There are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world, according to Ethnologue, the world’s most comprehensive database for living languages.
Languages enable us to communicate our thoughts, build relationships, and understand the world more profoundly. Each language has its own unique words or phrases, often with no direct English translation, that can offer a new outlook on how we see the world.
With that said, we have revealed our Wanderlust Language Report, a unique list of 20 untranslatable words that every travel enthusiast should know. These words will not only make you want to travel but may also help you feel more connected to your experiences.
The Wanderlust Language Report
Learn these words for your next travel adventure
Fernwah - German
An intense, aching desire to travel to distant places and a longing for a place you've never been.
Resfeber - Swedish
The chaotic, tangled mix of anxiety, anticipation, and intense excitement that hits your stomach right before a journey begins.
Strikhedonia - Greek
The sudden, ecstatic joy of finally being able to say "I’ve had it" and leave your daily responsibilities behind.
Vacilando - Spanish
Travelling with direction, but without caring whether or not you actually reach the destination, prioritising the drifting over the arrival.
Dérive - French
A spontaneous, unplanned journey through a city where you let the changing architecture and streetscapes pull you along.
Solivagant - Latin
A solo wanderer. Someone who explicitly seeks the distinct, meditative peace of travelling the world entirely alone.
Boketto - Japanese
Gazing idly and vacantly into a vast, open landscape, like the ocean or a mountain range, without thinking about anything at all.
Saudade - Portuguese
A bittersweet, melancholic longing for a faraway place, person, or moment that you loved, mixed with the painful knowledge that you may never return.
Cynefin - Welsh
A place where your soul instinctively feels it belongs. A landscape where you feel completely safe, natural, and grounded.
Dépaysement - French
The disorienting, yet exhilarating feeling of being a complete outsider or foreigner in a strange land.
Feierabend - German
The exact transition moment when you shut down your work brain and officially begin your vacation or evening relaxation.
Desenrascanço - Portuguese
The cultural art of effortlessly improvising a brilliant, functional solution out of a chaotic travel disaster with zero planning.
Hiraeth - Welsh
A deep, homesick yearning for a home or land to which you cannot return, a place that perhaps no longer exists, or exists only in your memory.
Livsnjutare - Swedish
A person who loves life deeply and deliberately, actively refusing to rush through their travels, savouring every moment.
Uitwaaien - Danish
Going out into the harsh, blustery weather specifically to clear your mind, escape stress, and hit a psychological reset.
Trouvaille - French
A piece of pure, lucky serendipity. Stumbling upon a hidden alleyway, an unmarked waterfall, or a local festival by complete accident.
Ré nao - Mandarin
A specific, addictive energy of a place that is loud, crowded, and chaotic, but in a deeply joyful, welcoming, and safe social way.
Eleutheromania - Greek
An intense, frantic, and completely irresistible craving for total freedom, the feeling that drives people to book one-way tickets.
Flâneur - French
A passionate, deliberate stroller who walks city streets not to get somewhere, but to deeply observe and absorb urban life.
Waldeinsamkeit - German
The specific feeling of deep spiritual connection, calm, and quiet isolation when you are completely alone in the woods.
Book your next adventure with us
If our Wanderlust Language Report has made you want to see the world, then why not consider a cruise? We offer itineraries 365 days a year, travelling to incredible destinations across every corner of the globe, including Asia, North America, Africa, Europe, and more.
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