Travel Collocations: Transport, Airport, Directions & Hotels
Do you catch a flight or take a flight? Do you get on a bus or ride a bus? English is full of word partnerships — called collocations — that sound natural to native speakers but can feel tricky for learners. You don't lose a flight, you miss it. You don't sign into a hotel, you check into it. Getting these combinations right is the key to sounding confident when you travel.
This challenge covers four essential areas of travel English: transport collocations (take a taxi, get on/off the bus, catch a train), airport language (go through security, board the plane, pick up luggage at baggage claim), giving and understanding directions (go straight ahead, turn left, take the second exit), and hotel and accommodation phrases (book a room, make a reservation, ask for a late checkout). You'll also practise tricky pairs like catch vs. miss a flight and get on vs. get off with different vehicles.
Work through 24 questions in four different formats — single-choice, multi-choice, drop-down, and drag-and-drop — so you'll encounter each collocation in varied, engaging ways that reinforce natural usage.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Correct Answers
The correct answers are catch and board.
We say catch a flight (= arrive in time to get on a scheduled flight). You can't miss a flight if you want to travel, and lose a flight is not a natural collocation. For getting onto an aircraft, we say board the plane (= step onto it when allowed). You don't ride a plane (we say ride for horses or bicycles), and you can't drive a plane — pilots fly planes.
Marco is figuring out public transport in London. Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
To reach the museum, you need to ___ the number 73 bus.
The correct answer is get on.
We say get on a bus, train, or plane (large vehicles you can stand up in). For cars and taxis, we say get in. It's a small difference that makes a big impact!
A friendly local is giving you directions to the beach. Choose the correct words to complete what they say.
OK, so you go straight ahead for two blocks, then take the first left. After that, just cross the bridge and you'll see the beach on your right! 🏖️
The correct answer for the first blank is go.
We say go straight ahead — this is the standard collocation for giving directions.
The correct answer for the second blank is take.
We say take the first left/right — meaning to turn at the first opportunity.
The correct answer for the third blank is cross.
We say cross the bridge/road/street — meaning to go from one side to the other.
The correct answers are He checked into the hotel at 3 p.m., He booked a double room in advance, and He asked for a late checkout.
We "check into" a hotel, "book a room," and "ask for a late checkout." We don't say "enter into a reservation" or "make a staying" — the correct forms would be "made a reservation" or "had a stay."
Mia just landed and needs to get to the city center. Help her complete the sentence by choosing the correct word.
Let's ___ the bus from the airport to the city center.
The correct answer is take.
The standard collocation is take the bus (= travel by bus as a passenger). "Drive the bus" means to operate the bus as a driver, "bring the bus" and "hold the bus" do not form correct collocations for using public transport.
Your friend is planning a holiday and texting you about it. Choose the correct words to complete the messages.
I just booked a flight to Rome! ✈️ Now I need to make a reservation at a hotel. Do you think I should get a single room or a double?
The correct answer for the first blank is booked.
We say book a flight — this is the standard collocation for reserving air travel.
The correct answer for the second blank is make.
We say make a reservation — this is the correct verb collocation (not "do" or "put").
The correct answer for the third blank is single.
We say single room (for one person) or double room (for two) — these are standard hotel accommodation collocations.
The correct answers are take and got.
We say take the underground / take the bus (= use public transport). When leaving a bus or train, the natural collocation is get off (not "go off" or "come off").
Help Mia complete her airport adventure story by choosing the correct word for each blank.
First, I went through security control. Then I waited at the departure gate. When they called my row, I was ready to board the plane!
The correct answer for the first blank is security.
At airports, passengers go through security control — where bags are scanned and passengers are screened.
The correct answer for the second blank is gate.
We say departure gate — the area where passengers wait before boarding their flight.
The correct answer for the third blank is board.
We say board the plane — this is the correct collocation meaning to get on an aircraft.
The correct answers are She's afraid she'll miss her flight, She hopes to make it to the gate on time, and She needs to catch her connecting flight.
We "miss" or "catch" a flight — never "lose" one. We "make it to" a place (arrive on time), and we "collect" or "pick up" a boarding pass — we don't "win" it (unless it's a very lucky day!).
A travel blogger is sharing city tips. Choose the correct words to complete the advice.
The best way to explore this city is by public transport. You can get on the bus right outside the train station, and don't forget to get off at the third stop for the famous market! 🚌
The correct answer for the first blank is public.
We say public transport — this is the fixed collocation for buses, trains, and other shared travel systems.
The correct answer for the second blank is get.
We say get on the bus — this is the natural collocation for boarding a bus.
The correct answer for the third blank is get.
We say get off at a stop — this is the standard collocation for leaving a bus or train at a particular station.
The correct answers are take a taxi, catch a bus, and get on the train.
We say "take a taxi" or "catch a bus" when using public or hired transport. As a passenger, you don't "drive a bus" — that's the driver's job! And in English, we "take" or "get" a taxi, not "ride" one (though "ride in a taxi" is possible, "ride a taxi" alone sounds unnatural).
Choose the correct words to complete this traveler's postcard home.
Yesterday I had to get a taxi to the airport because I almost missed my flight! Luckily, I managed to catch my plane just in time. Now I need to check into my hotel. Wish you were here! 🌴
The correct answer for the first blank is get.
We say get a taxi — this is the natural collocation for obtaining a taxi ride.
The correct answer for the second blank is catch.
We say catch a plane/flight — meaning to be on time to board it.
The correct answer for the third blank is check.
We say check into a hotel — this is the standard collocation for arriving and registering at accommodation.
The correct answers are She needs to check in for her flight, She has to go through security, and She should board the plane when her group is called.
At the airport, we "check in" (not "control in"), "go through security" and "board the plane." The correct term is "passport control" as a place, but you "go through" passport control — you don't "control your passport."
The correct answers are check and book.
We say check in at a hotel (not "sign in" or "register in"). For restaurants, we book a table (not "order" or "buy" a table).
The correct answers are Get on the bus at the next stop, Get out of the taxi here, and Get off the train at platform 5.
For large vehicles you walk into (buses, trains, planes), we say "get on" and "get off." For small vehicles like cars and taxis, we say "get in/into" and "get out of." So we "get off the bus" but "get out of the car" — never the other way around!
You're rushing to the airport! Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
We need to hurry or we'll ___ our flight!
The correct answer is miss.
In English, we say miss a flight (= fail to be on time for it). We don't "lose" or "drop" a flight. This is a common travel collocation worth memorizing!
The correct answers are turn left at the traffic lights, go straight ahead, and take the second exit.
"Turn left/right," "go straight ahead," and "take the (first/second) exit" are all standard direction collocations. "Walk to the right side turning" and "do a left at straight" are not natural English phrases.
The correct answers are go and take.
When giving directions, we say go straight (ahead) and take a turning / take the second left. These are fixed collocations in English.
You're lost in a new city — time to talk to a friendly local! Choose the correct word to complete the sentence.
Excuse me, could you ___ me directions to the train station?
The correct answer is give.
The natural collocation is give someone directions. We can also say ask for directions, but we don't "say" or "talk" directions to someone.
The correct answers are luggage and boarding.
We say drop off your luggage at the airport counter — this is the standard collocation used at check-in. And a boarding pass is the document you need to get on the plane. "Flying pass" and "departure pass" are not real terms.
Sophie just arrived at her hotel after a long journey. Choose the correct phrase to complete the sentence.
She went to the front desk to ___ the hotel.
The correct answer is check into.
The standard collocation is check into a hotel (= register and get your room key upon arrival). The opposite is check out of a hotel when you leave.
The correct answers are made and view.
We say make a reservation (not "do" or "put"). A hotel room has a sea view — this is the standard collocation (not "sea sight" or "sea look").
It's Alex's first time at the airport, and he's a little nervous. Choose the correct phrase to complete the sentence.
After dropping off your luggage, you have to go ___ security before reaching the departure gate.
The correct answer is through.
At the airport, the fixed collocation is go through security (= pass the security checkpoint). We also say go through customs and go through passport control.
Sam just landed after a long flight. Choose the correct words to complete his arrival story.
After we landed, I went to pick up my suitcase from baggage claim. Then I had to go through passport control. Finally, I found a taxi rank outside the terminal. Time to explore! 🧳
The correct answer for the first blank is pick.
We say pick up luggage/a suitcase — this phrasal verb means to collect something.
The correct answer for the second blank is passport.
We say passport control — the checkpoint where officials check your travel documents upon arrival.
The correct answer for the third blank is rank.
We say taxi rank (British English) — the designated area where taxis line up waiting for passengers.
Adjective
If you've ever written a French nice old wooden table and felt something was wrong without knowing why, you've hit the adjective-order rule. English insists on a particular sequence — opinion, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material — and rearranging the words makes a sentence sound non-native even when every individual choice is correct.
An adjective describes a noun or pronoun: a tall building, the soup is hot. Most adjectives also take comparative and superlative forms (taller, tallest), which is how you compare things — another core piece you need from day one.
Imperative mood
If you've ever told a stranger Sit down! in English and watched their face drop, you've felt the imperative's main pitfall: it's grammatically simple but socially loaded. In English, bare commands often come across as rude, even when you mean them politely. Knowing when to soften them (Could you sit down?) is what separates abrupt from polite.
The imperative mood is the form for commands, instructions, and requests: Sit down, Don't touch, Have a nice trip. Bare verb form, no stated subject, negated with don't.
Noun
If you've ever frozen mid-sentence wondering whether to say an information or some information, child or children, they or them — you've hit the core of how English uses nouns. Nail this down and articles, plurals, possessives, and pronoun choice all stop feeling like guesswork.
A noun is a word that names something: a person, place, thing, idea, action, or quality. Nouns are the building blocks every other part of speech bolts onto. Spot one in a sentence and you can usually predict the article, the verb form, and the pronouns that follow.
Phrasal verb
If you've ever read I ran into my old teacher and wondered why anyone would run into a person on purpose, welcome to phrasal verbs. They're idioms hiding in plain sight — short verb-plus-particle combinations whose meanings don't match the words you see. Miss them and English films, news, and casual conversation feel half-translated.
A phrasal verb combines a verb with a particle, a preposition, or both, forming a unit with a non-literal meaning: give up, put up with, come across. They're the single biggest source of native-sounding fluency at intermediate level.
Preposition
If you've ever written I'm interested on you (should be in) or I'm good on football (should be at) — you've hit prepositions' main pitfall. Their choice is mostly idiomatic, not logical, and rarely matches what your native language does. Memorising the right preposition for each common verb and adjective is what stops your speech from sounding subtly off.
A preposition is a small word linking a noun or noun phrase to other parts of the sentence: in, on, at, to, from, with. Marks time, place, manner, or abstract relationships. Choice is largely idiomatic, especially in fixed combinations (depend on, good at, afraid of).
Verb
If grammar feels overwhelming, the fix is almost always to focus on verbs first. They carry the action, the time, the mood, and the voice — a single verb form decides whether your sentence reads as past or present, fact or hypothetical, active or passive. Get verbs solid and the rest of grammar suddenly looks much smaller.
A verb expresses action, state, or occurrence — the engine of every English sentence. Most verbs have five forms (base, -s, past tense, past participle, -ing); be has eight; modal verbs have fewer. Verbs carry tense, aspect, mood, and voice.
Collocations
If your English vocabulary is large but your speech still sounds slightly off — do a mistake, powerful coffee, high winds blew strongly — you've hit the collocation problem. Each word is correct in isolation, but native speakers don't pair them that way. Fixing it isn't about more vocabulary; it's about learning words in their natural company.
Collocations are word combinations that habitually occur together: make a decision, strong coffee, heavy rain, highly unlikely. The grammar permits other pairings, but fluent English consistently chooses one over the rest. They're the connective tissue of natural-sounding language.
A1 | Elementary | Beginners
If you can say your name, ask Where is the toilet?, and read a simple bus sign — but freeze when someone speaks at normal speed — you're at A1. That's not a problem to fix; it's the level where most learners actually live for a while, and recognising it lets you pick the right material instead of drowning in advanced grammar that wasn't meant for you yet.
A1 is the starting level of the CEFR framework, covering basic everyday communication: greetings, introductions, simple personal questions, present-tense forms of be/have/do, and core determiners and prepositions.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
If you can order coffee, ask for directions, and tell someone what you did yesterday — but struggle the moment the conversation drifts into anything abstract — you're operating at A2. Knowing this matters: A2 is the level where most learners plateau because they reach for B2 material too early and burn out. Stay here and your foundations get unbreakable.
A2 is the elementary level in the CEFR framework, covering routine communication and the first wave of real grammar: past simple and continuous, present perfect, basic modal verbs, first conditional, and common verb-pattern rules.
Difficulty: Easy
If a textbook leaves you confused, sometimes the issue isn't the topic — it's that the practice material is layered with extra complications. Filtering by Easy strips that away. You get one rule at a time, in plain everyday language, with no trick questions. It's how you make a shaky foundation solid before stacking more on top.
The Easy difficulty tag marks beginner-level questions and challenges — typically A1 or early A2. Single-rule focus, short sentences, common vocabulary, one clear correct answer.