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Essential Travel English Phrases
The English phrases you actually need to travel: airport, hotel, directions, eating out and emergencies — ready to use, with the mistakes to avoid.
You don't need perfect grammar to travel — you need a handful of ready-made phrases for the moments that come up again and again. Here are the ones that cover most of a trip: the airport, the hotel, getting around, eating out, and an occasional emergency. Learn them as whole phrases and they'll come out when you need them.
At the airport
At the hotel
Directions & getting around
Eating out
Emergencies
Common mistakes
Sounding too direct. Add please and could/would — bare requests can sound too direct in English, especially with staff or strangers.
✓Could I have the check, please? · I'd like a room, please.
"How I can get to…?" Use normal word order in the question.
✓How do I get to the station? / How can I get to the station?
Quick exercise
What would you say in each situation?
- You want to pay at a restaurant.
- You arrive at your hotel with a booking.
- You're lost and need to reach the museum.
- You want a seat by the window on a flight.
- You can't eat nuts.
- You lost your passport.
Sample answers
- Could I have the check, please? / Could I have the bill, please?
- I have a reservation under [name].
- Excuse me, how do I get to the museum?
- I'd like a window seat, please.
- I'm allergic to nuts.
- I've lost my passport. Can you help me contact my embassy?
Practice this in Recursio
Travel phrases are reusable chunks for real situations — airport, hotel, directions, restaurants, and emergencies — so they work well with spaced review. Save the ones you need to your word list in Recursio before your trip, and the Daily Mixed Review keeps them ready so "Could I have the bill?" comes out without hesitation.
Build your word list in Recursio → · Free to start, on iOS and Android.