Chevalier
Trip, journey, voyage, travel
Hi guys,

The question below is extracted from a test.

Here you are at last! I hope your _____ here wasn't too horrible.
A=travel 
B=journey 
C=trip 
D=voyage

Please help me distinguish these words and tell me which of the words is the correct one.

Thank you so much!
Jan 28, 2016 3:47 AM
Comments · 4
2

The answer is "journey". A trip is usually short, enjoyable and includes coming home. There are plenty of clues in the full sentence which indicate the right answer.

I do appreciate Robert's explanation of the other terms. :)

January 28, 2016
1
travel (noun)
(= the act or activity of travelling)
The job involves a considerable amount of foreign travel.
The pass allows unlimited travel on all public transport in the city.


travel (verb) (= to go from one place to another, especially over a long distance)
When I finished college I went travelling for six months (= spent time visiting different places).

journey (noun) (= an act of travelling from one place to another, especially when they are far apart)
Did you have a good journey?

trip (noun) (= a journey to a place and back again, especially a short one for pleasure or a particular purpose)
Did you have a good trip?

voyage (noun) (= a long journey, especially by sea or in space)
The Titanic sank in April 1912 on its maiden voyage (= first journey) from Southampton to New York.

trip or journey?

A trip usually involves you going to a place and back again; a journey is usually one-way.
A trip is often shorter than a journey, although it does not have to be:
a trip to New York a round-the-world trip.
It is often short in time, even if it is long in distance.
Journey is more often used when the travelling takes a long time and is difficult.
In North American English journey is not used for short trips (British English)
What is your journey to work like?
January 28, 2016
1
Note: I can't edit my comment, but I wanted to say that "travelling" can often mean just going somewhere. The airlines might say that you're travelling from Atlanta to New York. But if someone asks about your travels, it means the whole experience of being away.
January 28, 2016
1

Voyage is usually reserved for travelling over the water, like if you took a ship.

Travel usually means more than a simple plane ride. It usually refers to the entire experience of going places. (Your travels overseas, for example, means more than just the airplane flight. It means all the things you did while you were there.)

Out of all the words, only "trip" can *also* refer to your time spent in one place. For example, let's say that you visit me in Melbourne and stay for a week. When you are about to leave, I might say, "I hope that your trip here was fun." That refers to your time HERE, rather than your time going from one place to another. None of the other words can mean that.

When talking about going from one place to another, "journey" and "trip" are synonyms, but "journey" is much more formal and sounds a bit quaint to me. (I'm American. I don't know what British people would say.)

For the quiz? What's the right answer? I don't know. My guess is that they're looking for "trip."

January 28, 2016