Travel aspirations

Travel Aspirations in French – B1 Level

This lesson focuses on expressing travel desires and plans in French, tailored for intermediate learners who want to communicate their aspirations effectively. You will learn essential vocabulary and phrases related to travel destinations, modes of transportation, accommodation, and activities, helping you share your travel goals and make arrangements with confidence.

Key Vocabulary and Expressions

• Voyager – to travel
• Rêver de visiter – to dream of visiting
• Prendre l’avion/le train – to take the plane/train
• Un hébergement – accommodation
• Faire une réservation – to make a reservation
• Explorer des lieux – to explore places
• Profiter de – to enjoy (something)
• Itinéraire – itinerary
• Prévoir – to plan/arrange

Useful Phrases

• « J’aimerais voyager en France cet été. » (I would like to travel to France this summer.)
• « Je rêve de visiter Paris et la Côte d’Azur. » (I dream of visiting Paris and the French Riviera.)
• « Nous allons prendre le train pour Lyon. » (We are going to take the train to Lyon.)
• « Avez-vous fait une réservation à l’hôtel ? » (Have you made a hotel reservation?)
• « Je prévois un itinéraire de deux semaines. » (I am planning a two-week itinerary.)

Grammar Highlights

The lesson reviews the conditional mood to express desires and polite requests (e.g., « Je voudrais », « J’aimerais ») as well as future constructions to talk about plans. Understanding how to use prepositions related to travel, such as « en », « au », and « à », will improve your accuracy when naming countries, cities, and modes of transport.

Differences Between English and French Travel Expressions

In French, travel verbs often require specific prepositions that differ from English. For example, saying “go to” a country in French depends on the gender of that country: en France (feminine), au Canada (masculine), or aux États-Unis (plural). Also, the verb voyager is more commonly used for travelling in general, while English often uses “to travel” more broadly with different prepositions. Polite requests in French commonly use the conditional tense; for instance, “I would like” translates to Je voudrais, which is a softer, more courteous way to express intentions compared to the direct present tense used in English.
Useful phrases include:

• Je voudrais réserver une chambre d’hôtel. (I would like to book a hotel room.)
• Est-ce que vous pouvez m’aider à planifier mon voyage ? (Can you help me plan my trip?)