break the journey

Meaning

This expression means to stop and stay somewhere for a short period during a long trip before continuing to your final destination. It is a neutral, slightly traditional phrase, more common in British English, used when planning travel itineraries to avoid fatigue.

Examples

• We decided to break the journey in Paris for a night before heading south.

  We decided to break the journey in Paris for a night before heading south.

• It's a long drive to Scotland, so we should break the journey somewhere in the Midlands.

  It's a long drive to Scotland, so we should break the journey somewhere in the Midlands.

• Instead of flying straight through, they chose to break the journey with a layover in Singapore.

  Instead of flying straight through, they chose to break the journey with a layover in Singapore.

• Breaking the journey allowed us to stretch our legs and see a new city.

  Breaking the journey allowed us to stretch our legs and see a new city.

• If you break the journey in Denver, you can visit the Rocky Mountains.

  If you break the journey in Denver, you can visit the Rocky Mountains.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We decided to break our trip in Paris.

  ✓ We decided to break the journey in Paris.

  While 'break our trip' is understandable, the idiomatic C1 collocation is specifically 'break the journey'.

• ✗ I want to break the journey for sleeping.

  ✓ I want to break the journey to sleep.

  Use an infinitive of purpose ('to sleep') rather than 'for' + gerund when expressing the reason for stopping.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It's a twelve-hour drive, so we plan to ___ in Chicago.

  💡 Stop for a short time to rest before continuing.

  Show answer

  break the journey

• If you feel too tired while driving, you should ___ at the next service station.

  💡 Take a pause in your travel.

  Show answer

  break the journey