25 Words Every Traveller Should Have in Their Vocabulary

Hidden Hills

January 22, 2024

25. Numinous (adj.)

Origin: English

Definition: Describing an experience that makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted.

24. Dépaysement (n.)

Origin: French

Definition: The disorientation felt in a foreign country or culture. The feeling of being a fish out of water.

23. Dérive (n.)

Origin: Latin/French

Definition: A spontaneous journey where the traveller leaves their life behind for a time to let the spirit of the landscape and architecture attract and move them.

22. Sehnsucht (n.)

Origin: German

Definition: The inconsolable longing in the human heart for a far, familiar, non-earthly land one can identify as one’s home.

21. Fernweh (n.)

Origin: German

Definition: A craving for travel. Being homesick for a place you’ve never been.

20. Sonder (v.)

Origin: French

Definition: The realization that each random passer-by is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.

19. Hodophile (adj.)

Origin: Greek

Definition: “Lover of roads”, or better “love of travel.”

18. Resfeber (n.)

Origin: Swedish

Definition: The restless race of the traveller’s heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together.

17. Nemophilist (n.)

Origin: Greek

Definition: A haunter of the woods; one who loves the forest and its beauty and solitude.

16. Vagary (n.)

Origin: Latin

Definition: An unpredictable instance, a wandering journey; a whimsical, wild or unusual idea, desire, or action.

15. Coddiwomple (v.)

Origin: English Slang Word

Definition: To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.

14. Annu Miarabilis (n.) (phr.)

Origin: Latin

Definition: A remarkable or notable year in history; a year of wonders and miracles, used to speak hopefully of the future.

13. Wanderlust (n.)

Origin: German

Definition: A strong, innate, impulse or desire to travel the world.

12. Yūgen (n.)

Origin: Japanese

Definition: An awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and mysterious for words.

11. Sojourn (n.)

Origin: Latin, Old French

Definition: A period of time when you stay in a place as a traveler or guest.

10. Strikhedonia (n.)

Origin: Greek

Definition: The pleasure of being able to say “to hell with it!”

9. Eleutheromania (n.)

Origin: Greek

Definition: An intense and irresistible desire for freedom.

8. Smultroställe (n.)

Origin: Swedish

Definition: A special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress and sadness.

7. Solivagant (adj.)

Origin: Latin

Definition: Wandering alone.

6. Wayfarer (n.)

Origin: English

Definition: Someone who travels, especially on foot.

5. Livsnjutare (n.)

Origin: Swedish

Definition: One who loves life deeply and lives it to the extreme

4. Sturmfrei (adj.)

Origin: German

Definition: The freedom of not being watched by a parent or superior; being alone at a place and having the ability to do what you want.

3. Cosmopolitan (adj.) (n.)

Origin: English

Definition: At home all over the world,” and as a noun, “a citizen of the world.

2. Selcouth (adj.)

Origin: English

Definition: Unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet marvellous.

1. Peregrinate (v.)

Origin: Latin

Definition: Travel or wander around from place to place.