What does travelling mean?
Travelling is an English word used both as a form of the verb travel and as an adjective. As a verb form, it describes the activity of going from one place to another: someone may be travelling by train, travelling abroad, or travelling for work. As an adjective, it describes people, vehicles, exhibitions, and services that move or operate in different locations, as in a travelling companion or travelling exhibition. The word often conveys movement over more than one journey and can suggest an extended period away from home. In British English, travelling is the standard spelling with two l's, while traveling with one l is the usual form in American English. Although closely related to travel, travelling is especially useful when a sentence needs an ongoing activity, a present participle, or an adjective describing something that moves from place to place.
Travelling is the present participle and gerund of travel, meaning to go from one place to another.
"She has been travelling around the country in search of new recipes."
It can function as part of a continuous tense or as a gerund naming the activity: 'They are travelling' and 'Travelling is expensive.'
Travelling describes a person, object, or service that moves from place to place or visits different locations.
"The circus has been a travelling attraction for more than a century."
Common examples include travelling salesman, travelling companion, and travelling exhibition.
Travelling catches the journey in motion, describing not a destination but the act of moving between places.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does travelling come from?
Travelling is the present participle and gerund of travel. The English base appears in Middle English in forms such as travell, influenced by Old French and ultimately Latin travare, meaning 'to journey'. The double-l spelling is especially characteristic of British English, while the related noun traveller reflects the same historical word family.
Related word forms
How travelling is actually used
Travelling is the traditional British spelling, while traveling is the usual US spelling. As an adjective, it can describe people who move from place to place, vehicles or objects designed for transport, and services or performances that visit different locations.
Easily confused with travelling
A traveller is a person who travels, whereas travelling is the action of journeying or an adjective describing something that moves from place to place.