Your Passport to English: Essential Travel Vocabulary
Imagine arriving in Jericho — one of the oldest cities on Earth — with the warm desert air on your face, ancient stone walls rising around you, and a cup of Palestinian coffee waiting at the guesthouse. Now imagine being able to describe that experience in clear, confident English. That is exactly what today’s lesson will help you do.
Whether you are planning a real trip, talking about one you have already taken, or simply reading about the world in English, travel vocabulary is essential at B1 level. In this lesson you will learn the words and phrases that speakers of English use naturally when they get there, find somewhere to stay, visit famous places, eat local food, and explore markets. And many of these verbs work together with high-frequency verbs — our guide to phrasal verbs with GET explores how “get around,” “get away,” and “get back” fit into travel conversations too.
We will practise everything with examples from Palestine — a land of extraordinary depth, resilient communities, and genuinely warm hospitality that has welcomed travellers for thousands of years.
Essential Travel Vocabulary
1. Getting There
Use these words when you talk about the start of a trip — transport, timing, and planning.
| Word / Phrase | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| journey | noun | the whole trip from one place to another | The journey from Ramallah to Jericho takes about 40 minutes by road. |
| depart / departure | verb / noun | to leave a place; the act of leaving | The bus departs from the central station at 8 am. |
| arrive / arrival | verb / noun | to reach a destination | We arrived in Bethlehem just before sunset. |
| book | verb | to reserve or arrange something in advance | You can book a guided tour of Nablus online before you travel. |
| hire / rent | verb | to pay to use something for a period of time | We hired a driver in Ramallah to take us around the West Bank for the day. |
2. Accommodation
When you stay somewhere — a hotel, guesthouse, or hostel — you will need this vocabulary.
| Word / Phrase | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| check in | phrasal verb | to register at a hotel when you arrive | We checked in to the guesthouse after the long journey from Ramallah. |
| check out | phrasal verb | to officially leave a hotel at the end of your stay | Check-out is at 11 am — please return your key to reception. |
| reception | noun | the entrance area where hotel staff greet and help guests | Leave your luggage at reception while you go for breakfast. |
| luggage / baggage | noun | your bags and suitcases when you travel | The hostel has a storage room where you can leave your luggage safely. |
| vacancy | noun | a free, available room at a hotel | There were no vacancies in the city centre, so we found a guesthouse on the outskirts. |
3. Sightseeing
Palestine is extraordinarily rich in history and culture. These are the words you need to describe visiting important places.
| Word / Phrase | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| landmark | noun | a famous or significant place that is well known to tourists | Tell es-Sultan in Jericho is one of the most important archaeological landmarks in the world. |
| heritage site | noun | a place of great cultural or historical importance, often officially protected | The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| guided tour | noun | a visit to a place with an expert who explains what you see | We went on a two-hour guided tour of Nablus Old City. |
| entrance fee | noun | the price you pay to enter an attraction or museum | The entrance fee for the Yasser Arafat Museum in Ramallah is very affordable. |
| ancient | adjective | very old; from thousands of years ago | Jericho is one of the most ancient inhabited cities on Earth. |
4. Food and Eating Out
Food is one of the great joys of travel. These words help you talk about eating local cuisine — and Palestine’s food is extraordinary.
| Word / Phrase | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| try | verb | to taste or experience something for the first time | You have to try musakhan — it is considered Palestine’s national dish. |
| recommend | verb | to suggest something as worth doing or worth visiting | Can you recommend a good local restaurant near the old market? |
| order | verb | to ask for food or a drink in a restaurant | I ordered maqluba — a layered rice dish that is flipped upside down before serving. |
| local cuisine | noun | the traditional food of the place you are visiting | Palestinian local cuisine uses a lot of sumac, olive oil, and fresh herbs. |
| vegetarian option | noun | a dish on the menu that contains no meat | Most Palestinian restaurants offer delicious vegetarian options. |
5. Shopping and Markets
| Word / Phrase | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| souvenir | noun | something you buy to remember a place or trip | I bought a small olive wood souvenir in Bethlehem as a gift for my family. |
| market / souk | noun | an outdoor or covered place with many stalls selling goods | The soap market in Nablus has been operating for hundreds of years. |
| handmade | adjective | produced by a person, not a machine | The embroidered bags in the market are all handmade by local craftswomen. |
| bargain | verb / noun | to negotiate a lower price; something sold cheaply | In the old market, you can often bargain for a better price on textiles and ceramics. |
| craft | noun | a skill of making things by hand; the object made | Palestinian crafts — pottery, embroidery, and glass-blowing — reflect centuries of living tradition. |
Travel in Palestine
Palestine is a destination unlike any other — a place where ancient history and daily life exist side by side, where every stone has a story and every meal is an act of welcome. Here are four places and experiences that bring today’s travel vocabulary to life.
Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, with a history stretching back over 10,000 years. In September 2023, its archaeological site — Tell es-Sultan — was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, described as the “oldest fortified city in the world.” Sitting 250 metres below sea level near the Dead Sea, it is also the lowest inhabited city on the planet. A guided tour of Tell es-Sultan takes you past Neolithic towers and Bronze Age walls that shaped the ancient world. The entrance fee is modest, and the journey through the desert landscape on the way to Jericho is an experience in itself.
Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity — built over the traditional site of Jesus’ birth in the 4th century — was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2012. Tourism accounts for roughly 65% of Bethlehem’s economy, and the city welcomes more than two million visitors each year. It is also famous for a centuries-old tradition of olive wood crafting. Artisans in Bethlehem produce beautiful handmade carvings and figurines — the perfect souvenir to bring home. The covered market near Manger Square sells olive wood pieces, traditional embroidery, mother-of-pearl jewellery, and hand-painted ceramics.
The Old City of Nablus is a marvel of Mamluk and Ottoman architecture — narrow alleys, stone arches, and the smell of olive oil soap drifting through the air. Nablus is world-famous for its Nabulsi soap, which has been produced in the city and exported across the Arab world and Europe since the 10th century. Visitors can tour the working soap factories in the Old souk, buy bars as souvenirs, and bargain for spices, sweets, and traditional crafts in one of the most atmospheric markets in the region.
Palestinian local cuisine is inseparable from the culture of diyafa — the Arabic tradition of deep, generous hospitality. Musakhan, the national dish, is roasted chicken with caramelised onions, sumac, and pine nuts on taboon bread, traditionally eaten during the olive harvest. Maqluba, a spectacular layered rice dish with vegetables and meat, is flipped upside down at the table before serving. Mansaf — lamb in fermented yogurt sauce with rice — is a celebration dish that expresses generosity through abundance. Try all three if you can; order with curiosity and an open mind. And never refuse a second helping.
Common Mistakes for Spanish Speakers
Travel vocabulary has some classic traps for Spanish speakers. Here are the five that come up most often — along with the correct English.
Example Bank
Read all fifteen sentences carefully. The vocabulary from today’s lesson is highlighted. Notice how some sentences also use the present perfect and past simple to talk about travel experiences — a key grammar pairing at B1 level.
- The journey from Jerusalem to Jericho passes through some of the most dramatic desert scenery in the world.
- Our minibus departs from Ramallah at half past eight — please do not be late.
- We arrived in Bethlehem in the afternoon and went straight to check in at our hotel.
- I booked a guided tour of Nablus Old City online two days before we left.
- You can hire a local driver in Ramallah to take you around the West Bank for the day.
- Check-out is at 11 am, but you can store your luggage at reception while you explore the city.
- There were no vacancies near Manger Square, so we found a guesthouse on the edge of Bethlehem.
- Tell es-Sultan in Jericho is one of the most significant archaeological landmarks in the world — it became a UNESCO heritage site in 2023.
- The entrance fee for the Yasser Arafat Museum in Ramallah is affordable, and the experience is unforgettable.
- Nablus is an ancient city — its stone soap factories have been operating for more than a thousand years.
- I strongly recommend trying musakhan — the combination of chicken, sumac, and caramelised onions on taboon bread is remarkable.
- At the restaurant in Nablus, we ordered maqluba and a selection of mezze to share.
- Palestinian local cuisine uses sumac, olive oil, and fresh za’atar in almost every dish.
- In the Bethlehem market, I bought beautiful handmade embroidery as a souvenir and managed to bargain for a fair price.
- Palestinian crafts — olive wood carving, pottery, and traditional needlework — represent a living cultural heritage that visitors carry home with them.
Quick Quiz
Five questions to test yourself. Expand the answer key when you’re ready.
1. Which word means “to reserve a hotel room or guided tour in advance”?
2. What is a “landmark”?
3. Complete the sentence: “We _____ a trip to Bethlehem last spring.”
4. What does “handmade” mean?
5. Which sentence is correct?
Show Answer Key
- B) book — to book means to reserve something in advance: “I booked two nights at the hotel.”
- C) a famous place that tourists visit — a landmark is a well-known place of cultural, historical, or scenic significance.
- C) went on — in English we “go on a trip” or “take a trip.” We never “do” a trip (a common error from Spanish hacer un viaje).
- B) made by a person, not a machine — handmade objects are crafted individually by an artisan. Palestinian embroidery and olive wood carvings are famous examples.
- B) The flight is delayed. — we use the adjective “delayed.” The structure “has delay” comes from Spanish (tiene retraso) and does not work in English.
Also explore the kitchen side of Palestinian culture in our B1 guide to food and cooking vocabulary — from roasting musakhan to drizzling olive oil.