Spanish for Travel: Essential Words and Phrases
You don't need to be fluent to travel in a Spanish-speaking country — you need to be functional. These categories cover most situations you'll actually face.
Getting around
The most useful question: ¿Dónde está…? (where is…?). Pair it with: el aeropuerto (airport), la estación (station), el hotel, el baño (toilet), la farmacia (pharmacy). For directions: a la derecha (right), a la izquierda (left), todo recto (straight on), cerca (nearby), lejos (far).
Transport
El avión (plane), el tren (train), el taxi, el autobús (bus), el metro (underground). To buy a ticket: un billete a…, por favor (a ticket to…, please) or in Latin America un boleto. El pasaporte (passport) and la maleta (suitcase) round out the airport vocabulary.
Accommodation
El hotel, la habitación (room), una habitación doble/individual (double/single room), el desayuno (breakfast). The key question at check-in: tengo una reserva a nombre de… (I have a reservation under the name of…).
Eating and drinking
La carta or el menú (menu), el agua (water), la cuenta (bill). To order anything: quisiera… — quisiera un café, quisiera la ensalada. To indicate dietary needs: soy vegetariano/a, sin gluten (gluten-free), sin lactosa.
Emergencies
¡Ayuda! (help!), llame a la policía (call the police), necesito un médico (I need a doctor), me han robado (I've been robbed). Having these ready — even written down — is worth the two minutes it takes.
The fastest way to learn before a trip
Don't try to memorise everything at once. Pick the situations most likely to come up for your trip and drill those words until they're automatic. Ten minutes a day for two weeks beats one big cram session the night before you fly.
Practice travel vocabulary with a free game — hear each word and drill it: Spanish Travel game → · Listening version →
Frequently asked
Start with greetings (hola, buenos días), please and thank you (por favor, gracias), basic questions (¿dónde está…?, ¿cuánto cuesta?), and the numbers 1–20 for prices and quantities.
¿Dónde está…? means 'where is…?' — for example, ¿Dónde está el baño? (where is the toilet?). For directions: a la derecha (to the right), a la izquierda (to the left), todo recto (straight ahead).
¿Cuánto cuesta? (how much does it cost?) or ¿Cuánto es? (how much is it?). Knowing your numbers up to 100 is essential for understanding the reply.
Una mesa para dos, por favor (a table for two, please). To order: quisiera… or me gustaría… (I'd like…). To ask for the bill: la cuenta, por favor.