Travel

The phrases that move you through an airport, a taxi, a train station, and a hotel front desk — with the dialect equivalents and the words you will see on signs.

Most travel encounters in major Arab cities can be conducted in English at the higher-tier hotels and airports, but Arabic gets you through the everyday — the taxi driver who asks where you are going, the small-station ticket window, the hotel where the night porter speaks no English. The phrases below skew toward the spoken register you will actually use, with dialect labels where the form differs.

One feature worth noting upfront: numbers in spoken Arabic — fares, room numbers, ticket prices — are often given in a mix of Arabic words and Hindi-Arabic numerals. The numerals you see on a price tag (٢٥) read right-to-left like the script around them, but the digits read left-to-right within the number itself. For the underlying number system see numbers, days, and time.

At the airport

Where is check-in?

وين تسجيل الوصول؟ wayn tasjiil al-wuSuul?

Many signs simply read check-in in Latin script. Spoken, the phrase above is MSA-leaning and understood everywhere.

Passport, please

جواز السفر من فضلك jawaaz as-safar min faDlak

Visa

تأشيرة / فيزا ta'shiira / fiiza

fiiza is the loanword and what most counter staff will say.

Ticket / boarding pass

تذكرة / بطاقة الصعود tadhkira / biTaaqat aS-Suʿuud

Luggage

شنط / حقائب shunaT / Haqaa'ib

shunaT (plural of shanTa) is the colloquial form heard most often. Haqaa'ib is MSA — used in announcements.

I have one bag / two bags

عندي شنطة وحدة / شنطتين ʿindii shanTa waaHida / shanTatayn

Where is the gate?

وين البوّابة؟ wayn al-bawwaaba?

When does the flight leave?

إيمتى الطيارة بتطلع؟ ee-mta T-Tayyaara btiTlaʿ?

The flight is delayed

الرحلة متأخّرة ar-riHla mit'akhkhira

Taxi

Ride-hailing apps (Careem, Uber, inDrive) cover the major Arab cities and are far easier to use than hailed taxis if you are nervous about haggling the fare. For street taxis, agree the fare before getting in, or — where it is the local norm, as in much of the Levant — confirm the meter is on (ʿaddaad).

To [the airport / downtown / this address]

على المطار / وسط البلد / هاد العنوان ʿalaa l-maTaar / wasaT al-balad / haad al-ʿunwaan

How much to [place]?

قدّيش على…؟ / بكم على…؟ addaysh ʿalaa…? (Lev.) / bikam ʿalaa…? (general)

Turn on the meter, please

شغّل العدّاد من فضلك shaghghil il-ʿaddaad min faDlak

Common in Levant and Egypt where metered taxis exist. In Gulf cities and Maghreb the meter is usually already on or fares are fixed.

Stop here, please

وقّف هون من فضلك waqqif hoon min faDlak (Lev.) / waqqaf hina (Eg.)

A little further / just here

شويّة قدّام / هون shwayya quddaam / hoon

Keep the change

خلّي الباقي khallii l-baaqii

Trains, buses, intercity

Train station

محطّة القطار maHaTTat al-qiTaar

Bus station

محطّة الباص / محطّة الحافلات maHaTTat il-baaS / maHaTTat al-Haafilaat

baaS is colloquial; Haafila is MSA, used in writing and on signs.

A ticket to [city], please

تذكرة على [المدينة] من فضلك tadhkira ʿalaa [al-madiina] min faDlak

One-way / return

ذهاب / ذهاب وإياب dhahaab / dhahaab wa-iyaab

When does the next [train / bus] leave?

إيمتى القطار / الباص الجاي؟ ee-mta l-qiTaar / il-baaS il-jaay?

Which platform?

أيّ رصيف؟ ayy raSiif?

Hotel

I have a reservation

عندي حجز ʿindii Hajz

A room for one / two people

غرفة لشخص واحد / شخصين ghurfa li-shakhS waaHid / shakhSayn

For [two] nights

لمدّة ليلتين li-muddat laylatayn

Is breakfast included?

الفطور مشمول؟ il-fuTuur mashmuul?

The Wi-Fi password, please

كلمة سرّ الواي فاي من فضلك kalimat sirr al-waay-faay min faDlak

Can I check out late?

ممكن أطلع متأخّر؟ mumkin aTlaʿ mit'akhkhir?

At a checkpoint or border

I'm a tourist

أنا سائح / سائحة anaa saa'iH / saa'iHa

I'm here for tourism / business / family

أنا هون للسياحة / للشغل / لزيارة العائلة anaa hoon li-s-siyaaHa / li-sh-shughl / li-ziyaarat al-ʿaa'ila

Where do I go?

على وين أروح؟ ʿalaa wayn aruuH?

I'm staying at [hotel name]

أنا ساكن في فندق… anaa saakin fii funduq…

Useful nouns and signs

Departures / arrivals

المغادرة / القدوم al-mughaadara / al-quduum

Customs

الجمارك al-jamaarik

Information

الاستعلامات al-istiʿlaamaat

Toilet / restroom

الحمّام / دورة المياه al-Hammaam / dawrat al-miyaah

Exit

الخروج al-khuruuj

Common mistakes

Asking kam? ("how much") for a taxi fare without naming the destination first. Drivers will not quote a number until they know where you are going. kam ʿalaa l-maTaar? is the right form.
Using tadhkira for a flight. It works, but for a boarding pass the term is biTaaqat aS-Suʿuud (or just the English boarding pass at the counter). For a paper or app ticket, tadhkira is fine.
Confusing safar (travel) with safiir (ambassador). One letter, very different word. jawaaz safar means "passport," not "ambassador's permit."