Mandarin Monday: Practice This Travel Vocab Before May Holiday

As the May Holiday draws near, have you made any travel plans? I certainly have! If you're considering venturing out of town, we've put together a collection of indispensable Mandarin travel phrases to guide you on your adventure. Regardless of your Chinese language proficiency, whether you're a beginner or an expert, familiarizing yourself with some fundamental travel vocabulary can prove immensely beneficial for your forthcoming journey!

Buying Tickets

For buying a ticket, you can say "我要买一张票 (Wǒ yào mǎi yì zhāng piào)." If you need a one-way ticket, say "我想订张单程票 (Wǒ xiǎng dìng zhāng dānchéng piào)." For a round-trip ticket, simply say "我想订张往返票 (Wǒ xiǎng dìng zhāng wǎngfǎn piào)." If you need to ask about ticket prices, try "一张票多少钱? (Yī zhāng piào duōshǎo qián?)" 

When traveling, it is crucial to have essential information such as your departure date (出发日期; chūfā rìqī) and return date (返回日期; fǎnhuí rìqī). Knowing your departure station (出发站; chūfā zhàn) and arrival station (到达站; dàodá zhàn) is equally important as it helps you plan your itinerary and ensures a smooth journey. 

Taking Trains

As you purchase your ticket, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with the Chinese terms for hard sleeper (硬卧; yìng wò) and soft sleeper (软卧; ruǎn wò) tickets. Opting for a sleeper bed is highly recommended for extended journeys. While soft and hard sleeper beds are similar, the former offers more space and comes at a higher cost. Therefore, if you're on a budget, purchasing a hard sleeper ticket is a viable option.

The sleeper ticket offers a choice of upper (上铺; shàng pù), middle (中铺; zhōng pù), or lower berth (下铺; xià pù) .

For those who prefer a seated option, there are the soft seat (软座; ruănzuò) and hard seat (硬座; yìng zuò) options. However, for those brave souls who don't mind standing during their journey, there is also the standing ticket (无座; wú zuò) option.

Taking Flights

To prepare for your upcoming flight, you'll need to purchase a plane ticket (飞机票; fēijī piào), which is available in either a one-way (单程票; dānchéng piào) or return (往返票; wǎngfǎn piào) option. Upon arrival at the airport (飞机场; fēijī chǎng), you'll need to check-in your luggage (托运行李; tuōyùn xínglǐ) before obtaining your boarding pass (登机牌, dēngjīpái) from the staff.

If you're looking to secure a window seat on the plane, you can simply say  "最好是靠窗户的座位  Zuì hǎo shì kào chuānghu de zuòwei," indicating your preference. Inquiring about the departure time can be done by asking  "航班几点起飞?  Hángbān jǐdiǎn qǐfēi?" to obtain precise information. Similarly, for information on the arrival time, simply ask "航班几点到 Hángbān jǐdiǎn dào?" to get the details you need. 

In addition, here is some more vocab you might find helpful:

When you arrive at the airport, you'll need to check in your baggage 行李  xínglǐ. Your passport 护照 hùzhào is your most important travel document. After you check in, you'll need to find your boarding gate  登机口 dēngjīkǒu . Sometimes you'll need to transfer to another flight 转机 zhuǎnjī  to reach your final destination.

If you want to enjoy the view from the airplane window, choose a  window seat 靠窗户的座位 kào chuānghu de zuòwèi when you check in. If you prefer to have more legroom or easy access to the aisle  choose an aisle seat 靠过道的座位 kào guòdào de zuòwèi when you check in. If your flight arrives at a remote gate, you might need to take a shuttle bus 机场摆渡车 jīchǎng bǎidù chē to the terminal. 

READ: Speedy Sightseeing: Chinese Tourists Embrace "Whirlwind Travel"

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