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travel noun

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What does the noun travel mean?

There are eight meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun travel , one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

How common is the noun travel ?

How is the noun travel pronounced, british english, u.s. english, where does the noun travel come from.

Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known use of the noun travel is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).

OED's earliest evidence for travel is from before 1400, in Cursor Mundi: a Northumbrian poem of the 14th century .

It is also recorded as a verb from the Middle English period (1150—1500).

travel is a variant or alteration of another lexical item.

Etymons: travail n. 1

Nearby entries

• travailous, adj. a1382–
• travailously, adv. a1382–1881
• travail pain, n. 1662–
• travail pang, n. 1652–
• travailsome, adj. 1549–
• travale, n. 1798–1876
• travature, n. 1730
• travaux préparatoires, n. 1880–
• trave, n. c1405–
• trave harness, n. 1839
• travel, n. a1400–
• travel, v. c1300–
• travel agency, n. 1898–
• travel agent, n. 1885–
• travel allowance, n. 1835–
• travelator, n. 1955–
• travel brochure, n. 1908–
• travel bug, n. 1907–
• travel bureau, n. 1884–
• travel card, n. 1916–
• travel centre | travel center, n. 1883–

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Meaning & use

Pronunciation, compounds & derived words, entry history for travel, n..

travel, n. was revised in March 2020.

travel, n. was last modified in March 2024.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

• further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
• new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into travel, n. in March 2024.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1914)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

• View travel, n. in OED Second Edition

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Citation details

Factsheet for travel, n., browse entry.

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Definition of travel verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

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It might have a different spelling wherever you're going.

One or Two L 's?

If you look at where the single l forms originate and where the double l forms originate a pattern emerges: in the United States, traveled and traveling predominate, and everywhere else travelled and travelling are preferred.

The reason mostly comes down to one man we at Merriam-Webster hold especially dear: Noah Webster. Our lexicographical father (brothers George and Charles Merriam bought the rights to Noah Webster’s 1841 dictionary after Webster died) was a great believer in spelling reform and wanted English spelling to make more sense—and if the English of his homeland had more logic to it than its British parent, so much the better. He decided that travel needed only one l in its past and present participle forms.

Webster’s logic is the reason behind the spelling of canceled and cancelled as well: in the U.S., they have just one l , but elsewhere two l ’s are the norm.

American English Words that Use 2 L 's

Webster didn’t think all double l ’s needed to be reduced to one, however: in cases in which the accent, or emphasis, is on the syllable with the l , two l ’s are preserved: expelled and expelling ; controlled and controlling ; patrolled and patrolling .

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Definition of 'travel'

Video: pronunciation of travel

travel in British English

Travel in american english, examples of 'travel' in a sentence travel, cobuild collocations travel, trends of travel.

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Browse alphabetically travel

• Travancore-Cochin
• travel a distance
• travel a route
• travel abroad
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'T'

Related terms of travel

• rail travel
• safe travel
• time travel
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Definition of travel – Learner’s Dictionary

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travel verb ( MAKE A JOURNEY )

• It costs less if you travel at the weekend .
• We hired a car so we could travel further afield .
• I have travelled extensively in Europe .
• They travelled the length and breadth of Scotland together.
• It's a film about the adventures of two friends travelling across Africa .

travel verb ( MOVE )

• Space travel may become very common in the near future .
• The price includes travel and accommodation .
• The travel company completely fouled up our holiday .
• They offer a 10 percent discount on rail travel for students .
• Over the years I've lost my taste for travel.

(Definition of travel from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of travel

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• English Only

"Travel" as a noun

• Thread starter emmi55
• Start date Apr 17, 2020

• Apr 17, 2020

I read that "travel" is a non countable noun, hence I couldn't say "a travel" or "the travel", and also that I can't use "travel" in the singular form to describe a single movement to one place to another. I can use just "travels" as a countable noun. I don't put the link of the sources because apparently I can't. So I can say:"I enjoy music, sport and travel" which indicates the act of traveling. But I can't say, for example: "the travel from home to work has been exhausting"; "the travel from Paris to Nizza went really good"; "Today, with the low-cost flights, the travel is the least part of the cost of the holiday."; "The study stated that the graduates found that «the hours worked were longer, the travel is more onerous, and the time at home more limited"; "During a travel is essential to have a camera to keep the beautiful moments with you." "A travel from here to New York could be fun" Last three are from reverso-context. They make sense to me. Maybe "a travel" is more problematic. I wouldn't use "trip" or "journeys" in these examples. The former seems too long and also there's some "adventure" in It. Trip is a temporary shift, similar to "vacation" but shorter in duration. Does this means that they are correct, or that they are incorrect and if I want to use "travel" I have to change the whole sentence and using It, for example, as a verb?  

Senior Member

• Apr 18, 2020

emmi55 said: "The study stated that the graduates found that «the hours worked were longer, the travel is more onerous, and the time at home more limited" Click to expand...

Thank you. I didn't know that "the trip" could be used in reference to a specific trip, I didn't found It anywere, thay all say just that the singular form of travel is wrong and shouldn't be used and that's It. So, as you said, "trip" is not just a sort of smaller vacation, on which you stay for a while on your destination and after which you come back again to where you come from. In the Cambridge dictionary It says "a journey in which you go somewhere , usually for a short time , and come back again." Because, in the example I didn't specify if that It was temporary or not, in fact I was trying to avoid that meaning, meaning the opposite, just a simple movement. If I say "during a trip is essential..." I feel that It implies the meaning above, a sort of short vacation from which you come back, while I did not mean that (by the way, I took most of the examples from reverso-context). Same with "a trip to New york could be fun". But, according to you, "trip" can mean also a more general movement, long or short, and therefore It sort of take the meaning of the singular countable form of "travel" (because you can use the plural "travels" in some cases). Am I getting It right?  

emmi55 said: "a journey in which you go somewhere , usually for a short time , and come back again." Click to expand...

emmi55 said: "during a trip it is essential..." Click to expand...

london calling

emmi55 said: "The study stated that the graduates found that «the hours worked were longer, the travel is more onerous, and the time at home more limited"; "During a travel is essential to have a camera to keep the beautiful moments with you." "A travel from here to New York could be fun" Last three are from reverso-context. Click to expand...

• Apr 30, 2020

london calling said: Really? The only possible sentence here is the first one. The other two were clearly not written by native speakers of English. Can you provide a link to reverso-context? In any case I think your native language is interfering with your reasoning (I know, I'm bilingual). Click to expand...

That's why there is a division between "natural" language and "constructed" languages. No one set down grammar rules and then invented words to fit those rules in any natural language, especially English. That's only been done and only been possible in constructed languages. People have been speaking using constantly evolving languages for tens of thousands of years that were never written down. It is only at the end that writing and grammarians have come along. They decided to make rules to fit usage, as best they could, not the other way around. But since the system was not constructed around codified rules it's not something that can be done perfectly. Language evolved outside of hard rules. The rules have to try keep up. It reminds me of the prior belief that all living things were plants or animals. You could say that was a rule. Then organisms were discovered that did not fit neatly into one of those two categories. It was human understanding that had to change, not Mother Nature. She can do whatever she wants. She doesn't care if her work fits in neat categories. It also reminds me of the idea of planets and continents. There is really no such thing as an objective definition of a planet or a continent. There are just chunks of land on the earth and chunks of stuff in space. It was man's idea to try to fit them in neat categories, called continents and planets. It doesn't always work very well. Pluto can tell you about that.  

Is it Traveling or Travelling—Correct Spelling Guide

What is the correct way to spell “traveling?” Can you spell it “travelling” if you want?

To travel the world and visit other countries is often seen as an enjoyable way to spend one’s free time.

But how do you spell “traveling,” the verb form of “travel”?

Don’t search anywhere else; here is everything you need to know about the term “travel.”

“Traveling” or “travelling”

The difference between the two terms is your audience.

That said, “traveling” is the preferred way to spell the word in the United States.

You will find this correct spelling in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

However, if your readers are located in the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth , the term is spelled “travelling.”

The subtle distinction of one “L” versus two simply depends on what country you are writing in/for.

Therefore , “travelers” and “traveled” are the U.S. forms, while “travellers” and “travelled” are the UK forms.

No matter the country, the present tense form of the word “travel” is spelled the same and does not require a second “L” at the end.

Root word: travel

Travel can serve as a verb or a noun .

As an intransitive verb , “travel” is defined as “To go on a trip or tour to a destination.”

Similarly, as a transitive verb, “travel” is defined as “to journey through or over.”

The definition for “travel” in its noun form is “a journey, especially to a distance or unfamiliar place.”

Be aware that the noun version of the word is often used as a plural.

Travelers definition

Another term that comes from “travel” is “traveler” or, in its plural version, “travelers.”

That said, a traveler is commonly referred to as “one that goes on a trip or journey.”

Essentially, “traveler” can be used to describe a person who is taking a trip by car, train, plane, etc.

If subjects in a sentence are going on a journey through different countries or simply to the grocery store, they are “travelers.”

What type of word is “traveling?”

Verbs ending in “-ing” are either present participles or gerunds .

The two styles of words look the same, but their functions in a sentence are different.

Further , present participles can be used in all continuous verb formations ( past , present, future, etc.).

With verbs ending in “-ing,” the helping verb will tell the reader the tense (acting as a link) while the present participles remain unchanged.

Take the below examples, for instance:

• “The boy is watching the trains.”
• “Shelia was waiting for her survey.”
• “My family will be coming to Canada in July.”
• “The group would be moving to Germany if the cost wasn’t an issue.”
• “I would have been picking out my free ice cream flavor by now.”

Intransitive vs. transitive verbs

According to the Merriam-Webster definition, “traveling” can act as both a transitive and intransitive verb .

Transitive verbs will always have a noun that receives the action described by the verb; this noun is called the direct object .

“Tommy lifts the weight.”

In the previous example, “lifts” is the verb and “the weight” is the object receiving the verb’s action.

Therefore, “lifts” is a transitive verb.

On the other hand, intransitive verbs never have a direct or indirect object.

There is no object that receives an intransitive verb’s action.

“The group walks quickly to their destination.”

In this case, the verb is “walks,” and the modifying phrase is “quickly to their destination.”

As you will notice, no object receives the action that “walks” describes.

When to use traveling in writing

Recall that verbs ending in “-ing,” like “traveling,” can be used in the present, future, and past tense.

This present participles rely on the helping verb to indicate the tense of the sentence.

So, you can use the term to say the same thing, just in different tenses .

“He is traveling abroad” can also begin the following ways and still be grammatically correct.

• “He was…”
• “He will be…”
• “He would be…”
• “He would have been…”

You use this term to describe a subject who is, will be, was on their way to a different area than where they came from.

Examples of traveling in a sentence

If you have the correct spelling of the term down but are having a tough time using the term in a sentence, take a look at these sentences.

Using travel/traveling as a verb

• “If traveling were free, most people would take several trips a year.”
• “After traveling all day, all Lucy wanted to do was rest.”
• “I would like to travel and not get lost this time.”
• “Mark was only traveling for fun and leisure, not for work.”
• “All my life, I wanted to travel the world for fun, and now I finally get to!”
• “Before I travel, I must obtain a fishing license.”

Using travel as a noun

“At this time, international travel is banned for safety reasons.”

“He wanted to obtain a free travel license from the site, but the page wouldn’t load.”

“Safety was the top priority for Lisa after she would arrive at her travel excursion.”

“My travels demanded that I use services associated with the train to see my sister.”

“All her life, Katy was never oriented with foreign travel.”

“The new social movement talked about the future of crime and travel in the country.”

“I’d like to use this travel to connect with as many people as possible.”

Why is traveling commonly misspelled?

Why does “traveling” have two different ways of spelling the term?

Most of this is credited to Noah Webster , one link of the famous dictionary we frequently use today.

As a lexicographer and linguist, Webster influenced American English more than most people realize.

That said, he preferred the shorter version of most words that had multiple different ways of spelling.

After including the shorter version of terms in his dictionary, these words became dominant in the United States.

The rest of the English-speaking countries out there preferred the longer spellings of terms.

That said, countries like Australia, Canada, and the UK spell the term “travelling” with two “L”s instead of one.

How to remember which word to use

In the case of the present participle version of “travel,” remember that shorter is better.

“Travelling” is the proper spelling in British English.

So, if that is your audience, use that version.

However, American English demands the spelling “traveling.”

External links to sources

• Present participles: The -ing forms – EF.edu
• Traveler definition – Merriam-Webster
• Verb Tenses – Grammarly
• Types of Verbs – UVU.edu
• Travel definition – Merriam-Webster
• Traveling or Travelling? – Grammarly
• Noah Webster | American lexicographer | Britannica
• lexicographer – definition and examples – ThoughtCo

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Fact checked: Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. Learn more.

About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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