a flight, train, or other transport ticket.
- Flexible Ticket: A ticket that allows changes to dates or times without large penalties.
- Flatbed Seat: A seat that fully reclines into a bed, usually in business or first class.
- Fly-Cruise: A package that includes both flights and a cruise.
- Full Board: A hotel package that includes all meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
G
- Gate: The airport area where passengers board the plane.
- GDS (Global Distribution System): A system travel agents use to book flights, hotels, and rental cars.
- GMT (Greenwich Mean Time): A time standard used around the world.
- Group Tour: A guided tour with other travelers, often following a set itinerary.
- Guide: A person who leads tours and provides local information.
H
- Half-Board: A hotel package that includes breakfast and one other meal, usually dinner.
- Hostel: Budget accommodation where rooms and facilities are often shared.
- Hub-and-Spoke System: An airline route system where flights connect through a central hub airport.
I
- IDB (Involuntary Denied Boarding): When you\’re denied a seat because the flight is overbooked.
- In Transit: When you\’re passing through an airport or country without staying.
- Inclusive Tour (IT): A package that includes flights, accommodations, and sometimes extras like car rentals or activities.
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J
- Jet Lag: Fatigue or tiredness caused by traveling across different time zones.
- Jetway: The walkway or tunnel that connects the terminal to the airplane.
K
- Kayak Tour: A guided tour using kayaks, often in places like rivers or lakes.
- Key Card: A card used to open your hotel room door.
L
- Layover: A stop between connecting flights.
- Loyalty Program: A rewards program for frequent travelers with airlines or hotels.
- Luggage: Your bags and suitcases used for travel.
M
- Mileage Run: A trip taken specifically to earn frequent flyer miles.
- Minimoon: A short, often local honeymoon.
- Multi-City Flight: A booking that allows travel between more than two cities on one ticket.
- Multi-Day Tour: A guided trip that spans multiple days, with planned activities and accommodations.
N
- Non-Refundable: A ticket or booking that can\’t be refunded if canceled.
- Non-Stop Flight: A flight that goes directly from departure to destination without layovers.
- Non-Transferable: A ticket or booking that cannot be given to someone else.
O
- Occupancy: The number of people staying in a hotel room.
- Off-Peak: The less busy travel periods when prices are usually lower.
- Open Jaw: A flight where you arrive in one city but depart from another.
- Outbound Flight: A flight that takes you away from your home city.
P
- Pax: A travel term for \”passengers.\”
- Per Capita Costs: The cost per person.
- Peak Season: The busiest, most expensive time to travel.
- Priority Boarding: A service that lets you board the plane before others.
- PNR (Passenger Name Record): The record in the airline’s system that holds your travel details.
- Porterage: The service of carrying luggage, often at hotels or airports.
Q
- Queue: A line of people waiting, often for check-in or boarding.
R
- Reissue: The process of issuing a new ticket after changes.
- Red-Eye Flight: A flight that leaves late at night and arrives early in the morning.
- Resort Fee: A charge added by hotels for amenities like pools or Wi-Fi.
- Round Trip: A flight or ticket that includes travel to and from a destination.
S
- Safari: A journey to observe wildlife, often in Africa.
- Security Checkpoint: The area in the airport where passengers and bags are screened.
- Shoulder Season: The period just before or after the peak season, when prices are lower but the weather is still good.
- Shuttle: A small bus that takes passengers between locations. Example, from the airport to a hotel.
- Single Supplement: An extra fee for staying in a hotel room or on a tour alone.
- Standby: A list of passengers waiting for an open seat if one becomes available.
- Suite: A large, often luxurious hotel room with separate living and sleeping areas.
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T
- Tariff: A fee or tax applied to services, including hotel room rates.
- Terminal: The part of an airport where passengers check in, board, and get off planes.
- Tourist Visa: A document that allows you to enter a country for leisure travel.
U
- Upgrade: Moving to a higher class of service, like from economy to business class.
V
- Voucher: A document you can exchange for goods or services, like meals or hotel stays.
W
- Waitlist: A list of passengers waiting to get a seat on a full flight.
- Wake-Up Call: A service where hotel staff call to wake you up at a set time.