Spanish travel phrases: the essentials for your trip

You do not need much Spanish to travel well — you need a small set of phrases you can say without thinking. The five that carry most of a trip are por favor (please), gracias (thank you), ¿Dónde está...? (Where is…?), ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much is it?) and No entiendo (I don’t understand). Add a greeting and ¿Habla inglés? (Do you speak English?) and you can handle an airport, a hotel, a restaurant and a shop.

Start with the core words below — every traveller uses them dozens of times a day.

With those in place, here are the survival phrases grouped by the moment you’ll need them. Each one is short enough to memorize before you land.

Greetings and being polite

A greeting before a request is expected in Spanish and makes everything smoother. Open with hola plus the time of day, and lean on por favor and gracias.

Hola, buenas tardes. ¿Me puede ayudar, por favor?
Hello, good afternoon. Can you help me, please?

Perdón and disculpe both work to get someone’s attention or to apologize for squeezing past. Disculpe is a touch more formal and is the safe choice with strangers and staff.

Disculpe, ¿tiene un momento?
Excuse me, do you have a moment?

Finding your way

Most travel questions are really one question: where is something? Use ¿Dónde está...? with any place, and follow up with the direction words. This is the heart of asking for directions in Spanish, and it is just as useful the moment you land — see the airport vocabulary for the signs and desks around you.

¿Dónde está la salida?
Where is the exit?

¿Está lejos la estación?
Is the station far?

Hotels, food and shopping

Checking in, eating out and buying things reuse the same few frames. At the hotel you confirm a room; the full set is in the hotel vocabulary.

Tengo una reserva a nombre de García.
I have a reservation under the name García.

Ordering food follows one pattern — name the dish with Para mí... and add por favor; the walk-through is in the restaurant phrases.

Para mí, una ensalada y un agua, por favor.
For me, a salad and a water, please.

To buy something, ask the price and pay; more of this is in the shopping phrases.

¿Cuánto cuesta esto? ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
How much is this? Can I pay by card?

When you don’t understand

The most valuable travel phrases are the ones that buy you time. If someone speaks too fast, say so — politely and clearly.

Lo siento, no entiendo. ¿Puede hablar más despacio?
Sorry, I don’t understand. Can you speak more slowly?

¿Puede repetir, por favor?
Can you repeat, please?

And if you simply need English, just ask: ¿Habla inglés? is polite and gets a quick answer.

Asking for help in an emergency

A few phrases are worth knowing before you ever need them. ¿Me puede ayudar? (Can you help me?) covers small problems, while ¡Ayuda! or ¡Socorro! (Help!) are the words you shout in a real emergency.

Necesito un médico. / Llame a la policía, por favor.
I need a doctor. / Call the police, please.

If you lose something or feel unwell, keep it simple and direct — short sentences are easier to say under stress and easier for someone to act on.

He perdido mi pasaporte. / No me siento bien.
I’ve lost my passport. / I don’t feel well.

Common mistakes

Saying soy bien for “I’m fine”

Feelings and states use estar, not ser. “How are you?” is answered with estoy bien.

Soy bien. → Estoy bien.
I’m fine.

Asking ¿Dónde es el baño?

Location uses estar, so it is ¿Dónde está...?, not ¿Dónde es...?.

¿Dónde es el baño? → ¿Dónde está el baño?
Where is the bathroom?

Using a blunt ¿Qué? for “what?”

A bare ¿Qué? to mean “what did you say?” can sound rude. Use ¿Cómo? or ¿Perdón? instead.

¿Qué? → ¿Cómo? / ¿Perdón?
Sorry? / Pardon?

Travel phrases stick when you say them out loud a few times before you need them. Fluera plays each phrase with native audio and has you place it in a real situation, so ¿Dónde está el baño? and ¿Cuánto cuesta? come out automatically — a quick way to practice Spanish before your trip.

Practice