Travel & Pandemic Vocabulary: English-Spanish Glossary

Posted on Apr 22, 2025 in Other vocational courses

Glossary: Travel and Pandemic Terms

  • Pandemic – Pandemia – Epidemic.
  • Worldwide – En todo el mundo – Global, international.
  • Borders – Fronteras – Frontier.
  • Self-quarantine – Autocuarentena – Self-imposed isolation.
  • Banning – Prohibir – Forbid.
  • Threat – Amenaza – Danger.
  • Deserted – Abandonado/a – Abandoned.
  • Crowded – Lleno de gente – Packed.
  • On a budget – Con un presupuesto (limitado) – With a restricted amount of money.
  • Rucksacks – Mochilas – Backpacks.
  • Hitchhiking – Hacer autostop – Travel by getting free rides in another person’s vehicle.
  • Savvy – Listos/as, Entendido/a – Intelligent, knowledgeable.
  • Encourage – Animar, Fomentar – Persuade, support.
  • Take up – Empezar (una actividad) – Begin to do something.
  • Get in touch with – Ponerse en contacto con – Contact.
  • Fee – Tarifa, Cuota – Payment.
  • Book a ride – Reservar un viaje – Make a reservation for a trip, journey, etc.
  • One-way ticket – Billete de un solo trayecto / Billete de ida – A ticket for travelling in one direction only.
  • Link up – Unir, Conectar – Connect.
  • It’s up to the driver to name their price – Depende del conductor poner el precio – The driver decides how much to charge.
  • Getting a ride – Conseguir un viaje / que te lleven – Get somebody to carry you in their car; get a lift.
  • Delighted with – Encantado/a con – Thrilled with.
  • Tourism – Turismo – Travel for pleasure.
  • Volunteer travel – Viaje de voluntariado – When a person travels to undeveloped or developing countries to offer their support to people in need.
  • Adventure travel – Viaje de aventura – Travelling to remote or exotic places and taking part in challenging outdoor activities.
  • Ecotourism – Turismo ecológico / Ecoturismo – Going on holiday to places of natural beauty in a sustainable way.
  • Cultural tourism – Turismo cultural – Travelling to attend cultural events or to visit sites, monuments, etc.
  • Business travel – Viaje de negocios – Travelling for work.
  • Vacations – Vacaciones – A time when you don’t go to school or work; holiday.
  • Mountain climbing – Escalada / Montañismo – The sport of reaching high points in mountains.
  • Zip-lining – Tirolina – The activity of sliding down a zip line.
  • Rafting – Rafting / Descenso de ríos – Using a rubber raft to navigate with the current of a river.
  • Skydiving – Paracaidismo – Jumping out of an aeroplane, falling freely before deploying a parachute.
  • Mountain biking – Ciclismo de montaña – Riding a bike off-road, over rough terrain.
  • Platform – Plataforma / Andén – Structure where passengers get onto and off a train.
  • Duty-free – Libre de impuestos – Shops (e.g., at airports) where goods are exempt from national taxes.
  • Ticket office – Taquilla / Ventanilla – An office where tickets are sold.
  • Boarding gate – Puerta de embarque – A gate for passengers to go from the terminal to the airplane.
  • Passenger – Pasajero/a – A person who is travelling.
  • Runway – Pista de aterrizaje – A strip of ground which a plane takes off from or lands on.
  • Express train – Tren exprés – High-speed train.
  • Day return – Billete de ida y vuelta (en el día) – A return ticket for travelling both ways in the same day.
  • Linger – Permanecer, Quedarse – Take a long time to leave or disappear.
  • Give a thrill – Emocionar, Dar emoción – Electrify, excite.
  • Seekers – Buscadores/as – Searchers.
  • Eerie – Misterioso/a, Inquietante – Strange and frightening; uncanny.
  • Witchcraft – Brujería – The practice of magic, especially black magic.
  • Grim Reaper – La Parca / La Muerte – Personification of death.
  • Lurk – Estar al acecho, Acechar – Be or remain hidden so as to wait in ambush; sneak.
  • Ease the frayed nerves – Calmar los nervios crispados – Soothe the nerves.
  • When in Rome, do as the Romans do – Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres – When you are in a foreign land, you should follow the customs of the local people.
  • The world is your oyster – El mundo está a tus pies – You have the opportunity to achieve anything you want in life.
  • Travel broadens the mind – Viajar abre la mente – Travelling makes you more tolerant and open-minded.
  • A change is as good as a rest – Un cambio es tan bueno como un descanso – A change of activity can be as refreshing as a period of relaxation.
  • There’s no place like home – No hay lugar como el hogar / Como en casa, en ningún sitio – Your home is the best and most comfortable place in the world.
  • (We’re going to) recharge our batteries – (Vamos a) recargar las pilas – Rest and relax in order to regain energy and enthusiasm.
  • Give you the creeps – Poner los pelos de punta – Make you feel nervous, scared, or uncomfortable.
  • In the middle of nowhere – En medio de la nada – A remote place far from towns or cities.
  • Watching the world go by – Ver la vida pasar / Ver el mundo pasar – Observing people and events around you passively, often while relaxing.
  • Let your hair down – Soltarse la melena / Relajarse – Relax, enjoy yourself, and behave more freely than usual.