ganas de viajar
/ɡanas de bjaxaɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "travel bug" can be expressed in Spanish as ganas de viajar.
In Spanish, the concept of a travel bug, the strong desire or impulse to explore the world, is expressed through the phrase ganas de viajar. To say that you "have" the travel bug or feel like traveling, you should use the verb tener (to have) rather than ser (to be). For example, you would say tener ganas de viajar.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing a desire or urge, the noun ganas is almost always used in its plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡanas de bjaxaɾ/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying tengo ganas without specifying what you want can be interpreted as a flirtatious or sexual invitation depending on the context.
- In Spanish, you can use ganas to describe a physical craving for food. If you have a 'travel bug' for a specific snack, you would use the same grammatical structure as ganas de viajar.
- The verb viajar comes from the Latin via, meaning 'way' or 'road'. This makes it a distant relative of the English word 'way'.
Examples in context
- Tengo muchas ganas de viajar por el mundo.I have a strong desire to travel the world.
- Tengo muchas ganas de viajar por Europa.I have a strong urge to travel through Europe.
- Sus ganas de viajar no tienen límites.His desire to travel has no limits.
- Después de las vacaciones, tengo ganas de viajar de nuevo.After the holidays, I have the travel bug again.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are talking about their future plans at a cafe.
- Elena¿Qué planes tienes para el próximo año?What plans do you have for next year?
- JavierTengo muchas ganas de viajar por Asia.I have a strong urge to travel through Asia.
- Elena¡Qué bien! Yo también tengo ganas de viajar.That's great! I also have the travel bug.
- JavierPodemos planear un viaje juntos, Elena.We can plan a trip together, Elena.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, ganas, viajar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
