travel

travel

I. trav‧el¹ S2 W2 /ˈtrævəl/ BrE AmE verb (past tense and past participle travelled, present participle travelling British English, traveled, traveling American English)
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: travaillier; ⇨ ↑travail]
1. JOURNEY
a) [intransitive] to go from one place to another, or to several places, especially ones that are far away:
Someday I’d like to travel abroad.
travel to/across/through/around etc
We’re planning to travel across America this summer.
travel widely/extensively
He has travelled extensively in China.
travel by train/car/air etc
We travelled by train across Eastern Europe.
He’d travelled far, but he’d travelled light (=without taking many possessions).
b) travel the world/country to go to most parts of the world or of a particular country
2. DISTANCE [intransitive and transitive] to go a particular distance or at a particular speed
travel at
The train was travelling at 100 mph.
They travelled 200 miles on the first day.
3. well-travelled
a) (also widely-travelled) having travelled to many different countries:
a well-travelled businesswoman
b) having been travelled on by many people:
a well-travelled road
4. NEWS [intransitive] to be passed quickly from one person or place to another:
News travels fast.
5. travel well to remain in good condition or be equally successful when taken to another country:
Exporters have to find wines that travel well.
Many British television programmes don’t travel well.
6. EYES [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] written if your eyes travel over something, you look at different parts of it:
His gaze travelled over her face.
7. LIGHT/SOUND [intransitive] to move at a particular speed or in a particular direction:
Light travels faster than sound.
8. SPORT [intransitive] to take more than three steps while you are holding the ball in ↑basketball
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adverbs
▪ travel abroad Only the affluent could afford to take vacations or to travel abroad.
▪ travel widely/extensively He travelled extensively in Europe studying geology.
▪ travel light (=not take many things with you) The idea was to travel light, so Travis allowed her to pack only one change of clothing.
■ phrases
▪ travel by train/car/air etc Emily hated travelling by train.
▪ travel the world/country They travelled the world together.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to travel
▪ travel to go from one place to another, especially places that are far apart: We travelled to Russia by train. | I love to travel.
▪ go to go somewhere – often used instead of travel: We’re going to Greece for our holidays this year. | He’s gone to London on business. | It’s quicker to go by plane.
▪ commute to travel to work or school: She commutes to work by bicycle.
▪ cross to travel across a very large area, for example a desert or ocean: The slaves crossed the Atlantic in the holds of the ships.
▪ tour to travel in order to visit many different places, especially as part of a holiday: They’re touring Europe by coach.
▪ go trekking to do a long and difficult walk in a place far from towns and cities: They went trekking in the mountains. | She’s been trekking in Nepal a couple of times.
▪ go backpacking to travel to a lot of different places, carrying your clothes with you in your ↑rucksack: He went backpacking in Australia.
▪ roam especially written to travel or move around an area with no clear purpose or direction, usually for a long time: When he was young, he roamed from one country to another. | The tribes used to roam around freely, without any fixed territory.
▪ journey literary to travel, especially a long distance: He journeyed on horseback through Palestine.
■ people who travel
▪ traveller British English, traveler American English someone who is travelling a long distance: Weary travellers waited at the airport. | My aunt was a great traveller. (=she travelled a lot).
▪ tourist someone who is travelling somewhere for a holiday: During the summer, over a million tourists visit the island each year.
▪ passenger someone who is travelling in a vehicle, plane, ship etc but not driving it or working on it: The driver and two passengers were killed in the crash.
▪ commuter someone who travels to work every day: commuters on the train to London
▪ backpacker someone who travels to a lot of different places, carrying their clothes etc in a ↑rucksack: The hostels are great for backpackers.
▪ explorer someone who travels to places that people have not visited before: Potatoes were brought to England by explorers such as Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh.