Useful Travel Phrases in Spanish: Listen and Practice!
Sí, por favor, or no, gracias are two of the most famous Spanish travel phrases in the world, because they are so simple.
When eating tacos in Mexico, hiking in Costa Rica, exploring Cuba, tasting coffee in Colombia, visiting the Maya ruins in Guatemala, admiring the Iguazu falls in Argentina, traveling through Spain, or stopping by Equatorial Guinea, it would be very wise to keep a few more Spanish travel phrases available in your head.
If you feel like learning a little bit more than some basic greetings and farewells in Spanish and adding an arsenal of phrases to your travel Spanish, lay back and get ready to start learning some travel Spanish by listening and reading some more Spanish phrases to become more fluent and sound more natural.
Why Is Listening Beneficial?
Before we start feeding your travel Spanish, it is important to understand why listening is beneficial when learning Spanish.
As someone who has taught English mainly to Spanish-speaking students for a couple of years, I’ve noticed that those who limit themselves to only reading and solving grammar exercises tend to have a harder time with the language.
On the other hand, those who take the listening exercises seriously and try to repeat as they listen tend to achieve fluency more quickly than their peers. While our level of mastery is directly linked to our specific set of abilities and how much we practice, listening to a native speaker in their language and trying to imitate them is one of the best pathways towards fluency.
Travel Spanish Conjugation
The first thing we need to know is our verb, the Spanish translation for “to travel” is viajar. In this section you’ll learn how to conjugate this verb in:
- Simple present – Presente del indicativo
- Simple past – Pretérito del indicativo
- Simple future – Futuro del indicativo
Keep in mind that, ustedes and vosotros are both the second person of the plural form—however, Latin Americans use ustedes and Spaniards use vosotros.
Presente del indicativo
Pretérito de indicativo
Futuro del indicativo
To keep this part simple practice one sentence with each tense:
Tú viajas hoy.
You travel today.
Mis padres viajarán el sábado.
My parents are going to travel on Saturday.
Mi vecina viajó el año pasado a Colombia.
My neighbor traveled to Colombia last year.
PRO TIP: In Spanish, we use el presente del indicativo to talk about habits, but also to talk about something that is happening today.
Simple Spanish Travel Phrases
We’ll start off with some basic travel vocabulary in Spanish.
In this section, I include 4 basic phrases to show where you’re from, what you will do on your travels when you’re going back, and how long you are staying in a country.
Check out these useful Spanish travel phrases.
Where You’re From
Vengo de Inglaterra.
I come from England.
Soy jamaiquino(a).
I am Jamaican.
Soy estadounidense; vengo de Pittsburgh.
I am American, I come from Pittsburgh.
Talking About Your Plans
Haré un tour por Guatemala, El Salvador, Belice y Honduras durante dos semanas.
I will make a tour through Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and Honduras for two weeks.
No iré a Nicaragua porque no es parte de mi plan.
I won’t go to Nicaragua because it isn’t part of my plan.
Regresaré a Jamaica el 3 de Diciembre.
I will go back to Jamaica on December 3rd.
Estaré tres días y dos noches en Guatemala.
I’ll be in Guatemala for three days and two nights.
PRO TIP: Some South Americans use the verb devolverse instead of regresar when talking about going back to your country. In the sentence above, you can substitute the word regresaré for me devolveré too.
Travel Spanish To Use at the Airport:
For most of us, the airport is the first thing we see in a foreign country. Latin America has some awesome airports, where they probably speak English—but why take any chances, when you can learn some useful Spanish travel phrases.
Looking For a Place
¿Dónde está el baño?
Where is the bathroom?
¿De qué terminal sale mi avión?
From which terminal does my plane leave?
¿Cómo llego a la puerta 40F?
How do I get to gate 40F?
Stating Your Business
Vengo a este país de visita.
I’m visiting this country.
Venimos por motivos de negocios.
We are coming for business.
Mi hermano viene a estudiar; yo solo vengo a dejarlo.
My brother is coming here to study; I am just dropping him off.
Stating the Duration of Your Visit
Nos quedaremos aquí por dos semanas.
We’ll be staying here for two weeks.
Regreso el 25 de Noviembre.
I’m going back on November 25th.
Mi hermano se quedará hasta el próximo año; yo hasta la próxima semana.
My brother will be staying until next year; I will (be staying) until next week.
Declaring Your Belongings
No traigo más de diez mil dólares en efectivo.
I do not bring more than ten thousand dollars in cash.
Llevo cinco cajas de medicinas en mi maleta.
I carry five boxes of medicine in my suitcase.
No tengo nada que declarar.
I have nothing to declare.
Travel Spanish To Ask for Directions
One of the most important things when traveling is asking for directions, knowing where to go and where not to go and. If you’re in Latin America.
Remember to use the usted when talking to people you don’t know and are (or seem to be) older than you, and tú or vos when talking to someone your age or younger.
Formal Ways To Ask for Directions:
Disculpe, caballero, ¿dónde se encuentra La Mano?
Excuse me, Sir, where is La Mano?
Perdone, señorita, ¿cómo podría llegar al Museo del Oro?
Excuse me, Miss, how can I get to the Gold Museum?
Señora, ¿me puede indicar cómo llego al Palacio de Bellas Artes?
Madam, could you tell me how to get to Palacio de Bellas Artes?
Informal Ways To Ask for Directions:
¿Dónde está el volcán El Arenal?
Where is El Arenal volcano?
¿Me decís cómo llegar a la Fortaleza del Cerro?
Can you tell me how to get to Hill Fortress?
Dime por dónde sigo para llegar al hotel.
Tell me where to go to get to the hotel.
Following Directions in Spanish
After asking, most locals will try to help you and they will most likely combine the following verbs:
| English | Spanish |
| continue | continúa, continúe |
| cross | atraviesa, atraviese |
| follow | sigue a…, siga a…. |
| go | ve, vaya |
| go back | regresa, regrese |
| keep going | sigue, siga |
| stop | para, pare |
| turn | gira, gire |
With some of these directions:
| English | Spanish |
| at the corner | en la esquina |
| behind | detrás de… |
| East | este |
| forward | derecho, recto |
| left | izquierda |
| North | norte |
| right | derecha |
| South | sur |
| straight | recto, derecho |
| West | oeste |
Practice Sentences
Siga derecho y al llegar a la esquina cruce a la derecha.
Keep going straight and turn right when you get to the corner.
Regrese por donde vino y al terminar la cuadra camine 50 metros al oeste.
Go back, all the way down the block, and walk 50 meters to the west.
Gire en la próxima avenida y llegue hasta el mercado; allí estará enfrente.
Turn in the next avenue, reach the market; it’ll be there right in front.
Spanish Travel Phrases To Use at the Hotel
After finally arriving at your hotel and being about to reach some peace of mind, you’ll need to talk to the staff. Since they are people you do not know, I would recommend using formal Spanish in order to be more respectful.
Phrases To Use When Arriving
Reservé una habitación sencilla a nombre de…
I booked a simple room under the name…
Es posible que me quede dos noches más en el hotel.
It is possible that I will stay two more nights at the hotel.
¿En qué piso (o planta) se encuentra mi habitación?
Which floor is my room?
Asking About Additional Services in the Hotel
¿El wi-fi está incluído en la tarifa?
Is Wi-Fi included in the fee?
¿Hasta qué hora sirven el desayuno buffet?
What time is the breakfast buffet served until?
¿Tengo acceso al spa y al jacuzzi con la habitación que renté?
Do I have access to the spa and jacuzzi with the room I booked?
Asking About the City
¿Qué es lo mejor para ver en esta ciudad si solo tengo un día para visitarla?
What’s the best thing to see in this city if I only have a day to visit it?
¿Se puede llamar a un taxi que me lleve, me espere y me traiga de vuelta al hotel?
Is it possible to get a cab that takes me where I’m going, waits for me, and brings me back to the hotel?
¿Qué tan seguro es visitar ese barrio por la noche?
How safe is it to visit that neighborhood at night?
FUN FACT: Many Spanish speakers don’t mind when a foreigner uses tú (the informal way) to talk to us, since some of us adopt a “forgiving” attitude towards this.
Talking About Currency
While the U.S. Dollar is widely accepted in many big cities, the deeper you adventure yourself into a country, the more difficult it gets to trade with a foreigner currency.
Solo tengo un billete de cien dólares, ¿me puede dar cambio?
I only have a one-hundred-dollar bill, can you give me change?
¿Puedo pagar con dólares? Todavía no tengo la moneda local.
Can I pay in dollars? I don’t have the local currency.
¿Cuánto es/son…en dólares?
How much is… in dollars?
Getting Cash
¿Dónde hay un cajero automático por aquí cerca?
Where can I find an ATM close by?
¿Cuánto me va a cobrar de comisión por hacer un retiro?
What is the additional commission it will charge me to make a withdrawal?
Necesito que me dé el vuelto en billetes de a cincuenta quetzales, por favor.
I need my change in fifty-quetzales bills, please.
Moving Around on Your Own
If you visit places out of walking range you are going to need to get a cab, a bus, a tram, or a metro, and it is useful to ask around for metro lines, times, and being safe on your trip.
¿Qué línea de metro debo tomar para llegar a Insurgentes?
Which metro line do I have to take to get to Insurgentes?
¿Cuántas paradas faltan para llegar a…?
How many stops to get to…?
¿A qué horas pasa el siguiente bus y a dónde va?
What time does the next bus pass and where does it go?
¿Hay un tranvía en esta ciudad?
Is there a tram in this city?
Quotes About Travelling in Spanish
For this last little section, I compiled four great quotes about travelling in Spanish to motivate you to travel, get to know magical places outside your country and see how beautiful Spanish can be.
“El mundo es un libro y quienes no viajan leen sólo una página”.
“The world is a book and those who don’t travel read only one page.”
—St. Agustine.
“Viajar es fatal para los prejuicios, la intolerancia, y la estrechez de miras”.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”
—Mark Twain.
“Viajar es la única cosa que compras que te hace más rico”.
“Travelling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.”
—Anonymous.
“Nadie se da cuenta de lo hermoso que es viajar hasta que llega a casa y descansa su cabeza sobre su vieja y conocida almohada”.
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow”.
—Lin Yutang.
Unlock a Continent by Speaking Spanish
These Spanish travel phrases are great, and you should practice them before visiting Latin America, Spain, or Equatorial Guinea, but remember that they can only take you so far. If you want to up your Spanish game, master true fluency, and make any Spanish-speaking country feel like a second home try a free Spanish class today!
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