Confusing nouns: Travel vs. trip

Travel refers to the concept of travel more than a single experience of travelling. A single experience of travelling, like going from Barcelona to Madrid, is a trip.

So when you come to visit me in Barcelona, I'll ask you: "How was your trip?"

And when you leave, I'll say: "Have a great trip!"

Sometimes people use the noun travel in plural, when they are speaking of a lot of trips, but this is kind of unusual. Nonetheless, you could ask someone: "Do you have any interesting travels coming up?"

When you're talking about a single instance of travelling, though, trip is the one to use. Here are a few examples:

You: How was your trip?
Him: It was really long, but everything went fine.


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To: Advertising Departament
From: Finance

Hi everyone,

Due to the current financial situation, we've decided to suspend all business trips starting on May 1. If you have a trip planned for after that date, let us know and we'll see what we can do. Please do not schedule any further trips until the suspension is lifted.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know!

All best,

Financial Team