I am very much a word man, and I am fascinated by etymologies and subtle differences in meaning. As a writer of aviation history, I am also constantly seeking synonyms to keep from being repetitive, and finding different words about going places are high on the list. Which led me to wonder about the differences between travel, trip, journey, and voyage. The site speakspeak.com does a nice job of explaining the differences.
The noun travel is a general word, meaning to move from place to place, usually over long distances.
A journey means moving from one place to another, especially in a vehicle. It is a single piece of travel. A journey can also be a regular thing.
A trip describes the whole process of going somewhere and coming back. (It is more than one journey.)
Voyages are less common nowadays. A voyage is a very long trip, usually at sea or in space.
As for etymologies, the word travel finds its roots in the word meaning work (travailen), likely because at the time it was coined in the Middle Ages going anywhere far from home was an arduous undertaking.
Trip comes from the mid-15th century, but it’s connection to going from one place to another is unclear. However, the connection to words having to do with stumbling may have something to do with going places on foot.
Journey as it pertains to going places dates to 1300, and relates to the French word journée meaning the passage of a day. The sense of traveling then implies how long one might travel in a single day, or how far one can get from home in one day.
Voyage, not surprisingly, also has roots in the French, in this case voiage (travel, journey, movement, course, errand, mission, crusade). Interestingly, the word traces farther back to the Latin viaticum, which essentially means food or provisions for a trip (or journey). It also shares roots with via, which we know means “coming from” or “how we got here,” and is a Latin word for road.
So, now you know what I do in my spare time, when I’m not writing about airplanes or doing crossword puzzles.
Words dissemble
Words be quick
Words resemble walking sticks
Plant them they will grow
Watch them waver so
I’ll always be a word man
Better then a bird man
Curses, Invocations (exc.) by Jim Morrison