93 Essential Spanish Travel Phrases You Need to Know Before Traveling to a Spanish-Speaking Country

Holidays are always “just around the corner”. You dream about them. You measure your working time in months/weeks/days remaining until the vacation. You even watch travel videos and imagine you are in them. And you know what? We all do that. But there’s something even more useful you can do to prepare for your travels: learn useful and essential travel phrases. If you are planning to visit a Spanish-speaking country soon, here are a bunch of useful Spanish travel phrases you can use to take your traveling experience to the next level. Teach yourself Spanish for travelers today and drink sangria with the locals tomorrow!

And if you have been wondering, yes, South American Spanish and European Spanish are almost the same. The situation is similar to the American English vs. British English situation. This means that you can spot minor differences when it comes to accent and some words. That being said, it’s time to learn some Spanish travel phrases!

1. Greetings and other basic phrases – the magic Spanish words
2. Useful Spanish phrases for when you are at the airport
3. Basic Spanish for travelers that need help
4. Advanced Spanish phrases for different hotel situations
5. Spanish travel phrases to help you experience the local cuisine
6. Spanish for travelers who want to have fun

1. Greetings and other basic phrases – the magic Spanish words

If you want to spark some Spanish conversations, it takes just a common Spanish word to do it: a greeting. And you probably know one already. The Latins are warm, friendly and very welcoming people, so don’t be surprised if they seem open to conversation. It’s an opportunity you want to take advantage of.

• ¡Buenos días! – Good morning!
• ¡Buenas tardes! – Good afternoon!
• ¡Buenas noches! – Good evening!
• ¡Hola! – Hi!

• ¿Cómo estás? – How are you?
• ¡Bien, gracias! – Good, thank you!
• ¿Cómo te llamas? – What’s your name?
• Me llamo Sofía. – My name is Sofia.
• ¡Encantado (or encantada for women) de conocerte! – Nice to meet you!
• ¡Por favor! – Please!
• Gracias. – Thank you.
• Perdón. – Sorry.
• ¿Habla inglés? – Do you speak English?

• No hablo Español. – I don’t speak Spanish.
• ¿Tiene? – Do you have?
• Yo tengo/Yo no tengo – I have/I don’t have
• ¿Entiende? – Do you understand?
• No entiendo. – I don’t understand.
• Habla más despacio, por favor. – Speak slower, please.
• Por favor repita. – Please repeat.
• ¿Cuánto cuesta? – How much does it cost?
• Me gustaría – I would like
• Yo quiero/Yo no quiero – I want/I don’t want
• ¿Me puedes ayudar? – Can you help me?
• ¿Dónde está? – Where is?

2. Useful Spanish phrases for when you are at the airport

Arriving at the airport – both at the beginning and at the end of your journey – will also require some basic Spanish sentences. Whether we are talking about passport verification, asking for directions or for help with your luggage, these travel phrases will definitely help you. It’s important to realize that not everybody speaks English.

• Sus pasaportes, por favor. – Your passports, please.
• Aquí tiene. – There you are.
• Estamos viajando juntos. – We are traveling together.
• ¿Cuándo sale el próximo vuelo para Nueva York? – When is the next flight to New York?
• ¿Podría ayudarme, por favor? – Can you help me, please?
• ¿Dónde está la puerta de embarque? – Where is the boarding gate?
• ¿Se ha cancelado el vuelo? – Has the flight been canceled?

• Querría cambiar mi reserva. – I would like to change my reservation.
• Querría confirmar mi reserva. – I would like to confirm my reservation.
• Querría anular mi reserva. – I would like to cancel my reservation.
• ¿Dónde está el aeropuerto, por favor? – Where is the airport, please?
• ¿Dónde está la terminal internacional? – Where is the international terminal?
• Necesitamos ayuda para subir al avión. – We need help to get on the plane.
• Èste es mi equipaje de mano. – This is my carry-on baggage.
• Quisiera cambiar mi asiento. – I want to change my seat.

3. Basic Spanish for travelers that need help

In this situation, you can also use the basic Spanish travel phrases for conversation that were mentioned in the first bullet points. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it. Taxi drivers, for example, are usually nice people and will surely answer your questions. They might even give you travel tips that only locals know.
The questions that will help you the most when you are asking for help are ¿Dónde está…? meaning Where is…? and ¿Dónde hay…? that is basically the same thing but it is generally used together with indefinite articles like un or una.

• el aeropuerto – the airport
• la estación de trene – the train station
• la oficina de información turística – the tourist information center
• el puesto de venta de billetes – the ticket sales stand
• una parada de taxis – taxi stop
• un restaurante – a restaurant
• un supermercado – a supermarket

• un banco – a bank
• un baño – a bathroom
• una farmacia – a pharmacy
• un autobús – a bus
• el centro de la ciudad – the center of the city
• ¿Me puede ayudar? – Can you help me?
• ¿Dónde puede comprar un billete? – Where can I buy a ticket?
• Un adulto y un niño – An adult and a child

4. Advanced Spanish phrases for different hotel situations

At this point, you are already getting your travel vocabulary to the next level!
Quick learning tip: take some good ol’ piece of paper and a pen and write these holiday phrases down. The next step is to try and repeat them using the audios included in the article. This will help you get your “Spanish for travelers” skills on point!

• He reservado una habitación. – I have booked a room.
• ¿Puedes darme la llave de mi habitación? – Can you give me the key to my room?
• Esta habitación es demasiado ruidosa. – This room is too noisy.
• ¿No tiene un colchón más duro? – Do you have a firmer mattress?
• ¿Cuándo es la hora límite de salida? – When is check-out time?
• Gracias por tu ayuda. – Thank you for your help.
• ¿Qué les ha parecido su estancia con nosotros? – How was your stay with us?
• Muy agradable, gracias. – Very nice, thanks.
• Aqui tiene su factura. Por favor revísela. – Here is your bill, please look it over.

5. Spanish travel phrases to help you experience the local cuisine

Local cuisine and food, in general, are one of the best parts of a vacation. The travel experience is not complete if you don’t try at least one traditional meal that local people absolutely love. If you want to be sure you are making the right choice, go with the chef’s recommendation or just ask around. Buen provecho!

• Estoy listo para pedir. – I’m ready to ask.
• ¿Qué desea usted beber? – What would you like to drink?
• Me gustaría algo de postre. – I would like some dessert.
• Me gustaría probar la especialidad del cocinero. – I would like to try the chef’s specialty.
• una sopa – a soup
• una ensalada – a salad
• un café – a coffee
• un té – a tea

• un zumo de naranja – an orange juice
• una agua mineral – a mineral water
• un cuenco de sopa – a bowl of soup
• Nosotros querríamos desayunar. – We would like to have breakfast.
• Nosotros querríamos almorzar. – We would like to have lunch.
• Nosotros querríamos cenar. – We would like to have dinner.
• ¿Qué me recomienda usted? – What would you recommend?
• ¿Cuál es el plato especial del día? – What is the special dish of the day?
• Yo querría un plato con verduras mixtas y pescado. – I would like a plate with mixed vegetables and fish.
• Nosotros quisiéramos dos copas de vino. – We would like two glasses of wine.

• sin grasas – without fats
• sin sal – without salt
• sin productos animales – without animal products
• sin azúcar – without sugar

6. Spanish for travelers who want to have fun

The final – and probably most important – travel phrases in a Spanish-speaking country are those related to fun. The holiday is not over until you go to a fiesta and drink a few sangrias. And you know what? You learn Spanish for vacation today, but you might end up loving it so much that you’ll want to achieve fluency. Who knows?! Maybe you’ll even move to a Spanish-speaking country – especially since science occasionally says these are the happiest countries in the world.

• ¿Hay algún bar por aquí? – Is there a pub/bar around here?
• ¿Me podría recomendar un lugar para bailar? – Can you recommend me a place to dance?
• ¿Puede conseguirme usted una entrada? – Can you get me a ticket?
• Hay un concierto gratuito en el parque central. – There is a free concert in the central park.
• ¿Aún hay asientos disponibles? – Are there any seats available?
• Nosotros quisiéramos dos billetes para la película Avengers: Infinity War. – We would like two tickets to the movie Avengers: Infinity War.
• ¿Me podría recomendar algo divertido para hacer esta noche? – Can you recommend me something fun to do tonight?

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