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Business Trip Vocabulary: 105 English Words and Phrases for Successful Travels

If you’re an English learner who will be taking international business trips, having the right vocabulary is crucial.

In this post, you’ll learn 105 useful English words and phrases to make your business trips go smoothly.

These terms can help you with things like getting to your destination, participating in business meetings and dining with your coworkers or clients. 

Learning this vocabulary will make you feel more confident speaking English no matter where your work takes you. 

Contents


Useful Business Trip Vocabulary

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These vocabulary words and phrases will likely come in handy on your next business trip. 

Word or PhraseMeaning
Reservation Booking a hotel room, flight or restaurant in advance.
Meeting A planned discussion with colleagues or clients.
Presentation A talk or show to explain something to others.
Negotiation Discussing and making deals or agreements.
Networking Meeting people to exchange information or build relationships.
Conference A large meeting for people in the same industry.
Agenda A list of topics or activities planned for a meeting.
Business card A small card with your contact details for professional purposes.
Expense To expense something means to record and claim its cost as a business expense. Your company will pay you back or cover the cost of the expensed item or service.
Expense report A document listing all the money spent during a business trip.
Currency exchange Changing one type of money into another.
Receipt A piece of paper showing you paid for something.
Transportation The way you get from one place to another, like taxis or trains.
Reschedule To change the date or time of a meeting or flight.
Clientele The customers or clients of a business.
Interpreter Someone who helps translate languages during meetings.

Traveling by Air 

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Here are some useful terms for traveling by plane for your business trip: 

Word or PhraseMeaning
Check-in counter This is the first place you go in the airport. It's where passengers place their checked bags and collect their boarding passes.
Boarding pass The airline ticket that allows you to get on the plane. It has your aisle and seat number and the flight information.
Checked baggage The bags and suitcases you give to the airline to place in the cargo section of the airplane before you board.
Carry-ons The bags you can carry on the plane with you.
Baggage allowance The maximum number of bags and weight of each bag that you're allowed.
Excess baggage fee An amount of money you might have to pay if your bags are overweight.
Luggage/baggage The suitcases and bags a traveler takes on their trip (used only in singular form).
Seating preference During check-in, you may be able to indicate your seating preference: aisle, middle or window seat.
Aisle seats The seats located along the aisle (the walkway down the center of the airplane).
Window seats The seats located alongside the windows of the plane.
Middle seats The seats located between the aisle and window seats.
Extra legroom Extra space in front of your seat for your legs. These are usually located near the emergency exits of the airplane.
Airport terminal The building where you catch your flight.
Boarding gate The gate where passengers go to board the airplane.
Departure lounge/waiting room The area where passengers can wait before it's time to board.
Connecting flight Taking a connecting flight involves stopping in another city and usually changing planes on the way to your destination.
Layover/stopover This is the time you have to wait between your connecting flights.
Customs The place where your luggage is checked when you enter a new country to make sure you're not bringing anything illegal.
Immigration The process of entering a new country legally. When you arrive, you'll have to pass through immigration before picking up your checked luggage.
Time zone The world is divided into different time zones, or geographic regions that share the same time, which is different than the time in other time zones.
Jetlag The feeling of being tired after traveling from one time zone to another.
Culture shock This is a feeling you may experience when you travel to a place very different from your home, in terms of its culture or the way things are done.

Getting Around in a New City 

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When you arrive at your destination, you’ll have to find your way from the airport to the hotel or business venue (meeting place). 

You’ll also have to figure out the most convenient mode of transportation: taxis, train, subway, bus, Uber, etc. Speak to locals or to your coworkers who live there and ask them for recommendations.

Here are some example questions you can use to help you get around a new city:

PurposeExample Questions
Asking how to get to your destination: How do I get from the Sheridan Hotel to the main office?

What's the best way to get to the office from the Sheridan Hotel on East Street?
Asking the distance to your destination: How far is it from the Sheridan Hotel to the Life Center?

How long will it take to get to the Life Center from here?
Requesting to go to a certain place: I'd like to go to the Plaza Tower on Lowry Road.

I need to go to the Kodak Building.

Could you please take me to Maynard Court?

At the Hotel

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It’s likely your company has made a hotel reservation (booking) for you ahead of your business trip.

Here are some example phrases that might be useful when talking to the receptionist at the hotel: 

PurposeExample Phrase
Checking in: I have a reservation under... (your name and your company's name).

I'm here for the business conference. Could you please show me where the conference rooms are?
Room preferences: Could I request a non-smoking room, please?

Is it possible to get a room with a view?
Special requests: I'd like a wake-up call at 6 a.m. tomorrow, please.

I'd like to order room service to room number 501
Transportation: Is there a shuttle service to the airport?

Can you call a taxi for me?
Local recommendations: Could you recommend a good restaurant nearby?

Do you have a map of the local area?
Housekeeping: Could you please send housekeeping to clean my room?

May I have extra towels and toiletries?
Asking for information: Can you tell me about the amenities your hotel offers?

What's the Wi-Fi password?
Questions about check-out: What time is check-out? Can I have a late check-out?

Is there a place where I can store my luggage after check-out?
Checking out: I was in room number 501 and I'd like to check out now.

Could you please give me a receipt? I'm traveling on business and will be expensing the room charge.
Billing questions: Can you provide me with an itemized bill?

What's the total cost for my stay?

In Business Meetings

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Of course, the most important part of your trip is the time when you’ll be discussing business and accomplishing your professional goals.

In order to be successful, you’ll need to know some key vocabulary for business meetings

PurposeExample Phrases
Introducing yourself: Hi, everyone. I’m Michelle and I work as a manager in the marketing department.

It's nice to see you all. I'm David and I'm on the sales team.
Giving updates: We’ve made significant progress on the project since our last meeting.

We're making steady progress towards our goals.
Asking for clarification: Could you please clarify the third point on the agenda?

I didn't quite catch that. Can you go over it again?
Contributing ideas: I have a suggestion regarding the marketing strategy.

What if we explore alternative approaches to this issue?
Expressing agreement: I completely agree with what Sarah just mentioned.

I'm on the same page as Tom. This approach seems promising.
Seeking input: Has anyone else encountered a similar challenge?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.
Giving feedback: I think the presentation was clear and well-structured.

Maybe we could improve the proposal by including more data.
Planning next steps: I'll follow up with the client and provide an update by Friday.

Let's work together to finalize the project timeline.
Expressing appreciation: Thank you, everyone, for your valuable contributions.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be part of this discussion.
Offering assistance: If anyone needs help with the research, I'm available.

Feel free to reach out to me if you require any support.
Reacting positively: That's a fantastic idea, and it aligns with our goals.

I'm excited about the potential of this proposal.
Seeking agreement: Does everyone feel comfortable with this decision?

Are we all in favor of moving forward with this plan?
Participating actively: I've reviewed the budget, and I have some observations.

Let me share some data I gathered during our market analysis.
Proposing a follow-up: Could we schedule a brief follow-up meeting to check progress?

Should we plan a review session for our next steps?
Managing time: I don't want to take up too much time, but...

I noticed we're running over schedule.
Closing remarks: Before we conclude, I want to express my support for this initiative.

Thank you for the productive discussion. I look forward to our next meeting.
Saying goodbye: It was really nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you more in the future.

It was great meeting with you today. See you at the group dinner tonight!

At Business Meals

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Lunches and dinners play an important part in making business deals, building business relationships and celebrating partnerships.

Whether you’re attending or hosting the business meal, it’s important to know how to handle the basics of dining with your business partners.

PurposeExample Phrases
Greetings: Hello, it's nice to see you again.

Thank you for joining me/us today.
Compliments: The food here is excellent, isn't it?

This restaurant has a wonderful ambiance.
Getting ready to order: Shall we order now?

Are we ready to order or do you need more time?
Ordering: I'll have [dish or drink], please.

What do you recommend?
Offering to pay: Let me take care of the bill.

Shall we split the bill evenly?
Small talk: How has your day been so far?

Have you been to this restaurant before?
Discussing business: Let's talk a bit about the project.

I wanted to update you on our recent developments.
Expressing appreciation: I appreciate your time and insights.

Thank you for considering our proposal.
Arranging follow-up: Can we schedule another meeting to discuss this further?

I'll send you an email with more details after our meal.
Closing the conversation: It's been a pleasure catching up.

I look forward to our next meeting.
Farewells: Goodbye, and safe travels.

We'll be in touch. Take care!

 

If you pack this vocabulary guide, you won’t be caught speechless when you travel for work. 

Good luck with your future business trips!

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