Holiday Collocations in English: Useful Travel Phrases and Examples

Hello English learners! Learning holiday collocations in English is a great way to speak more naturally about travel, accommodation, and holiday activities.

It is the holiday season, and many people are already dreaming of a well-earned break. Whether you are planning a trip to the seaside, a weekend in a beautiful city, or a relaxing stay in the mountains, it is useful to know the right words and phrases to talk about holidays naturally in English.

In this lesson, we will look at common holiday collocations in English — words that are often used together when we speak about travel and holidays. Learning these expressions will help you sound more fluent and more natural when describing your plans, your accommodation, and your travel experiences.

Let’s pack our bags and get started.

1. City break

A city break is a short holiday spent in a city, usually for sightseeing, shopping, or relaxing.

• Peter and Angela are going on a city break to Rome next week.
• We are planning a city break in Prague this autumn.

2. Go on holiday

This is one of the most common expressions in British English.

• We usually go on holiday in August.
• They are going on holiday to Greece this summer.

3. Book a holiday

We use book a holiday when we arrange and pay for a holiday in advance.

• We booked our holiday months ago.
• It is better to book a holiday early if you want a good deal.

4. Book a hotel room / book accommodation

These are very common travel collocations.

• They booked a hotel room with a sea view.
• Have you booked your accommodation yet?

5. Stay in a hotel

We use this when talking about accommodation.

• We are staying in a lovely hotel near the beach.
• They decided to stay in a hotel rather than rent a flat.

6. Self-catering accommodation

This means accommodation where you cook your own meals.

• We chose self-catering accommodation because it was cheaper.
• Many families prefer self-catering accommodation on longer holidays.

7. Bed and breakfast

A bed and breakfast is a small place to stay that provides a room and breakfast.

• We stayed in a charming bed and breakfast in the countryside.
• The guesthouse offers bed and breakfast for £70 a night.

8. Luxury hotel / family-run hotel / four-star hotel

These collocations describe different types of hotels.

• They spent a week in a luxury hotel by the sea.
• We stayed in a family-run hotel with a very friendly atmosphere.
• They booked a room in a four-star hotel in the city centre.

9. Single room / double room / family room

These collocations are used when booking hotel rooms.

• I booked a single room for one night.
• John has reserved a double room for us.
• We need a family room because we are travelling with the children.

10. High season / low season / peak season

These expressions describe the time of year when many or few tourists travel.

• I hate travelling in the high season because everything is crowded.
• Hotels are usually cheaper in the low season.
• Flight prices go up during the peak season.

11. Seaside resort / beach resort / ski resort / holiday resort

These collocations describe places people visit on holiday.

• There are many beautiful seaside resorts along the coast.
• They are staying at a luxury beach resort in Spain.
• We went to a ski resort in Austria last winter.
• The island is a popular holiday resort.

12. Go sightseeing

This means visiting famous or interesting places.

• Shall we go sightseeing after breakfast?
• We spent the whole afternoon going sightseeing in the old town.

13. Visit tourist attractions

A tourist attraction is a place that visitors like to see.

• We visited several famous tourist attractions in London.
• The castle is one of the area’s main tourist attractions.

14. Take photos / do some shopping

These are very common activities on holiday.

• We spent the morning taking photos of the harbour.
• They did some shopping before heading back to the hotel.

15. Go abroad

This means to go to another country.

• We usually go abroad in the summer.
• Many people prefer to go abroad for their annual holiday.

16. Travel around

We use this when visiting several places during one trip.

• They travelled around Italy by train.
• We are planning to travel around the island for a week.

17. Catch a flight / miss a flight

Very useful collocations when travelling by plane.

• We had to get up at four o’clock to catch our flight.
• They nearly missed their flight because of the traffic.

18. Delayed flight / direct flight

These are common travel expressions.

• Our flight was delayed by three hours.
• We were lucky to find a direct flight to Lisbon.

19. Pack your suitcase / unpack your suitcase

Simple but very useful collocations.

• I still have not packed my suitcase.
• She unpacked her suitcase as soon as she arrived at the hotel.

20. Go camping

This means spending a holiday in a tent or camper van.

• We are going camping by the lake this weekend.
• They went camping in the mountains last summer.

21. Sunbathe on the beach

A very common summer holiday collocation.

• We spent the afternoon sunbathing on the beach.
• She loves to sunbathe on the beach with a good book.

22. Get a suntan

This means your skin becomes brown from the sun.

• She got a lovely suntan in Croatia.
• Be careful not to burn while trying to get a suntan.

23. Take a guided tour

This means joining a tour led by a guide.

• We took a guided tour of the old city.
• I would recommend taking a guided tour of the museum.

24. Try local food

A very useful expression for travel and holiday conversations.

• One of the best parts of travelling is trying local food.
• We tried lots of local food during our stay in Turkey.

25. Enjoy the view / admire the scenery

These collocations are perfect for travel writing.

• We sat on the balcony and enjoyed the view.
• They stopped several times to admire the scenery.

26. Have a relaxing holiday / have a great time

These are common expressions when talking about holidays in general.

• I hope you have a relaxing holiday.
• We had a great time in Malta last summer.

27. Come back refreshed

This means returning from holiday feeling rested and energetic.

• I always come back refreshed after a week by the sea.
• She looked much happier and said she felt completely refreshed.

28. Holiday destination

This collocation refers to a place people choose for a holiday.

• Greece is a popular holiday destination.
• We are looking for a quiet holiday destination this year.

29. Travel insurance

A very practical travel collocation.

• Do not forget to buy travel insurance before you leave.
• Good travel insurance can save you a lot of trouble.

30. All-inclusive holiday

This means a holiday where meals, drinks, and sometimes activities are included in the price.

• They booked an all-inclusive holiday in Egypt.
• An all-inclusive holiday can be very convenient for families.

Useful note for learners

Remember that collocations are words that naturally go together. For example, we say:

• book a hotel room
• go sightseeing
• catch a flight
• take a guided tour

If you learn vocabulary in collocations rather than single words, your English will sound much more natural.

Final thoughts

Holiday vocabulary is full of useful collocations that can help you describe travel plans, accommodation, transport, and activities more naturally and confidently. Instead of learning isolated words, try learning whole expressions such as city break, family-run hotel, go sightseeing, or travel around. By learning these holiday collocations in English, you can describe your travel experiences more clearly and naturally.

That way, when it is finally time to talk about your dream holiday, the right words will already be packed and ready to go.

Related posts:

Collocations Related to Travel and Tourism

20 Phrasal Verbs for Summer Holidays

Adjectives to Describe a Holiday

Foreign Travel Vocabulary and Expressions

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