TRAVEL, TRIP, JOURNEY

Travel can be an uncountable noun (an incredible travel) or a verb. It is the general term (=word) to describe going from one place to another. Don’t use it to talk about a particular “viaje”.

Although it is uncountable, we can talk about someone's travels to refer to the journeys he makes (los viajes en general): Gulliver’s Travels.

Travel is often part of compound nouns (=sustantivos compuestos):

Travel documents, travel tickets,  travel agents, air travel, etc.

Journey is a noun. A journey is one single piece of travel, especially when the places are a long way apart. You make journeys when you travel from one place to another.

The journey from London to Newcastle by train can now be completed in under three hours.

A difficult journey across the mountains.

How long did your journey take?

Trip is a noun. A trip is an act of going from one place to another, and usually back again. It often involves (=supone, implica) more than one single journey. Its meaning includes the activity (business or pleasure) which is the reason for the journey.

. We make journeys usually, but we go on trips:

• I went on a day trip to France. We left at 6.30 in the morning and returned before midnight the same day.
• Her school organized a skiing trip to the Pyrinees.
• Where's Laurie? ~ He won't be in this week. He's gone on a business trip to Malaysia and Singapore.

• The trip went well. It was an old car, but we didn't break down in four weeks of travelling.
• A round-the-world trip.
• A boat trip.
• They all went away on a school trip.
• A five-minute trip by taxi.

Sometimes you can use either:

• Did you have a good journey?
• Did you have a good trip?

REMEMBER: the most common mistake is to say things like:

What a wonderful travel! Did you have a good travel?