Traveling the US is not only a great way to see the country, but also a crash course in American English.

Truck stops, motels, airports, gas stations – these are the breeding grounds for social idioms and regional expressions.

Before you set off into the sunset, here are 12 travel idioms to speed your journey:

1. Backseat driver: a passenger who critiques or criticizes your driving

2. Sunday driver: one who drives slowly and makes unexpected maneuvers

3. Greasy spoon: usually applied to restaurants – especially diners – serving cheap fried or grilled foods

4. Pit stop: to stop for gas, snacks, beverages, restrooms, etc.

5. Red-eye flight: any flight departing late at night

6. One for the road: having one more of something (especially a drink) before departing

7. Live out of a suitcase: to continuously travel from place to place

8. Hit the road: to begin traveling

9. Pedal to the metal: to accelerate or speed up

10. Off the beaten path/track: something that is out of the mainstream, rarely frequented or known

11. Fleabag motel/roach motel: shabby, low-priced accommodations

12. Running on fumes: driving with very little gasoline in the tank

For those who have the time, money and curiosity, travel offers the most vivid encounter with American language and culture.

After all, you don’t have to be a Kerouac to find poetry inside an odometer.

Related Posts

1. English Idioms & American Socializing
2. English Idioms for Money & Business
3. American English Idioms: College Edition
4. American Slang Words: Mad! Sick! Horrorshow!

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