travel
This word carries a sense of breadth and discovery, often implying a journey that takes one far from home. It differs from a commute or a trip by suggesting a broader exploration of the world or a significant transition across geography.
In technical contexts, it describes the physical distance a part or a wave moves. This creates a duality where the word can feel either like a romantic adventure or a precise mechanical measurement, depending on whether the subject is a tourist or a piston.
Uncountable when discussing the general activity of visiting other places. Countable when referring to specific journeys or the distance a mechanical part moves.
Meanings
Examples
They travel to Japan every spring.
Light travels faster than sound.
International travel has increased since the pandemic.
Phrasal Verbs
travel back
to return to a previous place or time
She loved to travel back to her hometown every winter.
travel up
to move toward the north or toward the source of a river
The explorers decided to travel up the Amazon River.
travel down
to move toward the south or away from the source of a river
We will travel down the coast to reach the tropical beaches.
travel around
to visit many different places in a particular area
They spent three months traveling around Southeast Asia.
travel through
to move from one side of a region to the other
The train travels through the mountains during the night.