Love ‘em or hate ‘em, new travel buzzwords are always popping up. Where do they come from? Copywriters and marketers think up new ways to describe travel trends and products. Travelers share their experiences in real time, creating hashtag-worthy hybrids. Anyone can make a travel buzzword -- just add a trip theme in front of the suffix -cation, fuse two words together, or make a bad pun. Here’s a glossary of the most awesome and awful (awfsome?) travel buzzwords, illustrated by their usage in a sentence.
Babymoon noun. A honeymoon-style trip taken before or during pregnancy, as one last “grown-ups only” travel hurrah before baby arrives. Lisa is going to pop in December, so she and Jim are going on a babymoon to the Dominican Republic for some relaxation before her bump gets too big to board a plane.
Digital detox noun. Withdrawal from digital and internet technologies for a length of time, often in the form of a vacation to somewhere remote. Kim: At the digital detox yoga retreat in Costa Rica, I met this instructor who isn’t on Facebook.Laura: OMG. Was he, like, enlightened?
Flightmare noun. An especially bad experience with airplane travel, such as turbulence, over-booking, overnight layovers, delays, cancellations, bad service, lost luggage, surcharges, jet lag, etc. Stuck between a fiending cigarette smoker and a crying baby on Ryanair. Worst. Flightmare. Ever.
Glamping noun, verb. Glamorous camping. Camping trips for urban indoorsy types that involve on-the-trail amenities like chef-prepared meals, spa treatment, wine, full air mattresses, and upgraded tents and equipment. Antonyms: roughing it, slumming it, brokepacking On her glamping trip along the Inca Trail, Jen woke up to a cup of local coca tea and a hot towel waiting for her outside her tent door. “I asked for fresh coffee,” she grumbled.
Mancation noun. A guys-only getaway centered around male-favored pastimes like fishing, four-wheeling, hunting, or Vegas-style debauchery, often preceding a wedding. Antonyms: girls’ vacay, bachelorettaway The guys’ mancation took a turn for the worse when Ryan flew head-first off his mountain bike, but he toured the breweries with his bros despite the concussion.
Travel hack verb. To manipulate loyalty programs in order to gain free flights, hotel stays, upgrades and elite status. “I don’t spend a nickel, If I can help it, unless it somehow profits my mileage account.” George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, travel hacker in the film Up in the Air.
Togethering verb. Vacationing together as an extended family or larger group of several families, so as to pool resources on lodging and enjoy some quality time with each other. Antonyms: solo traveling, going on a metreat Travel agent: This 6-room vacation rental in Cancun is just perfect for togethering families!Client: If you use the word ‘togethering’ ever again, I will replace you with the internet.
Vacationaire noun. A person who spends money in flashy or frivolous ways while traveling. Antonym: Travel frugalmiser Mom, I can’t believe you just paid 60 euros for a snow globe of Athens. It doesn’t even snow here. You’re being a total vacationaire.
Voluntourist noun. A tourist who engages in volunteer work while traveling. Still in the early stages of his DIY home improvement project, Dan mixed cement with the zeal of a Habitat for Humanity voluntourist in Guatemala.
