escapade routière
Canada, feminine
In French, a road trip is an escapade routière, a term used mainly in Canada. If unsure, use escapade routière. Wiktionary also lists balade en voiture and virée en voiture.
Meaning: recreational or impromptu excursion (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | Note |
|---|---|
| escapade routière | Canada, feminine |
| balade en voiture | feminine |
| virée en voiture | feminine |
| voyage en voiture | masculine |
Use escapade routière for a recreational trip by road, the way English speakers use road trip.
What does it mean word for word?
escapade routière literally means road escapade.
Which one should you use?
voyage en voiture is the most neutral and standard way to describe a trip taken by car, often a longer journey. virée en voiture is informal and suits a quick, spontaneous drive for fun.
Is it said differently in some regions?
escapade routière is used specifically in Canada, especially in Quebec, as the French term for a road trip.
How does it change in a sentence?
voyage en voiture is masculine, while the other forms are feminine. In the plural both words of escapade routière take an s: escapades routières. The plural of voyage en voiture is voyages en voiture.
Did you know?
- In France, the English phrase 'road trip' is frequently used as a loanword in casual conversation because the French equivalents can feel too descriptive or formal.
- The word balade used in balade en voiture shares its roots with the act of walking, despite describing a car trip.
- While 'road trip' is often an English loanword in France, if you use the term escapade routière in Paris, people might find it slightly odd or overly formal.
Examples in context
- Nous prévoyons un voyage en voiture à travers la France cet été.We are planning a road trip across France this summer.
- J'ai toujours rêvé de vivre une aventure sur la route avec mes amis les plus proches.I've always dreamt of having a road trip adventure with my closest friends.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are planning their vacation.
- LucasTu veux faire une escapade routière en juillet ?Do you want to go on a road trip in July?
- ChloéOui, ça me tente vraiment !Yes, I would really love that!
- LucasOn pourrait explorer les parcs nationaux.We could explore the national parks.
- ChloéC'est une excellente idée, Lucas.That is an excellent idea, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “road trip” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries balade, en, voiture, voyage, CC BY-SA 4.0.
