Learn English Phrasal Verbs:Travelling
Use these verbs at airports, hotels, and on the way between them: checking in, taking off, getting on a train, and looking around a new place.
check in
register
Don’t forget to check in at the desk before your flight.
Don’t forget to register at the desk before your flight.
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check out
leave the hotel
We need to check out of the hotel by 11 a.m.
We need to leave the hotel by 11 a.m.
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take off
leave the ground
The plane will take off at 8 p.m. sharp.
The plane will leave the ground at 8 p.m. sharp.
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touch down
land
We touched down in Lisbon twenty minutes late.
We landed in Lisbon twenty minutes late.
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get on
board
She got on the train just before the doors closed.
She boarded the train just before the doors closed.
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get off
leave a bus or train
Please ring the bell when you want to get off the tram.
Please ring the bell when you want to leave the tram.
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get away
go on holiday
They finally got away for a week after the busy season.
They finally went on holiday for a week after the busy season.
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stop over
stay briefly
We’ll stop over in Dubai for one night on the way to Sydney.
We’ll stay briefly in Dubai for one night on the way to Sydney.
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look around
explore
We had an hour to look around the old town before dinner.
We had an hour to explore the old town before dinner.
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look up
search for
I’ll look up the museum opening times before we go.
I’ll search for the museum opening times before we go.
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settle up
pay the bill
Let’s settle up at the hotel desk before the taxi arrives.
Let’s pay the bill at the hotel desk before the taxi arrives.
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About this set
The set is for travellers who need short, spoken English, not brochure language.
Check in and check out are a pair; get on and get off are another. Learn them together so the opposite is ready when you need it.
Usage notes
- check in. At a hotel or airport you check in. At a hotel you later check out. Both are usually intransitive in this set.
- take off. Intransitive for a plane: the flight took off. For clothes, take off is separable — that use is in Shopping and Take.
- get on. Get on a plane, bus, or train. Get in a car or taxi. Learners often swap these two.
- look up. Here it means find information (a hotel, a number). Separable: look it up. In class it is often a dictionary word.
Common questions
When do I get on a vehicle instead of get in?
Get on a bus, train, plane, or bike. Get in a car, taxi, or small boat. If you can walk down an aisle, get on is usually the verb.
Is check out only for hotels?
In this set, check out means leave a hotel after paying. In other English it can mean investigate or look at something. The hotel meaning is the one practised here.