break one's journey

Meaning

To stop for a short time during a long trip or journey, typically to rest or visit a place before continuing to the final destination. This is a formal, often British English expression used in transport contexts.

Examples

• We decided to break our journey in Paris for a couple of days before heading south.

  We decided to break our journey in Paris for a couple of days before heading south.

• Passengers are permitted to break their journey at any station along the route.

  Passengers are permitted to break their journey at any station along the route.

• I plan to break my journey in Chicago to visit an old college friend.

  I plan to break my journey in Chicago to visit an old college friend.

• Rather than driving twelve hours straight, we broke our journey overnight in a small motel.

  Rather than driving twelve hours straight, we broke our journey overnight in a small motel.

• Her ticket allowed her to break her journey once without paying an extra fee.

  Her ticket allowed her to break her journey once without paying an extra fee.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I broke my travel in London.

  ✓ I broke my journey in London.

  The idiom specifically uses the noun 'journey,' not 'travel' or 'trip.'

• ✗ We broke our journey for eating lunch.

  ✓ We broke our journey to have lunch.

  Use an infinitive of purpose ('to have lunch') rather than 'for' + gerund after this phrase.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If you get tired during the long drive, you should ___ at a roadside inn.

  💡 stop temporarily before continuing

  Show answer

  break your journey

• The train ticket allows passengers to ___ at Edinburgh before continuing to Aberdeen.

  💡 stop over at an intermediate station

  Show answer

  break their journey