gute Reise
To say bon voyage in German, wishing someone a good journey, say gute Reise. For a trip by car, train or boat, gute Fahrt is also common. If unsure, use gute Reise.
Meaning: wish of good journey (intj)
Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| gute Reise |
| gute Fahrt |
gute Reise is usually said on its own as an exclamation when seeing someone off. A more formal wish is Ich wünsche Ihnen eine angenehme Reise, I wish you a pleasant journey. For friends or family going on holiday, people say Schönen Urlaub! or Viel Spaß auf deiner Reise!
Which one should you use?
Use gute Reise for travel in general, such as flying or long trips. gute Fahrt specifically suggests a journey in a vehicle like a car, train or boat.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both Reise and Fahrt are feminine nouns, so the adjective takes the ending e: gute Fahrt.
Did you know?
- The English word 'farewell' and the German word Fahrt share the same ancient ancestor meaning 'to go' or 'passage'.
- The word Reise appears in the German word for passport, Reisepass, which literally translates to a 'travel pass'.
- While Gute Fahrt is for vehicles, it is also the standard, polite way to wish a person on a bicycle or even on skis a good trip.
Examples in context
- Gute Reise und viel Glück auf all deinen Wegen!Bon voyage! May you have good luck on your journey.Here Gute Reise is followed by a wish for good luck on all your paths.Tatoeba #3942267 by pne, translation #2677810 by carlosalberto
- Gute Fahrt!Bon voyage!Gute Fahrt! on its own is a short good journey wish.Tatoeba #1849084 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #435207 by FeuDRenais
- Ich wünsche dir eine gute Reise.I wish you a good journey.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas is leaving for a vacation at the airport.
- SarahVergiss deinen Reisepass nicht!Don't forget your passport!
- LukasDanke, ich habe ihn in der Tasche.Thanks, I have it in my bag.
- SarahAlles klar, gute Reise, Lukas!All right, have a good journey, Lukas!
- LukasVielen Dank, Sarah!Thank you very much, Sarah!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bon voyage” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Fahrt, Reise, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
