Phrasal verbs are very common in travel English. Here are the most useful ones organized by the travel journey — from planning a trip to arriving home.
Planning and Booking
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example | | --------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | look into | research / investigate | I need to look into flight options. | | sign up for | register | I signed up for a tour. | | put off | postpone | Don't put off booking your tickets. | | sort out | arrange / resolve | We need to sort out the hotel reservation. |
At the Airport
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example | | -------------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | check in | register for a flight | We checked in online. | | drop off | leave something / someone | I dropped off my luggage. | | pick up | collect | I need to pick up my boarding pass. | | take off | depart (plane) | The plane took off at 6 a.m. | | touch down | land | Our flight touched down in Tokyo. | | see off | say goodbye to someone | My family saw me off at the airport. |
The plane took off on time and touched down three hours later.
During the Trip
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example | | --------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | check out | leave a hotel / examine | We checked out at noon. | | look around | explore | We spent the day looking around the old town. | | stop over | stay briefly en route | We stopped over in Dubai for two nights. | | end up | finally arrive / result | We ended up at a small beachside cafe. | | show up | arrive / appear | The guide didn't show up on time. |
Getting Around
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example | | -------------------------- | -------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | set off / set out | start a journey | We set off early in the morning. | | head to / head for | go in a direction | We headed to the train station. | | pull in | arrive (train / bus) | The bus pulled in right on schedule. | | get on | board | I got on the wrong train! | | get off | leave (vehicle) | Get off at the next stop. | | drop off | let someone out | The taxi dropped us off at the hotel. |
We got on the bus at the terminal and got off in the city centre.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing drop off (leave) with pick up (collect): ~~I dropped off my friend at the airport~~ is correct for leaving them there. I picked up my friend from the airport is correct for collecting them.
- Mixing set off with take off: We set off at 8 (start the journey) vs The plane took off at 8 (leave the ground).
- Forgetting object placement with separable phrasal verbs: Drop off the keys or *Drop the keys off* — but with pronouns: *Drop them off* (not Drop off them).