What does globetrotting mean?
Globetrotting means traveling extensively around the world, usually as a repeated activity or a way of life. It is commonly used as an adjective before a noun, as in “globetrotting journalist” or “globetrotting lifestyle,” and as an uncountable noun referring to the travel itself. The word often suggests spontaneity, curiosity, adventure, and freedom, although in more critical contexts it can imply privilege or a lack of commitment to one place. It is used in both British and American English, with essentially the same meaning. Although it can describe a single journey around the world, the term more strongly evokes habitual travel across different countries and continents. Its imagery combines the whole globe with the movement of a “trot,” a light or brisk journey, giving it a lively, somewhat informal tone.
Describing a person, occupation, or lifestyle involving extensive travel around the world.
"They built a globetrotting life by working remotely from different countries."
Often used before a person, profession, or lifestyle; it can be slightly informal and emphasizes repeated international travel.
The practice or activity of traveling extensively around the world.
"His globetrotting eventually took him from his home country to every continent."
Normally used as an uncountable noun, especially in phrases such as “love of globetrotting” or “a life of globetrotting.”
Globetrotting is normally an uncountable noun, so it does not take a regular plural form in ordinary usage.
"She has a love of globetrotting that has taken her to more than fifty countries."
Globetrotting turns a passport into a compass and a suitcase into a way of life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does globetrotting come from?
Globetrotting is an English compound formed from “globe” and “trot,” with the present-participle ending “-ing.” The “globe” element comes through Latin “globus,” meaning a globe or spherical body, while “trot” refers to moving briskly on foot. The compound developed in the modern English period to describe widespread travel, and its meaning was later extended to the associated activity and the people who undertake it.
Related word forms
How globetrotting is actually used
The word is broadly informal and often carries a romantic or adventurous connotation. It generally suggests extensive or repeated international travel rather than one journey, and it can be used attributively before a person, profession, or lifestyle.
Easily confused with globetrotting
Globetrotting is the activity or manner of traveling widely around the world, whereas a globetrotter is a person who does so.