How to Say "traveling" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “traveling” is “viajando” — use this when describing the ongoing action or process of being on a journey, the act of traveling itself.
viajando
byah-HAHN-dohbjaˈxando
Examples
Estamos viajando por toda la costa este.
We are traveling along the entire east coast.
Ella pasó el día viajando en tren.
She spent the day traveling by train.
Llevo tres horas viajando y todavía no llegamos.
I have been traveling for three hours and we still haven't arrived.
The '-ing' of Spanish
This form, ending in '-ando' (for verbs like viajar), is called the gerund. It describes an action that is ongoing or in progress.
Forming Continuous Tenses
To say 'I am traveling,' you must use the verb estar (to be) followed by the gerund: Yo estoy viajando. This is the most common way to use this word.
Omitting 'Estar'
Mistake: “Yo viajando ahora.”
Correction: Yo *estoy* viajando ahora. (You must always include *estar* or another linking verb before the gerund when talking about ongoing actions.)
Using it as an Adjective
Mistake: “El tren viajando.”
Correction: El tren *que está* viajando. (Unlike English, Spanish gerunds cannot usually stand alone to describe a noun; you need a relative phrase.)
ambulante
am-boo-lan-tehambuˈlante
Examples
El circo ambulante llegó a mi pueblo ayer.
The traveling circus arrived in my town yesterday.
Hay muchos puestos ambulantes en esta calle.
There are many mobile stalls on this street.
La biblioteca ambulante visita las zonas rurales.
The mobile library visits the rural areas.
One size fits all
This word ends in -e, which means it stays exactly the same whether you are talking about a masculine or feminine thing. No need to change it to 'ambulanta'!
Positioning
Like most descriptive words in Spanish, 'ambulante' usually comes after the person or thing it describes, like in 'circo ambulante'.
The 'Ambulance' Trap
Mistake: “Llamé a un ambulante porque estaba enfermo.”
Correction: Llamé a una ambulancia porque estaba enfermo.
viajero
bee-ah-HEH-rohbjaˈxeɾo
Examples
Mi hermano tiene un espíritu viajero.
My brother has a traveling spirit.
Aquel circo viajero visitaba todos los pueblos.
That traveling circus visited every town.
El equipo viajero llegó a la ciudad anoche.
The traveling team arrived in the city last night.
Word Order
As an adjective, 'viajero' usually comes after the thing it describes, like 'espíritu viajero'.
Matching the Noun
Because it's an adjective, it must match the gender of the thing it describes. Use 'viajero' for masculine words (like espíritu) and 'viajera' for feminine words (like alma).
Mixing up Person and Quality
Mistake: “Él es un espíritu viajero.”
Correction: Él tiene un espíritu viajero.
Action vs. Characteristic
Related Translations
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