While I was travelling to Malaysia last week, I started thinking about the specific English vocabulary used for travelling by plane. Here’s a little story containing some useful travel vocabulary. See if you can guess what the words in black mean, then check your answers at the bottom.
I am an early bird so it was easy for me to get up at 3:30am for my trip to Malaysia. My brother-in-law came to pick me up at 4am and gave me a lift to the airport.
When I got to the airport, I went straight to the check-in counter and collected my boarding pass. I didn’t have any check-in luggage, because I like to travel light. I had one small piece of carry-on luggage containing all the things I needed for the next three days.
I walked straight through the departure area, past the duty-free shops, to the gate, where I waited until my plane was boarding. When they opened the gate, I boarded the plane and took my seat next to the window. I prefer window seats because I like to see the view. Aisle seats are nice for longer flights, though, because it it easier to get up and walk about.
The flight was comfortable but there was a little turbulence halfway through and I almost spilt my tea. We arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport five minutes early.
After getting off the plane, I went through immigration, walked past the baggage carousel and through the ‘nothing to declare‘ lane in customs. Then I got on a shuttle bus to the city centre, ready to start my vacation
- early bird – someone who wakes up early in the morning
- give someone a lift – take someone somewhere in your car
- check-in counter – where hand over your ticket and passport and are given the pass that will allow you onto the plane
- boarding pass – the piece of paper given to you at the check-in counter which you need to show to be allowed on the plane
- check-in luggage – bags that travel in the separate storage compartment in a plane
- carry-on luggage – bags you take into the cabin of the plane with you
- travel light – to travel with little luggage
- duty-free shops – where you can buy things without needing to pay tax
- gate – entrance to the walkway to the plane
- boarding – when people get on the plane
- window seat – seat next to the window
- aisle seat – seat next to the central passage of the plane
- turbulence – when the plane shakes around in the sky
- immigration – where your travel documents are checked and you are given permission to enter the country
- baggage carousel – the moving belt from which people collect their luggage
- customs – check you are not bringing anything illegal into a country or that you are trying to hide something you should be paying tax on
- Items to declare – where you go if you are carrying something you need to tell the customs officials about
- Nothing to declare – where you go if you do not need to inform the customs officials about anything you are carrying.
- shuttle bus – a bus that only stops at two places
Where did you go on your last vacation? How was your flight?