Questions tagged [terminology]

What does a certain travel-related term mean or what's the proper name for something you can describe? On TSE many special terms relate to air travel or visas. For air travel there is a list in `tag info` here.

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What is a continental breakfast and what other types of breakfasts are there?

When I look for an hotel I often see the "continental breakfast" expression when they refer to their breakfasts. I looked up the expression on Google and found: a light breakfast, typically ...
nsn's user avatar
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71 votes
6 answers
211k views

What's the difference between embassies and consulates?

Today Mitt Romney called Benghazi the capital of Libya (it's Tripoli) and apparently mixed up consulates and embassies. I thought it'd be a handy question to have on here, for those sorting out visas ...
Mark Mayo's user avatar
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58 votes
4 answers
60k views

What's the opposite of a "return" flight?

In a round trip, there are two flights. The second one is the return flight. What's the first one called? Is it the departure flight? That seems strange, because every flight has a departure and an ...
Kyle Delaney's user avatar
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47 votes
2 answers
5k views

What is meant by "personal impact and articulation skills" in the context of border entry?

Within dozens of highly-rated responses regarding both UK and Schengen entry, I see the phrase "personal impact and articulation skills." There is no further explanation of what these mean and, in ...
Giorgio's user avatar
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47 votes
7 answers
17k views

In US rental car terms and conditions, what exactly is a "regularly maintained road?"

Many rental car companies have terms and conditions such as Hertz: Generally, Hertz vehicles, including 4-wheel drives, are to be operated only on regularly maintained roads. Off-road use is a ...
gerrit's user avatar
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47 votes
5 answers
36k views

Is "departure time" when the plane leaves the gate or when it takes off?

Is "departure time" when the plane leaves the gate or when it takes off? Seems like every single flight I take is delayed, but I can't tell how badly. If I have a flight that has a "departure time" ...
Lemuel Gulliver's user avatar
47 votes
6 answers
66k views

Attending an academic conference is what type of travel in Portugal?

I am planning to travel to Portugal to attend an academic conference and in that regard needed a short-stay Schengen visa. The visa application has a field "Purpose of Travel" with the following ...
Shashank Sawant's user avatar
42 votes
5 answers
216k views

What is the difference between "Country of Issue" and "Country of Citizenship" of a passport?

On multiple occasions I have seen forms where it needs to be stated what the Country of Issue and what the Country of Citizenship is. What is the difference between the two, if your passport is issued ...
user avatar
42 votes
3 answers
59k views

What does "SSSS" on my boarding pass mean?

When I checked in for my American Airlines flight from Costa Rica back to the States, I noticed that my boarding pass had "SSSS" printed across the top left corner. Nobody else in my party had this ...
user avatar
41 votes
2 answers
11k views

What Exactly is Self-Catering?

On several islands in the Seychelles I've been seeing a lot of Self-Catering signs: Self-Catering Guest House, Self-Catering Apartment, Self-Catering Hotel, Self-Catering Room, etc. What exactly does ...
Itai's user avatar
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40 votes
3 answers
124k views

What does the (+1) mean in flight search engines?

In Skyscanner results, when I click on details, it shows the arrival time, then (+1), but it doesn't do this for return time. What does (+1) mean? I thought it might mean up to an hour delay, but I ...
MarkE's user avatar
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36 votes
1 answer
18k views

Difference between deportation and removal

As I understand it, there are two mechanisms for throwing somebody out of the UK: deportation and removal. Informally, people seem to call both of these "deportation". What are the differences ...
David Richerby's user avatar
34 votes
9 answers
34k views

What does it mean to be in the fast lane in California?

I don't think I've ever understood this. I travel frequently across the State of California by car. And I often take the highway to get to many places. One thing I don't understand is how fast ...
yuritsuki's user avatar
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33 votes
1 answer
12k views

What do shops mean when they are open 7/7?

When I have been in mainland Europe, in areas such as France or Belgium, a lot of the shops say they're open "7/7". The latter 7 presumably means 'every day' like in 24/7, but what about the other 7? ...
Toshinou Kyouko's user avatar
32 votes
2 answers
7k views

What's the name for the "blocking" stickers used on car headlights?

I'll be driving my car from Belgium to the UK, with plans to then drive around the country. Like most cars in the European mainland, my car's headlights/headlamps are slightly adjusted to the right ...
user avatar
31 votes
2 answers
7k views

Received gestures in UK pubs: pint versus half-pint

People who do not speak English well, or even people who do not want to speak a lot, will often resort to received gestures to indicate what they are after. Some of these are almost universally ...
Gayot Fow's user avatar
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31 votes
6 answers
3k views

How many countries are there in the world to travel to?

If you've travelled a bit, at some point you'll either have dreamed of or been asked - 'will you visit every country in the world?'. However, it's not a straightforward goal to aim for... I've heard ...
Mark Mayo's user avatar
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31 votes
1 answer
4k views

What is the US Visa Waiver Program and what is an ESTA?

I wish to travel to the US and think I am eligible to do so under the Visa Waiver Program. I found a lot of information out there but am still having some trouble understanding how this works. What ...
JoErNanO's user avatar
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31 votes
3 answers
8k views

"Do not board" message at the airport check-in?

I was booked on a flight for Chicago from Bangalore (India), I have a B1 visa. During check-in at the airport counter (for air India) they guy (who generates the boarding pass) said he gets an error ...
Saud Khan's user avatar
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29 votes
1 answer
6k views

What do letters "R" and "E" before parking slots in Spain mean?

In Spain, more precisely in the Basque Country, I have seen letters "R" and "E" before parking slots. What do they mean / stand for? This one is in the town of Zumaia. Picture is taken on Google ...
Neusser's user avatar
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27 votes
3 answers
3k views

What exactly are "repositioning cruises"?

A day or two ago I was chatting with some other budget travellers on the beach here in Oaxaca, Mexico, and one of them told me he came by sea from Portugual to Panama for a few hundred euros on ...
hippietrail's user avatar
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27 votes
3 answers
5k views

Why does Kayak have a a 'secret carrier' option for a flight?

When searching for a flight on kayak.com (not for me, I don't fly business), it shows a "Secret Carrier" option. What gives? Why are they unable to tell us even the code-share partner? What if you ...
Mark Mayo's user avatar
  • 159k
27 votes
1 answer
46k views

Schengen Visa Refusal: Justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not provided

Schengen refusal formulae can be difficult to understand sometimes. When an applicant receives a refusal with "Justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not provided", ...
Gayot Fow's user avatar
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25 votes
6 answers
33k views

Is a Middle Name a Given Name?

My full name is four names long - First name, Middle name, Middle name, Last name. Whenever asked for my Given Name I have always supplied my First name (not either of my middle names). This week I ...
Midavalo's user avatar
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25 votes
1 answer
5k views

What are the "short names" sometimes used by flight attendants?

What are the weird names flight attendants use sometimes, which seem to mix numbers and letters? Edit: The original question was Why do some flight attendants have “call signs”?, but MeNoTalk's ...
DanGar's user avatar
  • 353
24 votes
8 answers
70k views

What is meant by "Country of residence" in Australian Visa Application form?

I'm filling in an online application form for an Australian visa, and there is a step "Contact details" which asks for a "Country of residence", specifically "Usual country of residence" (see the ...
Green's user avatar
  • 363
24 votes
5 answers
6k views

What is overbooking (of flights), and why do airlines all seem to do it?

I know that they want to "fill every seat." If you take this LITERALLY, then you'd want to overbook, because of the statistical percentage of "no shows." That, of course, leads to "bumping" when more ...
Tom Au's user avatar
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24 votes
4 answers
6k views

What's the difference between a direct and a non-stop flight?

In a comment to one of my question, a user mentioned that there is a difference between a direct and a non-stop flight. So what is this difference?
RoflcoptrException's user avatar
24 votes
2 answers
373k views

What's the difference between 'Redress Number' and 'Known Traveler Number'? Do I need both for TSA PreCheck?

I recently obtained a Global Entry card and on the back is the PASSID number that I understand is also my Known Traveler Number. When I recently tried to record my KTN with an airlines it asked for ...
Ric's user avatar
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23 votes
5 answers
2k views

In practice, what is the distinction between ESTA and visas?

It is often claimed that ESTA is not a visa - both by the US government and the travelers themselves. However in practice, I find it difficult to see the distinction between ESTA and e-visas: It ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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22 votes
4 answers
5k views

Web Sites: Disneyland vs Disney World in the United States

I was looking for Disney tickets and I found these 2 sites (Disneyland and Disneyworld ) that look exactly like each other. However, one of them is way cheaper than the other. Which one can I trust?
carla's user avatar
  • 339
22 votes
3 answers
3k views

Difference between 'as you wish dining' vs 'second seating'

I was looking into getting reserving a cruise and was asked to choose between as you wish dining and second seating. As you wish dining makes it sound like you can eat whenever you want to, whereas ...
neubert's user avatar
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22 votes
4 answers
80k views

What does a technical stop mean in air travel?

When I look at my flight itinerary, it says that the flight includes a technical stop. What does that mean compared to a layover?
Thierry Lam's user avatar
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22 votes
2 answers
56k views

What does "copy of itinerary" mean when applying for a Schengen visa?

The Italian consulate website says under requirements for a Schengen visa: Applicants for short term visas (up to 90 days) must also present an itinerary of their trip. What does this mean? ...
Dharini Chandrasekaran's user avatar
21 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why does an airline include "seamen" in its list of special requests?

I was trying to book my ticket on-line with PIA when under the special request section I saw the request for a "seaman". What would be your best guess as to what this service entails? This ...
Osama Javed's user avatar
21 votes
5 answers
181k views

What exactly does "nights" means when you book? Is it number of night you are going to sleep, or simply days you are going to stay?

For example, suppose that I'm going to travel London and will arrive at 10am, 1st December. And will stay a week, means will leave 10am, 8th December. Technically it's 7 nights, but also 8 days. ...
Booking Ambiguous's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
1k views

What class of vehicle is commonly called "a Toyota" in Dudhu Chak/Eastern Pakistan?

Someone from Dudhu Chak (Pakistan) wrote this: To get around the town mostly motorbikes are used. Cars and Toyotas are also used, but rarely. What is "a Toyota" in this context? I guess that in ...
nic's user avatar
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20 votes
3 answers
4k views

What are "Signal Failures" on The Tube and why do they happen so often?

As a Londoner, my tube journeys are often delayed by "signal failures". What constitutes a signal failure? How do they occur? Why do they happen so often? Why can't they be effectively ...
dav_i's user avatar
  • 611
19 votes
1 answer
7k views

What is a flight ticket coupon?

When buying a roundtrip flight ticket, a single ticket and a single PNR (Passenger Name Record) is issued. But I've heard that one can cancel a single leg of that roundtrip booking. How is that ...
ReZa's user avatar
  • 1,143
19 votes
2 answers
144k views

What is an open ticket?

When speaking of an airline ticket, I have heard the term open ticket which has to do with dates not being fixed I believe. What exactly is an open ticket? How do you get an actual flight from one? ...
Itai's user avatar
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19 votes
1 answer
9k views

How does "Fuel Dumping" work?

Recently, I saw a lot of blog post, forum posts etc on Fuel Dumping. For me it seemed like you can book a flight with high fuel charges, and then add another unrelated leg to the flight that you not ...
RoflcoptrException's user avatar
19 votes
1 answer
87k views

What's a "Redress Control Number"?

When booking a flight reservation recently, I noted it had a non-compulsory field asking for a Redress Control Number for your reservation. I gather this is somewhat related to the No Fly list, but ...
Mark Mayo's user avatar
  • 159k
19 votes
1 answer
10k views

Airplane Seat Recline Measurement... in units of length inches?

Perhaps this is conspiracy, but what is the meaning of seat recline measurement in unit of length inches? How is it measured? Does industry standard exist? What is the interpretation in relation to ...
Kardo Paska's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
13k views

What does "MO" mean after the name of a US city?

There are some places in US, that contain "MO" in their names. For example, Columbia, MO; Kirkwood, MO; Saint Louis, MO. So, what does MO mean?
Frankie Drake's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
31k views

What is a "Partially open bathroom"?

I was browsing London hotels on hotels.com and noticed that many, in the room information section, said they had "partially open bathrooms". This includes one where the room is described as en-suite. ...
user56reinstatemonica8's user avatar
18 votes
1 answer
125k views

Where is the passport book number and what is the difference from the passport number?

For the US department of state visa application, there is a question about the passport book number, which is apparently different than the passport number. What is that referring to? The explanation ...
Suragch's user avatar
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17 votes
4 answers
24k views

In the context of air travel, are layovers different to stopovers?

In a recent question somebody asked about a layover without mentioning how long the stop would be, thus implying it might perhaps be understood whether layover generally refers to a stop not requiring ...
hippietrail's user avatar
  • 79.4k
17 votes
3 answers
252k views

What does "Baggage: 1PC" mean on my flight ticket?

On my e-ticket for my flight with Swiss booked through Travelup.com, I see this: Baggage: 1PC Does this mean I'm only allowed hang-luggage? Or can I take hand-luggage, and check in one piece of ...
user18949's user avatar
  • 173
17 votes
2 answers
47k views

What does Flight Pending Government Approval mean?

When searching on Orbitz for round-trip flights, I see a number of results with this note highlighted in yellow when expanding Flight Details: "This flight is pending government approval." What does ...
Itai's user avatar
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16 votes
10 answers
6k views

Is Vatican City considered a country?

I have a life-long goal of seeing at least 50 countries before I die. I'm behind but I figure I would see most of them over the next 20 years as I get closer to retirement and make my fortune. :-) ...
cbmeeks's user avatar
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