Most useful Spanish terms for travel

Traveling to a foreign country is no joke, especially if you’re flying solo. Aside from the usual preparation it entails such as organizing your itinerary, booking your tickets and accommodations, and packing, you also need to know how to communicate with the locals. If you’re flying somewhere where they speak a foreign language, knowing and brushing up on some of the usual terms used when traveling would take you a long way.

Got a Spain trip coming up? Here are the top Spanish words for travel that you should know.

Greetings/Introductions/Basic Terms

One of the most important terms you should know when traveling to a foreign country is how they greet people in their native language. This will make it easier for you to approach strangers and get their attention right away because they’ll understand you right off the bat. Tip: It might be helpful to learn how these Spanish phrases used for travel are pronounced, so make sure you listen to correct pronunciations online.

• Buenas dias – Good morning
• Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
• Buenas noches – Good evening
• Como te llamas? – What’s your name?
• Como esta?/Como estas? – How are you? (Note: The first version is more formal, typically used for a stranger, while the second version is informal, used for someone you know).
• Hola – Hello!
• Me llamo – My name is…
• Bien gracias – I’m fine, thank you
• Gracias – Thank you
• Por favor – Please
• Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you
• Habla ingles? – Do you speak English? (This is perfect to use firsthand when approaching someone to ask for directions)

Conversational Terms

You’d need help from locals one way or another during your trip, so it’s best that you know how to express yourself when you want something or need to ask for directions. Here are the common Spanish words used for travel to keep in mind.

• Diskulpe – Excuse me (Use this when you approach someone before asking a question)
• Con permiso/Perdoname – Excuse me (This means basically the same thing as above but more formal)
• Quisiera – I would like/I would want (This is the polite version of “I want,” which is recommended to use so you won’t put off locals. You use it when you need to say that you want something or want to do something, for example, “I would like to go the mall.”)
• Donde esta el ____? – Where is the ___? (This is the Spanish phrase you use when looking for something or asking for directions. “Donde” means “where”; “esta” means “is”; and “el” means “the.” Example: Donde esta el aeropuerto? – Where is the airport?)
• Estoy perdido – I’m lost
• Como puedo llegar a ____? – How do I get to ___?
• Yo no entiendo/comprendo – I don’t understand
• Yo entiendo/comprendo – I understand

Directions/Locations/Prepositions

During your trip, knowing the Spanish words for specific directions or locations could also be useful so you know where you’re supposed to go when you ask for directions.

• Derecho – straight ahead
• Alli – there
• Aqui – here
• A la derecha – on the right
• A la izquierda – on the left

Other Useful Terms

These are other general Spanish phrases used for travel:

• Cuanto cuesta? – How much does this cost?
• Que hora es? – What time is it?
• Tarjeta de credito? – Do you accept credit cards?
• No funciona – It doesn’t work!
• Puedo usar tu cargador del móvil – Can I use your phone charger?

These are just some of the Spanish words for travel that you should know to survive your Spain trip. Besides these phrases, it’s also best if you practice counting in Spanish and brushing up on specific Spanish nouns you think you’d likely use. Buen viaje!