Trip vs Travel vs Journey at a glance
- trip
/trɪp/ · noun (countable)
A visit to a place and back again, often short and for a particular purpose.
- We're going on a day trip to the seaside.
- My boss is away on a business trip this week.
- travel
/ˈtrævl/ · verb, noun (uncountable)
To go from place to place, or the general activity of doing this.
- I'd love to travel around South America next year.
- Air travel has become much more expensive.
- journey
/ˈdʒɜːni/ · noun (countable)
The act of going from one place to another, especially the time spent moving.
- The journey to work takes about forty minutes.
- It was a long journey, so we stopped twice for coffee.
How to remember it
Trip = the whole visit (go and come back). Journey = the time on the road, train or plane. Travel = the verb, or travel in general (you can't have "a travel").
Good to know
Collocations: go on a trip, take a trip, a business trip, a school trip; make a journey, a long journey, the journey home. Travel as a noun is uncountable (travel insurance, a travel agent); "travels" (plural) is used for long trips: "on his travels". British English spells travelled, travelling; American English uses traveled, traveling. Journey is more common in British English; Americans often say trip for the same idea.
Common mistakes
Wrong: How was your travel to Paris?
Right: How was your trip to Paris?
Wrong: The travel from London to Leeds takes two hours.
Right: The journey from London to Leeds takes two hours.
Wrong: We made a trip around Europe for three months.
Right: We travelled around Europe for three months.
Quick quiz
1.I want to the world before I turn thirty.
2.We went on a school to the science museum.
3.The train was slow, but the views were beautiful.
Pick the right word for each gap.