Spanish travel words: 30 words with example sentences

The Spanish you need when travelling is quite predictable: tickets, luggage, hotels, reservations and directions. You can study this list over a few days before you set off. We compiled these 30 words ourselves; they are not taken from an official list (beginner, around A1–A2). Regional note: “el billete” is common in Spain, while in many parts of Latin America you hear “el boleto”.

How to use this list

• Group them: 8 airport, 8 hotel, 8 transport and 6 direction words.
• Try “¿Dónde está …?” with every noun: “¿Dónde está la estación?”
• Repeat the direction words (izquierda, derecha, recto) aloud.

The 30-word list

Spanish	English	Example sentence	Translation
el billete	ticket	Quiero dos billetes, por favor.	I would like two tickets, please.
el aeropuerto	airport	El aeropuerto está lejos de la ciudad.	The airport is far from the city.
el pasaporte	passport	Muestre su pasaporte, por favor.	Please show your passport.
la maleta	suitcase	Mi maleta es pesada.	My suitcase is heavy.
el vuelo	flight	Nuestro vuelo sale a las nueve.	Our flight leaves at nine.
el tren	train	El tren llega tarde.	The train is late.
el autobús	bus	¿Qué autobús va al centro?	Which bus goes to the centre?
la estación	station	¿Dónde está la estación?	Where is the station?
el hotel	hotel	Nos quedamos en un hotel pequeño.	We stay in a small hotel.
la reserva	reservation	Tengo una reserva para esta noche.	I have a reservation for tonight.
el mapa	map	¿Me lo puede mostrar en el mapa?	Can you show it to me on the map?
el turista	tourist	Hay muchos turistas aquí.	There are many tourists here.
el viaje	trip, journey	Planeamos un viaje a Italia.	We are planning a trip to Italy.
la calle	street	Nuestro hotel está en esta calle.	Our hotel is on this street.
a la izquierda	to the left	Gire a la izquierda en la esquina.	Turn left at the corner.
a la derecha	to the right	Gire a la derecha después del banco.	Turn right after the bank.
todo recto	straight ahead	Siga todo recto dos minutos.	Go straight ahead for two minutes.
cerca	near	¿Está cerca la playa?	Is the beach near?
lejos	far	El museo no está lejos.	The museum is not far.
el taxi	taxi	Tomamos un taxi al hotel.	We take a taxi to the hotel.
el conductor	driver	El conductor es amable.	The driver is friendly.
llegar	to arrive	Llegamos al mediodía.	We arrive at noon.
salir	to leave, to depart	El autobús sale a las cinco.	The bus leaves at five.
el retraso	delay	Hay un retraso de una hora.	There is a delay of one hour.
la puerta de embarque	boarding gate	Su puerta de embarque es la doce.	Your boarding gate is number twelve.
la tarjeta de embarque	boarding pass	Aquí está mi tarjeta de embarque.	Here is my boarding pass.
el equipaje	luggage	¿Dónde recojo mi equipaje?	Where do I collect my luggage?
el visado	visa	¿Necesito un visado?	Do I need a visa?
el guía	guide	El guía habla inglés.	The guide speaks English.
¿Dónde está…?	Where is …?	¿Dónde está el baño?	Where is the bathroom?

This list is our own; it is not taken from an official or published word list, and the levels are rough estimates (the CEFR does not provide an official word list; see what is CEFR).

Mini exercise

Write the Spanish word for each meaning below, then check the answers.

1. ticket
2. passport
3. flight
4. station
5. reservation

Show the answers

1. el billete
2. el pasaporte
3. el vuelo
4. la estación
5. la reserva

Making the list stick

Reading a list once is not enough; you need to review words spread over time. Pick 5 words a day, try to recall their meanings that evening without looking, and test yourself again a few days later. We explain the idea in what is spaced repetition. For a general starting point in Spanish, see the Spanish guide.

In Frigya you can add Spanish, choose any of the A1–C2 levels, meet new words in Discover and reinforce them with spaced repetition in Learn; you can start without an account. Download Frigya.