Lesson 60: Vacation and Travel Wishes
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about simple vacation plans and travel wishes in German. You already know möchte, movement phrases, and the past with sein. Now you’ll use them together to talk about where you want to go, what kind of trip sounds nice, and where you were on vacation.
What You’ll Learn
- How to say where you want to travel
- How to use Ich möchte … fahren
- How to talk about vacation with Urlaub and Ferien
- How to use travel phrases like ans Meer and in die Berge
- How to ask and answer simple vacation questions
- How to use past-tense travel sentences with war and bin gefahren
German Travel Vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Der Urlaub | The vacation/holiday |
| Die Ferien | The school holidays/vacation break |
| Die Reise | The trip |
| Der Ausflug | The short trip/excursion |
| Das Meer | The sea |
| Die Berge | The mountains |
| Das Ausland | Abroad / foreign countries |
| Der Koffer | The suitcase |
| Das Gepäck | The luggage |
| Der Pass | The passport |
| Die Sehenswürdigkeit | The sight/tourist attraction |
Urlaub or Ferien
German has two common vacation words:
Der Urlaub usually means vacation time from work or a trip.
Die Ferien usually mean school holidays or an official vacation break.
Examples:
Ich mache Urlaub.
I am going on vacation.
Ich habe Ferien.
I have a vacation break/school holidays.
Der Urlaub war schön.
The vacation was nice.
Die Ferien waren kurz.
The holidays were short.
Saying Where You Want To Go
You already know, ich möchte. Now you can use it to talk about travel wishes.
Ich möchte nach Hamburg fahren.
I would like to go to Hamburg.
Ich möchte nach Deutschland reisen.
I would like to travel to Germany.
Ich möchte ans Meer fahren.
I would like to go to the sea.
Ich möchte in die Berge fahren.
I would like to go to the mountains.
These are useful travel phrases because they let you talk about plans, wishes, and dream trips.
Travel Phrases With Places
German uses different small words depending on the type of place.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Nach Hamburg | To Hamburg |
| Nach Deutschland | To Germany |
| Ins Ausland | Abroad |
| Ans Meer | To the sea |
| In die Berge | To the mountains |
| In die Stadt | Into town / to the city |
Use nach with most cities and countries:
Nach Hamburg
To Hamburg
Nach Deutschland
To Germany
Use ans Meer when you mean going to the sea or seaside:
Ans Meer
To the sea / to the seaside
Use in die Berge when you mean going to the mountains:
In die Berge
To the mountains
Why is it ans Meer?
Ans is short for:
an das
So:
ans Meer = an das Meer
You do not need to say the full form in everyday speech. Germans normally say:
Ich fahre ans Meer.
I am going to the sea.
Why not nach Meer?
Use nach with many cities and countries:
nach Hamburg
to Hamburg
nach Deutschland
to Germany
But das Meer is not a city or country. That is why you do not say:
Ich fahre nach Meer.
Why not zu Meer?
Zu is useful with people and many places:
zum Arzt
to the doctor
zur Schule
to school
zum Bahnhof
to the train station
But for the sea as a vacation destination, the natural phrase is:
ans Meer fahren
Think of ans Meer as the fixed travel phrase for going to the seaside.
Be Careful With ins Meer
Ins Meer means into the sea.
So:
Ich fahre ans Meer.
I am going to the seaside.
Ich gehe ins Meer.
I am going into the sea.
That is a different meaning.
Using Fahren or Reisen
Two useful verbs for travel are:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Fahren | To go/travel by vehicle |
| Reisen | To travel |
Examples:
Ich möchte nach Hamburg fahren.
I would like to go to Hamburg.
Ich möchte nach Deutschland reisen.
I would like to travel to Germany.
Ich reise gern.
I like to travel.
Wir machen eine Reise.
We are taking a trip.
For simple A1 German, fahren is often enough.
Talking About Vacation Plans
You can use short sentences to talk about simple travel plans.
Im Sommer mache ich Urlaub.
In the summer, I am going on vacation.
Ich möchte ans Meer fahren.
I would like to go to the sea.
Ich nehme meinen Koffer mit.
I am taking my suitcase with me.
Ich brauche meinen Pass.
I need my passport.
Ich möchte eine Sehenswürdigkeit sehen.
I would like to see a tourist attraction.
The goal is to say a few clear things about where you want to go and what you need.
Asking About Travel Wishes
Here are useful questions:
Wohin möchtest du fahren?
Where would you like to go?
Wohin möchtest du reisen?
Where would you like to travel?
Machst du Urlaub?
Are you going on vacation?
Hast du Ferien?
Do you have vacation break/school holidays?
Reist du gern?
Do you like to travel?
Simple answers:
Ich möchte nach Hamburg fahren.
I would like to go to Hamburg.
Ich möchte ans Meer fahren.
I would like to go to the sea.
Ja, ich reise gern.
Yes, I like to travel.
Nein, ich bleibe zu Hause.
No, I am staying home.
Talking About A Vacation In The Past
You just learned past-tense travel sentences with war and bin gefahren.
Now you can use them on vacation.
Ich war im Urlaub.
I was on vacation.
Ich war am Meer.
I was at the sea.
Ich war in den Bergen.
I was in the mountains.
Ich bin nach Hamburg gefahren.
I went to Hamburg.
Ich bin ans Meer gefahren.
I went to the sea.
Ich bin in die Berge gefahren.
I went to the mountains.
Present, Wish, and Past
Look at the difference:
| Meaning | German |
|---|---|
| I am going to Hamburg. | Ich fahre nach Hamburg. |
| I would like to go to Hamburg. | Ich möchte nach Hamburg fahren. |
| I went to Hamburg. | Ich bin nach Hamburg gefahren. |
And:
| Meaning | German |
|---|---|
| I am going to the sea. | Ich fahre ans Meer. |
| I would like to go to the sea. | Ich möchte ans Meer fahren. |
| I went to the sea. | Ich bin ans Meer gefahren. |
This helps you talk about now, wishes, and the past with the same travel vocabulary.
A Short Vacation Text
You can now build a simple vacation description:
Im Sommer mache ich Urlaub.
In the summer, I am going on vacation.
Ich möchte ans Meer fahren.
I would like to go to the sea.
Ich nehme meinen Koffer mit.
I am taking my suitcase with me.
Letztes Jahr war ich in Hamburg.
Last year I was in Hamburg.
Der Urlaub war schön.
The vacation was nice.
Reading Practice
Hallo, ich heiße Lena. Im Sommer mache ich Urlaub. Ich möchte ans Meer fahren, denn ich mag Sonne und Wasser. Ich nehme meinen Koffer und meinen Pass mit. Meine Schwester möchte lieber in die Berge fahren.
Letztes Jahr war ich in Hamburg. Ich bin mit dem Zug gefahren. Die Reise war kurz, aber schön. Ich habe eine Sehenswürdigkeit gesehen und viele Fotos gemacht. Der Urlaub war toll.
