Why Viajar Is More Than "To Travel"
Viajar is the verb of destinations and journeys, and it pairs with the noun viaje for plans and goodbyes. It is regular, but the small words matter: a for the place you go, por for the region you cross, and en for the transport.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will talk about trips without translating word by word.
Pattern 1: Viajar a… — "To travel to…"
Use a for the destination and desde for where you start. For more on the movement verbs that go with it, see [Ir] Chunks.
- Viajo a México en julio. — I'm traveling to Mexico in July.
- Vamos a viajar a Perú. — We're going to travel to Peru.
- Viajó desde Chile hasta Argentina. — He traveled from Chile to Argentina.
Chunk to learn:
Viajar a + [place] / Viajar desde… hasta…
Pattern 2: Viajar por… — "To travel around…"
Use por for moving through a region, with stops along the way. It is the chunk for road trips and backpacking. For more on por, see Por vs. Para Chunks.
- Viajamos por toda España. — We traveled all around Spain.
- Quiero viajar por Sudamérica. — I want to travel around South America.
- Han viajado por medio mundo. — They have traveled around half the world.
Chunk to learn:
Viajar por + [region / país]
Pattern 3: Viajar en avión — "To travel by plane"
For transport, Spanish uses en, not "by". It covers planes, trains, buses, and cars, and it is the standard answer to "how are you getting there?".
- Prefiero viajar en tren. — I prefer to travel by train.
- Viajamos en autobús toda la noche. — We traveled by bus all night.
- Me da miedo viajar en avión. — I'm afraid of flying.
Chunk to learn:
Viajar en + [avión / tren / autobús / coche]
Pattern 4: ¡Buen viaje! — "Have a good trip!"
The classic goodbye for a traveler. The noun viaje carries the wish, and the subjunctive version que tengas buen viaje sounds warmer. For more on the subjunctive, see Subjunctive Chunks.
- ¡Buen viaje! — Have a good trip!
- Que tengas buen viaje. — I hope you have a good trip.
- ¡Feliz viaje y avísanos cuando llegues! — Safe travels, and let us know when you arrive!
Chunk to learn:
¡Buen viaje! / Que tengas buen viaje
Pattern 5: Viajo por trabajo — "I travel for work"
Use por for the reason you travel: work, studies, or pleasure. Add mucho to say you do it often.
- Viajo mucho por trabajo. — I travel a lot for work.
- Viajamos por placer. — We travel for pleasure.
- ¿Viajas por trabajo o por vacaciones? — Are you traveling for work or for vacation?
Chunk to learn:
Viajar por + [trabajo / placer / estudios]
Pattern 6: Estar de viaje — "To be away on a trip"
With the noun viaje, Spanish says you are on a trip with estar de viaje, you leave with irse de viaje, and you take one with hacer un viaje. Use them for plans, out-of-office talk, and stories.
- Estoy de viaje esta semana. — I'm away on a trip this week.
- Nos vamos de viaje el viernes. — We're going away on a trip on Friday.
- Hicimos un viaje increíble. — We took an incredible trip.
Chunk to learn:
Estar de viaje / Irse de viaje / Hacer un viaje
Viajar vs. Hacer un viaje
Viajar is the verb for the activity and hacer un viaje is for one specific trip. Me gusta viajar says you like traveling in general, while hice un viaje describes one trip. For packing before you go, see [Preparar] Chunks.
Start with viajar a… and ¡buen viaje!. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.