meaning of travel across

Definition of 'travel'

travel in British English

Travel in american english, examples of 'travel' in a sentence travel, cobuild collocations travel, trends of travel.

View usage for: All Years Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years

Browse alphabetically travel

• Travancore-Cochin
• travel a distance
• travel a route
• travel abroad
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'T'

Related terms of travel

• rail travel
• safe travel
• time travel
• View more related words

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools

• Dictionaries home
• American English
• Collocations
• German-English
• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Recent additions
• Resources home
• Text Checker

Definition of travel verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• I go to bed early if I'm travelling the next day.
• + adv./prep. to travel around the world
• I love travelling by train.
• We always travel first class.
• I travel abroad a lot.
• They travelled on the bus to and from work together.
• We travelled to California for the wedding.
• They enjoy travelling to other European countries.
• My client travels extensively on business.
• When I finished college I went travelling for six months (= spent time visiting different places) .
• travel something As a journalist, she has travelled the world .
• He travelled the length of the Nile in a canoe.
• I travel 40 miles to work every day.
• They travelled huge distances in search of food.
• Many residents must travel long distances to a grocery store.
• He travels back and forth across the Atlantic.
• He travels with a huge entourage.
• I prefer travelling independently to going on a package holiday.
• She travels widely in her job.
• The dissidents were unable to hold meetings or travel freely.
• The job gives her the opportunity to travel abroad.
• We decided to travel by car.
• We had to travel separately as we couldn't get seats on the same flight.
• We plan to travel through Thailand and into Cambodia.
• business people who travel regularly to the US
• information for the backpacker who wants to travel farther afield
• Children under five travel free.
• I spent a year travelling around Africa.
• More people travel by air than ever before.
• We travelled the length and breadth of the country.
• We've travelled a long way in the past few days.
• Hundreds of hospital patients may have to travel long distances for treatment.
• freedom to travel
• go travelling/​traveling
• travel all over the world

Questions about grammar and vocabulary?

Find the answers with Practical English Usage online, your indispensable guide to problems in English.

• to travel at 50 miles an hour
• Messages travel along the spine from the nerve endings to the brain.
• News travels fast these days.
• He never travelled far from the home he shared with his mother.
• The wide streets allow cars to travel at high speeds.
• In the film, he travels back in time to the '50s.
• Is it possible for anything to travel faster than the speed of light?
• They seem to be travelling north.
• The truck was travelling at 90 mph when it veered off the road.
• Some wines do not travel well.
• These recipes travel well and don't require unusual ingredients or equipment.
• Some writing travels badly (= is not successful) in translation.
• Their car can really travel!
• She travels light, choosing to use as little equipment as possible.

Other results

• travel agents
• travel agencies
• travel agent’s
• travel-sickness
• adventure travel
• Association of British Travel Agents
• travel light

Nearby words

• Hispanoamérica
• Work at ArchDaily
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy

Why Do We Travel?

• Written by Nicolás Valencia
• Published on September 13, 2019

Everyone wants to travel the world, whether it's to meet new people, taste new food, or visit new places. Travel is consequently an extremely lucrative industry, but tourist destinations are getting more crowded than ever and associated pollution emissions are only worsening the climate emergency .

Why do we travel? In this edition of Editor's Talk , four editors from ArchDaily based in Lebanon, the United States, and Chile share their thoughts on the meaning of travel, and why tourists enjoying a beach in a location like Brazil should also care about the cities they visit.

Nicolas Valencia: Travel was June's Monthly Topic . Back then we published articles about architecture guides and travel-related typologies, but we didn't talk about the experience of traveling. What does travel mean to you?

Dima Stouhi : I was born and raised in Lebanon, but I'm moving to Switzerland next month. This will be the first time that I experience living abroad. Because Lebanon is so different from any other country, traveling is incredibly important for me to see how other people live and what other cultures are like.

Eric Baldwin: I often introduce myself by saying that I’m a farm kid from rural Iowa. My idea of the world, including different cultures and ways of working, was limited for much of my youth. In college, that worldview expanded greatly. I was able to study and travel around the world, in places like China, Italy, and Greece. I believe that context is everything; travel is one way to expand your context.

Christele Harrouk : I was born in Beirut too, coming from French roots, so It was always easier for me to travel, and it was always an option for me to live abroad. Nevertheless, I never opted for this choice: I did spend a couple of months here and there, but to me, the notion of home was more important. Traveling has opened my eyes to what this world holds, and it has also made me better appreciate what I had and took for granted.

Nicolas Valencia:  But it's still a luxury nowadays.

Eric Baldwin:  Travel has been priceless to me, but it’s also become terribly destructive to our environment. In many ways, it is a luxury. As Greta Thunberg showed when sailing across the Atlantic on a zero-emissions yacht, we have to come up with better ways to travel. Our current conditions are becoming more and more unsustainable.

Dima Stouhi:  Traveling is definitely a luxury now. Especially for people who need visas to travel, like me.

If you travel, you are a loser

Nicolas Valencia: In June we published an article titled The Age of Travel is Over . The author says that "if you travel to earn your living, you are a loser. If you travel to see places, or to learn, you are an enemy of the planet."

Eric Baldwin: I think it was meant to be a sort of provocation. Travel is still so important, but that doesn't mean there aren't better ways to travel. Or that we shouldn't continue to imagine new modes of connection that bring us together and expand our context without harming the environment.

Christele Harrouk:  Traveling is a pure form of learning, possibly the most genuine way of getting information, but I always go back to the idea that if you don't do anything with these experiences, they become useless and the whole process becomes futile in a way. The more I meet people, the more I discover that a lot of them, who pretend to roam the globe, are so closed into themselves.

Dima Stouhi:  The idea of traveling is different now. People want to travel to show everyone that they traveled or just for the sake of traveling. There isn't much thought to what they harm along the way.

Nicolas Valencia:  Dima has a point. Traveling has become a sort of meta-traveling:  visit  a place to say you visited a place.  I'm very critical of those who don't learn anything from traveling, but then, I think, "Why should they experience it the same way I do?"

Dima Stouhi:  That's the thing, it's a matter of perspective. I doubt that people "never learn" from traveling. Regardless of how different each individual is, at least one experience, building, or even meal is going to get stuck in their head. It's just a matter of what people are paying attention to while traveling.

Eric Baldwin:  We travel to work, to discover, to connect with family or friends, to get the perfect Instagram post, to escape. As long as we continue to question why, and whether we are doing so responsibly, I think travel will continue to have meaning. Beyond location, I think being a "good" vs. a "bad" tourist is part responsibility and part perspective. If you travel to escape your daily life and enjoy a beach in Brazil, but you don’t care to learn about the city, people, or culture you visit, is that inherently bad? Again, it’s a matter of context.

Cities for rich tourists

Nicolas Valencia: Bloomberg published a chart on Instagram a few days ago explaining that "tourist destinations are only going to get more crowded," especially in Europe. We recently saw Venice ban large cruises from its historical center . How do we think other cities are going to deal with tourism?

Dima Stouhi:  I support Venice's decision. I went to Vatican City last year in August. I remember at one point I just wanted to leave because of how crowded it was. We couldn't even stop for one second to look around us. There was no place to stand in the Sistine Chapel. It's sad.

Eric Baldwin:  It’s a tricky thing. It’s tied to preservation: when does saving something relegate it to becoming frozen, functionless scenery? Again, I go back to context. What does tourism give to a city, and what does it take away? Does heritage have a part to play? No city remains the same, and in turn, tourism and travel have to change too.

Dima Stouhi:  But Eric, the way we see it, preservation comes first because we know and appreciate the value of historical sites. The majority of people don't.

Eric Baldwin:  I question the value of historical sites. How do we measure relevance or heritage? Why are the pyramids worth preserving? It’s a question — and battle — of values and those things that define us. In turn, it’s directly related to why we travel.

Nicolas Valencia:  Countries such as Spain rely strongly on tourism — the industry accounts for around 13% of its GDP. It's hard to regulate if your city's economy relies so strongly on tourism. Anyway, I'd assume that restricting access to tourists will eventually punish middle-class tourists. 

Christele Harrouk:  Well, I'm not sure about this. Maybe not restrict accesses but make them more organized.

Dima Stouhi:  I don't believe that increasing prices and limiting access to rich tourists is the way to solve it. I think it's like what Christele said: it's how governments organize it that might make a difference.

Christele Harrouk:  This is the responsibility of the cities: they have to advertise different areas. It's not difficult, but they just don't take the initiative. Changes in marketing strategies can indirectly reduce the concentration of tourists in one place and divide it into many regions, making new areas grow and develop as well.

Nicolas Valencia:  If I'm going to Venice, I'm going to visit downtown, not a peripheral neighborhood.

Christele Harrouk:  But if there is a Zaha Hadid building in the periphery, you will go there, and spend less time downtown.

I Love City Branding

Nicolas Valencia:  We have been talking about Europe, but what about Latin America? Africa? Asia? Have you visited these regions?

Dima Stouhi:  Dream destinations, big budgets!

Nicolas Valencia:  In Latin America, we are more interested in visiting Europe and the US, rather than our own region. This is despite the fact that airfare has plummeted in this region, so it's cheaper than ever to travel across Latin America.

Christele Harrouk:  This may be global, but don't you think this is where city branding comes in hand?

Nicolas Valencia:  Sure, city branding defines what we think about them. But one thing that freaks me out about traveling is that after spending a week abroad, people think they gain a certain power to explain what a whole country is like. We each have different backgrounds of emotions, ideas, and expectations, so a gay man visiting a city after breaking up might have a totally different experience from a heterosexual woman who meets a guy in that same city. Each person's visions of the same city are completely unique, which means these narratives can't be universal.. 

Dima Stouhi:  I think these assumptions are a normal human reaction. Whatever is different from what they usually see, they pin-point it as if it were a flaw..

Eric Baldwin:  I think that's a very hard thing to change. You inherently have more perspective than someone who has never been there, but at the same time, you have an inherently limited understanding as well. I think the after-visit stereotypes will continue to happen, as Identity is always tied to travel and context. How that context is shaped happens in a myriad of ways, and defines who we are.

Image gallery

• Sustainability

想阅读文章的中文版本吗?

编辑论坛：旅行，是对城市片面的定义

You've started following your first account, did you know.

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.

preposition

• More from M-W
• To save this word, you'll need to log in. Log In

Definition of across

 (Entry 1 of 3)

Definition of across  (Entry 2 of 3)

Definition of across  (Entry 3 of 3)

Preposition

Examples of across in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'across.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

derivative of across entry 2

Middle English a-croiz, a-cros "in the shape of a cross, in a crossed position, from one side to another," borrowed from Anglo-French en croiz (from en "in, on"—going back to Latin in — + croiz "cross," going back to Latin cruc-, crux ) with assimilation of Anglo-French croiz to cros cross entry 1 and en to a- a- entry 1 — more at in entry 1

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing across

across country

• across from
• across the board
• across the pond
• across the street
• across the way
• a rap on / over / across the knuckles
• a shot across the / someone's bow(s)
• come across
• come across as
• get one's point across
• halfway around / across the world
• put (oneself) across as
• rap (someone) on / over / across the knuckles
• splash across / over
• stumble across / on / onto / upon

Dictionary Entries Near across

Cite this entry.

“Across.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/across. Accessed 24 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of across.

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Kids Definition of across  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on across

Nglish: Translation of across for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of across for Arabic Speakers

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the day.

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

More commonly misspelled words, your vs. you're: how to use them correctly, every letter is silent, sometimes: a-z list of examples, more commonly mispronounced words, how to use em dashes (—), en dashes (–) , and hyphens (-), popular in wordplay, flower etymologies for your spring garden, birds say the darndest things, a great big list of bread words, 10 scrabble words without any vowels, 12 more bird names that sound like insults (and sometimes are), games & quizzes.

• Daily Crossword
• Word Puzzle
• Word Finder
• Word of the Day
• Synonym of the Day
• Word of the Year
• Language stories
• All featured
• Gender and sexuality
• All pop culture
• Writing hub
• Grammar essentials
• Commonly confused
• All writing tips
• Pop culture
• Writing tips

Advertisement

[ trav - uh l ]

verb (used without object)

to travel for pleasure.

• to move or go from one place or point to another.
• to proceed or advance in any way.
• to go from place to place as a representative of a business firm.

He travels in a wealthy crowd.

• Informal. to move with speed.
• to pass, or be transmitted, as light or sound.
• Basketball. (of a player in possession of the ball) to take more than two steps without dribbling or passing the ball.
• to move in a fixed course, as a piece of mechanism.

verb (used with object)

• to travel, journey, or pass through or over, as a country or road.

We traveled a hundred miles.

to travel logs downriver.

to travel to other planets.

to set out on one's travels.

a book of travels.

• such an account or work.

an increase in travel on state roads.

• Basketball. an instance of traveling with the ball.
• the complete movement of a moving part, especially a reciprocating part, in one direction, or the distance traversed; stroke.
• length of stroke.

to reduce the travel of food from kitchen to table.

a travel alarm clock.

/ ˈtrævəl /

she travelled across France

he travels to improve his mind

he travelled the country

• to go, move, or cover a specified or unspecified distance

to travel in textiles

• (esp of perishable goods) to withstand a journey

the sound travelled for miles

• to progress or advance
• basketball to take an excessive number of steps while holding the ball
• (of part of a mechanism) to move in a fixed predetermined path

that car certainly travels

• informal. often foll by with to be in the company (of); associate
• the act of travelling

a travel brochure

• usually plural a tour or journey
• the distance moved by a mechanical part, such as the stroke of a piston
• movement or passage

Discover More

Spelling note, other words from.

• travel·a·ble adjective
• non·travel·ing adjective
• non·travel·ling adjective
• outtravel verb (used with object) outtraveled outtraveling or (especially British) outtravelled outtravelling
• pre·travel noun verb pretraveled pretraveling or (especially British) pretravelled pretravelling
• un·travel·ing adjective
• un·travel·ling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of travel 1

Example Sentences

López said she could not travel to Mexico because she is undocumented.

Sound waves traveling thousands of kilometers through the ocean may help scientists monitor climate change.

Biden traveled to the state days later, meeting with the Blake family and calling for unity and healing in the community, though he, too, denounced the violence that followed the shooting.

TripActions says it has added nearly 500 new corporate customers since March, a surprising achievement at a time when most employees are still not traveling freely.

The Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, which was first identified in China in December, has had sweeping effects in the public health, business, and travel sectors, among others.

You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.

He did travel to China and Australia while the story was unfolding.

In doing so he exposed the failure of other airlines in the region to see the huge pent-up demand for cheap travel.

“The tribe is really made of people who put travel as a priority in their entire lifestyle,” says Evita.

Brands like Lo & Sons and Delsey are already tapping Travel Noire to connect with black travelers.

One thing was certain: Grandfather Mole could travel much faster through the water than he could underground.

The mothers know better than any one else how hard a way the little girl will have to travel through life.

He could lie in bed and string himself tales of travel and adventure while Harry was downstairs.

Under ordinary circumstances these men can travel with their burden from twenty to thirty miles a day.

The rules regulating travel on highways in this country are called, "the law of the road."

Related Words

• sightseeing

National Geographic content straight to your inbox—sign up for our popular newsletters here

• THE BIG IDEA

Why travel should be considered an essential human activity

Travel is not rational, but it’s in our genes. Here’s why you should start planning a trip now.

In 1961, legendary National Geographic photographer Volkmar Wentzel captured two women gazing at the surf off Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. This and all the other images in this story come from the National Geographic image collection.

I’ve been putting my passport to good use lately. I use it as a coaster and to level wobbly table legs. It makes an excellent cat toy.

Welcome to the pandemic of disappointments. Canceled trips, or ones never planned lest they be canceled. Family reunions, study-abroad years, lazy beach vacations. Poof. Gone. Obliterated by a tiny virus, and the long list of countries where United States passports are not welcome.

Only a third of Americans say they have traveled overnight for leisure since March, and only slightly more, 38 percent, say they are likely to do so by the end of the year, according to one report. Only a quarter of us plan on leaving home for Thanksgiving, typically the busiest travel time. The numbers paint a grim picture of our stilled lives.

It is not natural for us to be this sedentary. Travel is in our genes. For most of the time our species has existed, “we’ve lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers moving about in small bands of 150 or fewer people,” writes Christopher Ryan in Civilized to Death . This nomadic life was no accident. It was useful. “Moving to a neighboring band is always an option to avoid brewing conflict or just for a change in social scenery,” says Ryan. Robert Louis Stevenson put it more succinctly: “The great affair is to move.”

What if we can’t move, though? What if we’re unable to hunt or gather? What’s a traveler to do? There are many ways to answer that question. “Despair,” though, is not one of them.

In this aerial view from 1967, wall-to-wall seaside sunbathers relax under umbrellas or on beach towels in Ocean City, Maryland .

A 1967 fall festival in Guadalajara, Mexico , starred traditionally costumed musicians and dancers.

We are an adaptive species. We can tolerate brief periods of forced sedentariness. A dash of self-delusion helps. We’re not grounded, we tell ourselves. We’re merely between trips, like the unemployed salesman in between opportunities. We pass the days thumbing though old travel journals and Instagram feeds. We gaze at souvenirs. All this helps. For a while.

We put on brave faces. “Staycation Nation,” the cover of the current issue of Canadian Traveller magazine declares cheerfully, as if it were a choice, not a consolation.

Today, the U.S. Travel Association, the industry trade organization, is launching a national recovery campaign called “ Let’s Go There .” Backed by a coalition of businesses related to tourism—hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, airlines—the initiative’s goal is to encourage Americans to turn idle wanderlust into actual itineraries.

The travel industry is hurting. So are travelers. “I dwelled so much on my disappointment that it almost physically hurt,” Paris -based journalist Joelle Diderich told me recently, after canceling five trips last spring.

(Related: How hard has the coronavirus hit the travel industry? These charts tell us.)

My friend James Hopkins is a Buddhist living in Kathmandu . You’d think he’d thrive during the lockdown, a sort-of mandatory meditation retreat. For a while he did.

But during a recent Skype call, James looked haggard and dejected. He was growing restless, he confessed, and longed “for the old 10-countries-a-year schedule.” Nothing seemed to help, he told me. “No matter how many candles I lit, or how much incense I burned, and in spite of living in one of the most sacred places in South Asia, I just couldn’t change my habits.”

When we ended our call, I felt relieved, my grumpiness validated. It’s not me; it’s the pandemic. But I also worried. If a Buddhist in Kathmandu is going nuts, what hope do the rest of us stilled souls have?

I think hope lies in the very nature of travel. Travel entails wishful thinking. It demands a leap of faith, and of imagination, to board a plane for some faraway land, hoping, wishing, for a taste of the ineffable. Travel is one of the few activities we engage in not knowing the outcome and reveling in that uncertainty. Nothing is more forgettable than the trip that goes exactly as planned.

Related: Vintage photos of the glamour of travel

Travel is not a rational activity. It makes no sense to squeeze yourself into an alleged seat only to be hurled at frightening speed to a distant place where you don’t speak the language or know the customs. All at great expense. If we stopped to do the cost-benefit analysis, we’d never go anywhere. Yet we do.

That’s one reason why I’m bullish on travel’s future. In fact, I’d argue travel is an essential industry, an essential activity. It’s not essential the way hospitals and grocery stores are essential. Travel is essential the way books and hugs are essential. Food for the soul. Right now, we’re between courses, savoring where we’ve been, anticipating where we’ll go. Maybe it’s Zanzibar and maybe it’s the campground down the road that you’ve always wanted to visit.

(Related: Going camping this fall? Here’s how to get started.)

James Oglethorpe, a seasoned traveler, is happy to sit still for a while, and gaze at “the slow change of light and clouds on the Blue Ridge Mountains” in Virginia, where he lives. “My mind can take me the rest of the way around this world and beyond it.”

It’s not the place that is special but what we bring to it and, crucially, how we interact with it. Travel is not about the destination, or the journey. It is about stumbling across “a new way of looking at things,” as writer Henry Miller observed. We need not travel far to gain a fresh perspective.

No one knew this better than Henry David Thoreau , who lived nearly all of his too-short life in Concord, Massachusetts. There he observed Walden Pond from every conceivable vantage point: from a hilltop, on its shores, underwater. Sometimes he’d even bend over and peer through his legs, marveling at the inverted world. “From the right point of view, every storm and every drop in it is a rainbow,” he wrote.

Thoreau never tired of gazing at his beloved pond, nor have we outgrown the quiet beauty of our frumpy, analog world. If anything, the pandemic has rekindled our affection for it. We’ve seen what an atomized, digital existence looks like, and we (most of us anyway) don’t care for it. The bleachers at Chicago ’s Wrigley Field; the orchestra section at New York City ’s Lincoln Center; the alleyways of Tokyo . We miss these places. We are creatures of place, and always will be.

After the attacks of September 11, many predicted the end of air travel, or at least a dramatic reduction. Yet the airlines rebounded steadily and by 2017 flew a record four billion passengers. Briefly deprived of the miracle of flight, we appreciated it more and today tolerate the inconvenience of body scans and pat-downs for the privilege of transporting our flesh-and-bone selves to far-flung locations, where we break bread with other incarnate beings.

Landscape architects work in their Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , studio in 1955.

A tourist photographs a towering century plant in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, in 1956.

In our rush to return to the world, we should be mindful of the impact of mass tourism on the planet. Now is the time to embrace the fundamental values of sustainable tourism and let them guide your future journeys. Go off the beaten path. Linger longer in destinations. Travel in the off-season. Connect with communities and spend your money in ways that support locals. Consider purchasing carbon offsets. And remember that the whole point of getting out there is to embrace the differences that make the world so colorful.

“One of the great benefits of travel is meeting new people and coming into contact with different points of view,” says Pauline Frommer, travel expert and radio host.

So go ahead and plan that trip. It’s good for you, scientists say . Plotting a trip is nearly as enjoyable as actually taking one. Merely thinking about a pleasurable experience is itself pleasurable. Anticipation is its own reward.

I’ve witnessed first-hand the frisson of anticipatory travel. My wife, not usually a fan of travel photography, now spends hours on Instagram, gazing longingly at photos of Alpine lodges and Balinese rice fields. “What’s going on?” I asked one day. “They’re just absolutely captivating,” she replied. “They make me remember that there is a big, beautiful world out there.”

Many of us, myself included, have taken travel for granted. We grew lazy and entitled, and that is never good. Tom Swick, a friend and travel writer, tells me he used to view travel as a given. Now, he says, “I look forward to experiencing it as a gift.”

Related Topics

• TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
• VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY

You May Also Like

Don’t rely on social media: Here’s why you should keep a travel journal

How to take perfect portrait photos

For hungry minds.

What's new in London's museums ahead of King Charles III's Coronation

Explore 6 of history’s most infamous scams and hoaxes

We swapped baths for showers—but which one is better for you?

An antique process helps this photographer capture coastlines bound by Celtic soul

Humans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying them

• Paid Content
• Environment
• Photography
• Perpetual Planet

History & Culture

• History Magazine
• History & Culture
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

How to Answer “Are You Willing to Travel?” (Interview Question)

By Biron Clark

Published: December 5, 2023

If a job involves any travel, you’re likely to hear interview questions like, “Are you willing to travel?” “How much are you willing to travel?” etc.

So in this article, I’m going to walk you through how to answer all of these interview questions. And we’ll look at how to understand the meaning of “travel percentage,” so you’ll know what the job is really going to require before you say “yes” or “no.”

And finally, I’m going to share multiple word-for-word example answers to help you get confident and comfortable with this type of question.  So make sure you read until the end. 

Let’s get started…

Answers to “How Much Are You Willing to Travel?”

If they ask an open-ended interview question like this about your willingness to travel, you should state your answer as a percentage.

For example, you could say:

“I’m willing to travel up to 30% of the time. That’s what I did in my last job, and I know I’m comfortable with that amount.”

They may ask you directly for a percentage, with a question like, “what percentage are you willing to travel?” and you’d answer that in the same way. What does travel percentage mean, though? If you’re not sure, it’s essential to understand. So let’s discuss the meaning of “travel percentage.”

Travel percentage meaning: What is travel percentage?

So what does 70 percent travel mean? It means that the employer expects you to be traveling or in cities other than your home city for 70 percent of your working days. So you would expect to spend seven days traveling or away from home for every three days in your home town/office.

This is a very high amount of travel. In my experience working as a recruiter , most travel jobs are 50% or below, because this is less stressful and more sustainable for the worker. So, this is something to keep in mind when deciding how much you’re willing to travel, and whether you’ll take or decline the job offer . 

How to Answer, “Are You Willing to Travel X Amount?” – Examples

The hiring manager may also come out and tell you how much travel is involved, and then ask an interview question to determine if this is an acceptable travel amount. In this case, if it’s acceptable to you, then you can indicate that you are on-board with what they’re proposing. For example, you could say:

“That amount of travel will work for me. In my last company, I traveled that same amount, and it worked out fine.”

(It’s always good to show you’ve done something successfully in the past. This is the best way to improve to a new employer that you’ll be successful with them, too!)

No worries if you haven’t traveled for a job before, though…

Here’s an example of how you could still answer this question:

“That amount of travel sounds acceptable to me. I have no problem doing that for this role.”

Here’s another example:

“That sounds acceptable to me. I’d love to hear more about the role, and if it’s a good fit, then I am able to travel.”

Make Sure You Know What You’re Agreeing To

Another thing to keep in mind is the actual travel schedule. Two jobs could both have the same travel percentage – let’s say 50%. But one could have you spending two weeks away and then two weeks at home, while the other could have you traveling for 2-3 days at a time, returning, and doing it all again a few days later.

Depending on your family, children, etc., you may be able to handle one of these travel requirements but not the other. So the travel duration and schedule are two factors you should clarify before answering. You can say, “I would like to understand the company travel schedule a bit better. Can you give me an example of how long each trip would be, or what a typical month looks like?” This will help you get a clear picture of what your work schedule would look like before you answer the interview question. So don’t be afraid to ask questions of your own. You can’t answer interview questions like, “Are you willing to travel for this job?” without knowing what the company expects! For example, if they ask, “Can you travel if the job requires it?” you’d want to respond by saying, “How much travel is expected in the role?” You can’t give a good answer without knowing what they’re proposing or asking, so clarify that first. Once you know what the company expects, then it’s time to directly answer their question and indicate whether you can travel the amount they require.

You Can Also Try to Negotiate Your Travel Percentage/Willingness to Travel

If you’re interested in the job but can’t travel quite as much as they’re proposing, you can say:

“I don’t think I can travel quite that amount. The job and work sound interesting, and I’d love to consider the position if the travel requirements can be reduced to 30%”.

This may work, or it may not (depending on the role and company’s flexibility), but it’s worth asking! This way, you’ll find out the best they can do! You never know if they’re asking, “How much are you willing to travel?” because it’s a hard requirement, or if they’re just wondering how much you’re willing to do So give an honest answer and don’t be afraid to make a counter-proposal.

A lot of job seekers are afraid to set limits or “push back” in a job interview, but this can actually make you more attractive to the company. It shows confidence! However, you also don’t want to rule yourself out in an interview. So if you’re not quite sure, but think it’s possible to travel the amount that the company would like, just say “yes” for now. You’re not accepting the job or signing a contract. You’re just indicating whether this might be possible for you. And your goal in any interview is to get invited to the next step in the process… or get a job offer. So if you think it’s even remotely possible to travel the amount they want, then yes “Yes” and keep interviewing!

You can always go home and talk to friends and family and make a better decision about whether this is right for you! You do NOT need to decide this in the interview!

How to Answer, “Are You Willing to Travel or Relocate?” – Examples

This is a slightly different question. But just like with the questions and sample answers above, you should give an honest, upfront answer. There’s no sense in wasting their time if you absolutely cannot relocate. But if it’s even slightly possible, say “Yes” when an employer asks if you’re willing to relocate. Don’t rule yourself out. 

Remember: Your goal in the interview is to impress them and get invited back to the next round – so keep going with the job interview, and ask questions to learn more as you go! You’re NOT wasting the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s time by exploring the opportunity, as long as there’s a tiny chance you’d be willing to travel or relocate for the job. They want the opportunity to sell you on their position! I can’t stress this enough: You’re not wasting their time. I hear a lot of job seekers bring up concerns about this, so I just wanted to set the record straight!

You should now know what travel percentage is, and how to answer any time an employer asks about what percentage you’re willing to travel.

Remember – you’re not signing a contract or agreeing to anything in writing; you’re merely indicating whether this could potentially work (for the right opportunity). So stay calm, use the sample answers above, and be direct/concise when responding in a job interview.

This isn’t one of those interview questions where the hiring manager needs to hear a long-winded answer. So once you’ve answered the question, stop and let the interviewer move on!

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

Continue Reading

12 Expert-Approved Responses to ‘What Makes You Unique?’ in Job Interviews

15 most common pharmacist interview questions and answers, 15 most common paralegal interview questions and answers, top 30+ funny interview questions and answers, 60 hardest interview questions and answers, 100+ best ice breaker questions to ask candidates, top 20 situational interview questions (& sample answers), 15 most common physical therapist interview questions and answers.

bottom_desktop desktop:[300x250]

Red Lobster website lists 87 locations 'temporarily closed' in 27 states: See full list

Red Lobster has abruptly closed dozens of restaurants across the country.

A look at the restaurant chain's website reveals 87 stores temporarily closed across 27 states , with some of them having their kitchen equipment up for auction on an online restaurant liquidator.

The liquidator, TAGeX Brands, announced Monday it is auctioning off equipment this week from 48 locations that have closed. The website says auctions are live and will end periodically on Thursday, and that each winner will receive the "entire contents of the Red Lobster location they bid on."

USA TODAY reached out to Red Lobster on Tuesday and did not get a response prior to publication.

Here's what we know about the closures, including where they're happening and why these restaurants are closing.

Red Lobster latest: Red Lobster lists 99 restaurants closed in 28 states: See locations closing in your state

'We're not going out of business': As Red Lobster locations close, chain begins outreach

Closed Red Lobster locations

Each of these restaurants are currently listed as temporarily closed on the website:

• Rohnert Park
• Wheat Ridge
• Altamonte Springs
• Daytona Beach Shores
• Gainesville
• Jacksonville (Commerce Center Drive)  
• Jacksonville (Baymeadows Road)  
• Jacksonville (City Station Drive)
• Orlando (E. Colonial Dr.)
• Orlando (W. Colonial Dr.)
• Orlando (Golden Sky Lane) 
• Tampa (East Busch Blvd.)
• Tampa (Palm Pointe Dr.)
• Bloomingdale
• Indianapolis (N. Shadeland Ave.)
• Kansas City
• Bossier City
• Gaithersburg
• Silver Spring

Mississippi

• Jefferson City
• Bridgewater
• East Brunswick
• Lawrenceville
• Poughkeepsie
• Stony Brook
• Williamsville

North Carolina

• Rocky Mount

North Dakota

• Grand Forks
• Oklahoma City

Pennsylvania

South carolina.

• Myrtle Beach
• Dallas (E. Technology Blvd.)
• Dallas (Vantage Point Dr.)
• Lake Jackson
• Colonial Heights
• Newport News
• Williamsburg

Red Lobster considered filing for bankruptcy in April

The seafood chain considered filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month in an effort to restructure its debt,  according to Bloomberg .

The company had been getting advice from law firm King & Spalding as it looked to shed some long-term contracts and renegotiate leases, Bloomberg reported, noting that Red Lobster's cash flows had been weighed down by leases and labor costs, among other issues.

Red Lobster suffered big losses with 'Ultimate Endless Shrimp' promotion

In 2023, the seafood chain's " Ultimate Endless Shrimp " deal became more popular than expected, inadvertently becoming a key factor in a $11 million loss in the third quarter.

The limited-time promotional deal, in which guests picked two types of shrimp to enjoy nonstop for $20, landed a permanent spot on Red Lobster menus in June. Red Lobster's parent company, Thai Union Group, said in November 2023 that the chain was headed toward a $20 million loss for 2023. Now the endless shrimp deal costs $25.

Thai Union Group CFO Ludovic Regis Henri Garnier said in an earnings report call that the company was aware the initial price for the endless-shrimp deal was cheap. The offer was intended to draw customers into restaurants, but orders exceeded expectations, he said.

"We wanted to boost our traffic, and it didn't work," Garnier told investors in November 2023, according to  Restaurant Business Magazine . "We want to keep it on the menu. And of course we need to be much more careful regarding what are the entry points and what is the price point we are offering for this promotion."

Chris Sims is a digital content producer at Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter:  @ChrisFSims .

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X  @GabeHauari  or email him at [email protected].

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of across in English

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

• He folded his arms across his chest .
• Her books and clothes were packed into chests and shipped across to Canada.
• Their hoofs threw up clods of earth as they galloped across the field .
• On the eastern horizon , a huge cloud of smoke from burning oil tanks stretched across the sky .
• Quigley clouted me smartly across the side of the head .
• across country idiom
• catty-corner
• give onto something
• There is a small wood just across the river .
• Across the valley , troops were gathering .
• Across the world , people are praying for peace .
• My school is just across the road from where I live .
• His workshop is just across the courtyard .

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

across | American Dictionary

Examples of across, translations of across.

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

a long trip or holiday taken by car

Apples and oranges (Talking about differences, Part 2)

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• English    Adverb, preposition Preposition
• American    Preposition, adverb
• Translations
• All translations

To add across to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add across to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

Money blog: 'Are you out of your actual minds?' - Man quoted £780 for two return train tickets to London

A man's social media post has gone viral after it showed him being quoted £786.80 for two return train tickets from Newcastle to London. Read this and the rest of today's consumer and personal finance news - and leave a comment - in the Money blog below.

Thursday 23 May 2024 17:35, UK

• 'Are you out of your actual minds?' - Man quoted £780 for two return train tickets to London
• Millions of Nationwide customers to get £100 payments
• Cheapest (and most expensive) cars to insure
• Inflation falls to 2.3% - down from 3.2% in March

Essential reads

• Savings Guide: Britons urged to act quickly to grab above-inflation savings rates while they last
• Top Northern Ireland chef picks his Cheap Eats - in Belfast and at home
• Money Problem : 'My second-hand Ford is being written off with a known issue - but no one is taking responsibility'
• How to sell your home without an estate agent
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

Ask a question or make a comment

A man's social media post has gone viral (it's been viewed more than six million times) after it showed him being quoted £786.80 for two return train tickets from Newcastle to London. 

X user Lee later clarified the tickets were for a Tuesday to Thursday trip in seven days time.

A screenshot of the quote showed the tickets he was trying to purchase were anytime single tickets, which had been advertised on the website as the "cheapest" option. 

"Are you out of your actual minds?" Lee said in his post. 

Other social media users were just as shocked, with many also complaining about increased fares. 

"I book train travel for work colleagues and it's eye watering.. if it was cheap to use public transport, as it is in other countries, more people would use it," one replied. 

"We live an hour away from London and train tickets on the weekend can set us back over £100 each. So then we drive which is the total opposite of what public transport is supposed to encourage?" said another. 

Rail tickets increased by 4.9% in England and Wales in March. 

An LNER spokesperson told the Money team: "We haven’t been provided with the full details for this journey. However, it appears the prices quoted are for peak time travel during a period of very high demand.

"Alternative trains have much cheaper Advance and 70 Minute Flex tickets available for travel in Standard from Newcastle to London King's Cross, subject to seating capacity being available.

"We always encourage customers to book as early as possible for best value fares."

Barclays has significantly increased its rates across a wide range of its purchase and remortgage deals. 

Many of the major lender's deals are increasing by around 0.25%. 

This includes its two-year fixed rate for remortgage at 60% loan to value, which will rise from 4.61% to 4.86%, which comes with a £999 fee.

Its two-year fixed rate for purchase or remortgage at 75% loan to value will also rise from 4.75% to 5.05%, and comes with a £1,999 fee.

The increases come at a time when several other lenders, such as TSB and Santander, have started cutting rates. 

Respected predictor Cornwall Insight has a final prediction for tomorrow's energy price cap announcement. 

Based on wholesale costs, the cap is expected to fall to £1,574.37 per year for a typical dual-fuel household - a 7% decrease.

The current price cap sits at £1,690 a year for a typical household.

In October 2021, the last time the cap was set before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was £1,277 per year. 

Here's what else you need to know... 

We'll be hearing tomorrow morning what the new energy price cap will be from July.

The cap is controlled by energy regulator Ofgem and aims to prevent households on variable tariffs being ripped off. 

It doesn't represent a maximum bill. Instead it creates an average bill by limiting how much you pay per unit of gas and electricity, as well as setting a maximum daily standing charge (which all households must pay to stay connected to the grid).

It changes every three months - in January, April, July and October.

The changes are mostly based on the costs faced by suppliers for providing energy. 

Who is covered by the energy price cap? 

Most households will be covered by the energy price cap. 

You'll know your bills are price-capped if you're on a standard variable tariff. 

The owner of Toblerone, Milka and Oreo has been fined €337.5m (£288m) for anti-competitive practices in the EU.

Mondelez, which is one of the world's biggest confectionary companies, was found to have been involved in 22 unfair trade practices by the EU's competition commissioner. 

In some instances, wholesalers, shoppers and traders were prevented from buying chocolate bars in another member state where they could be up to 40% cheaper or selling into a market where they could get a higher price for their product.

The EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said it was "blatantly illegal". 

She said the EU's investigation found customers were paying higher prices for chocolates, biscuits and coffee because of the practices. 

A worrying proportion of households are experiencing problems with their smart meters, research from Citizens Advice suggests. 

The charity has said energy companies are failing to fix problems with meters, with roughly 20% of households with a smart meter still having to regularly submit meter readings because their device isn't doing so automatically. 

It warned people could end up with huge unexpected bills if their supplier isn't able to take an automatic reading for an extended period of time. 

In one instance, a 71-year-old man was landed with a shock catch-up bill of almost £5,000.

Franc Kolar said he had been assured by his supplier the meter would work in his home, and this was the main reason he switched to them.

Current rules allow suppliers to back bill customers for a whole year, whether they have a smart meter or not. 

Government figures show by the end of last year more than 10% of smart meters weren't working properly. 

However Citizens Advice said this is "just the tip of the iceberg". 

"The whole point of smart meters is to empower households to save energy and money, but in reality millions are missing out on those benefits due to problems with technology and poor supplier service," said the charity's chief executive, Dame Clare Moriarty. 

"Energy companies are very keen for customers to get a smart meter but when issues arise they are often nowhere to be found. That has to change."

Nationwide has revealed it will give its customers a share of a £385m cash pot. 

Those who are eligible will receive a £100 payment directly into their bank accounts as part of the Nationwide Fairer Share scheme, which aims to reward customers who meet certain criteria. 

Customers will need to hold a qualifying current account and either a qualifying saving or mortgage product. 

You will have need to have held the account since 31 March or earlier, and have the account still open in June. 

The building society will be contacting customers between now and the end of May, and the payment will be sent out automatically. 

By Sarah Taaffe-Maguire, business reporter

Parsing out whether there's been any market election reaction is tricky given the big economic news yesterday - we learned inflation fell sharply (but was still higher than forecast) and the UK government borrowed the fourth largest amount in any April since records began.  

The pound is still up against the euro - and so buys more of the Eurozone currency than before yesterday morning's economic announcements. It's still at a high not seen since early March with £1 equal to €1.1745. 

Sterling has come down from its highs against the dollar seen yesterday morning but is still higher than most of the last month with a pound buying $1.2731. 

The FTSE 100 (Financial Times Stock Exchange index of most valuable companies on the exchange) is down again this morning, 0.23%, after a sharp 0.56% drop in response to the inflation data. 

The cost of UK government borrowing rose for the second day in a row as the interest rate on the benchmark 10-year government bond rose to 4.276%. Government bonds are IOUs sold on the market to raise funds.  

It's a busy morning on the corporate front as many major companies listed on the London Stock Exchange have updated the market and issued full-year results. 

The biggest contributor to the FTSE 100 fall was National Grid, the British and US electricity systems operator. In an effort to raise £6.8bn to fund grid investment, it said it would issue new shares and sell its US onshore wind business and a liquefied natural gas terminal. 

Online retailer Oh Polly has introduced a new returns policy to clamp down on "repeat refunders". 

The fashion site announced customers would be charged based on how much of their order they want to return. 

Customers returning up to 50% of their order will be charged £2.99, while those who return more than 90% will be charged £8.99. 

The company had previously charged a flat fee of £2.99 for all returns. 

Oh Polly explained in an email to customers: "Customers with high return rates increase the cost of the business, and we can either alter prices collectively for all, or only for those who fall into the high returner category."

The UK's competition regulator has issued three tips for pet owners amid concerns they are paying too much on vet bills and are not given enough information about treatment options.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said today it was launching a full market investigation into the UK's veterinary sector.

It advised animal owners to:

• Shop around for a vet and don't always go to the closest
• Ask the vet if there are other treatment options
• Think about buying medication from places other than your vet if it's not an emergency

Ocado has struck a deal with rapid grocery delivery service Getir to acquire its customers, after the latter pulled out of the UK. 

Customers who were using Getir are being sent emails urging them to switch to Zoom by Ocado. 

They also received a 25%-off discount and free delivery on their first Zoom by Ocado order.

Most younger workers want the chance to have a job in another country, research suggests.

A survey of 1,000 people aged 18-34 found half of respondents would be more likely to stay in a role for longer if they had the option to move overseas for a period of time. 

The young people cited a better quality of life, salary and benefits, and better work-life balance, as the main reasons for wanting to move overseas for work, according to employee mobility platform Jobbatical.

"A decade ago, candidates were searching for the most exciting office and work perks possible, but today the draw of international living, better quality of life and smoother work-life balance is top of the wishlist for ambitious, high-quality talent," said Karoli Hindriks, co-founder of Jobbatical. 

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

The huge solar storm is keeping power grid and satellite operators on edge

Geoff Brumfiel

Willem Marx

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of solar flares early Saturday afternoon. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm. Solar Dynamics Observatory hide caption

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of solar flares early Saturday afternoon. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm.

Planet Earth is getting rocked by the biggest solar storm in decades – and the potential effects have those people in charge of power grids, communications systems and satellites on edge.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm that has been visible as aurora across vast swathes of the Northern Hemisphere. So far though, NOAA has seen no reports of major damage.

The Picture Show

Photos: see the northern lights from rare, solar storm.

There has been some degradation and loss to communication systems that rely on high-frequency radio waves, NOAA told NPR, as well as some preliminary indications of irregularities in power systems.

"Simply put, the power grid operators have been busy since yesterday working to keep proper, regulated current flowing without disruption," said Shawn Dahl, service coordinator for the Boulder, Co.-based Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA.

NOAA Issues First Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Since 2005

• LISTEN & FOLLOW
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Amazon Music
• Amazon Alexa

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

"Satellite operators are also busy monitoring spacecraft health due to the S1-S2 storm taking place along with the severe-extreme geomagnetic storm that continues even now," Dahl added, saying some GPS systems have struggled to lock locations and offered incorrect positions.

NOAA's GOES-16 satellite captured a flare erupting occurred around 2 p.m. EDT on May 9, 2024.

As NOAA had warned late Friday, the Earth has been experiencing a G5, or "Extreme," geomagnetic storm . It's the first G5 storm to hit the planet since 2003, when a similar event temporarily knocked out power in part of Sweden and damaged electrical transformers in South Africa.

The NOAA center predicted that this current storm could induce auroras visible as far south as Northern California and Alabama.

Extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions have been observed! pic.twitter.com/qLsC8GbWus — NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 10, 2024

Around the world on social media, posters put up photos of bright auroras visible in Russia , Scandinavia , the United Kingdom and continental Europe . Some reported seeing the aurora as far south as Mallorca, Spain .

The source of the solar storm is a cluster of sunspots on the sun's surface that is 17 times the diameter of the Earth. The spots are filled with tangled magnetic fields that can act as slingshots, throwing huge quantities of charged particles towards our planet. These events, known as coronal mass ejections, become more common during the peak of the Sun's 11-year solar cycle.

A powerful solar storm is bringing northern lights to unusual places

Usually, they miss the Earth, but this time, NOAA says several have headed directly toward our planet, and the agency predicted that several waves of flares will continue to slam into the Earth over the next few days.

While the storm has proven to be large, predicting the effects from such incidents can be difficult, Dahl said.

Shocking problems

The most disruptive solar storm ever recorded came in 1859. Known as the "Carrington Event," it generated shimmering auroras that were visible as far south as Mexico and Hawaii. It also fried telegraph systems throughout Europe and North America.

Stronger activity on the sun could bring more displays of the northern lights in 2024

While this geomagnetic storm will not be as strong, the world has grown more reliant on electronics and electrical systems. Depending on the orientation of the storm's magnetic field, it could induce unexpected electrical currents in long-distance power lines — those currents could cause safety systems to flip, triggering temporary power outages in some areas.

my cat just experienced the aurora borealis, one of the world's most radiant natural phenomena... and she doesn't care pic.twitter.com/Ee74FpWHFm — PJ (@kickthepj) May 10, 2024

The storm is also likely to disrupt the ionosphere, a section of Earth's atmosphere filled with charged particles. Some long-distance radio transmissions use the ionosphere to "bounce" signals around the globe, and those signals will likely be disrupted. The particles may also refract and otherwise scramble signals from the global positioning system, according to Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist with NOAA. Those effects can linger for a few days after the storm.

Like Dahl, Steenburgh said it's unclear just how bad the disruptions will be. While we are more dependent than ever on GPS, there are also more satellites in orbit. Moreover, the anomalies from the storm are constantly shifting through the ionosphere like ripples in a pool. "Outages, with any luck, should not be prolonged," Steenburgh said.

What Causes The Northern Lights? Scientists Finally Know For Sure

The radiation from the storm could have other undesirable effects. At high altitudes, it could damage satellites, while at low altitudes, it's likely to increase atmospheric drag, causing some satellites to sink toward the Earth.

The changes to orbits wreak havoc, warns Tuija Pulkkinen, chair of the department of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan. Since the last solar maximum, companies such as SpaceX have launched thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit. Those satellites will now see their orbits unexpectedly changed.

"There's a lot of companies that haven't seen these kind of space weather effects before," she says.

The International Space Station lies within Earth's magnetosphere, so its astronauts should be mostly protected, Steenburgh says.

In a statement, NASA said that astronauts would not take additional measures to protect themselves. "NASA completed a thorough analysis of recent space weather activity and determined it posed no risk to the crew aboard the International Space Station and no additional precautionary measures are needed," the agency said late Friday.

People visit St Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay to see the aurora borealis on Friday in Whitley Bay, England. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images hide caption

People visit St Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay to see the aurora borealis on Friday in Whitley Bay, England.

While this storm will undoubtedly keep satellite operators and utilities busy over the next few days, individuals don't really need to do much to get ready.

"As far as what the general public should be doing, hopefully they're not having to do anything," Dahl said. "Weather permitting, they may be visible again tonight." He advised that the largest problem could be a brief blackout, so keeping some flashlights and a radio handy might prove helpful.

I took these photos near Ranfurly in Central Otago, New Zealand. Anyone can use them please spread far and wide. :-) https://t.co/NUWpLiqY2S — Dr Andrew Dickson reform/ACC (@AndrewDickson13) May 10, 2024

And don't forget to go outside and look up, adds Steenburgh. This event's aurora is visible much further south than usual.

A faint aurora can be detected by a modern cell phone camera, he adds, so even if you can't see it with your eyes, try taking a photo of the sky.

The aurora "is really the gift from space weather," he says.

• space weather
• solar flares
• solar storm

• International

Trump defense grills Michael Cohen in hush money trial

By CNN's Kara Scannell, Lauren Del Valle and Jeremy Herb in the courthouse

Key takeaways from Thursday's cross-examination of Michael Cohen

From CNN's Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell,

Donald Trump  attorney Todd Blanche raised his voice and flailed his arms at Michael Cohen, wailing at the prosecution’s star witness and accusing him of making up a phone conversation with Trump just before he sent $130,000 to Stormy Daniels’ attorney in October 2016.

It was the most dramatic moment of the cross-examination of the key witness in the hush money case, and the clearest example yet of the defense’s effort to cast doubt on Cohen’s memory of phone calls and other significant interactions with Trump in 2016.

Here are some of the key takeaways :

• A heated confrontation over a key phone call: On Monday, Cohen testified to prosecutors that he reached out to Trump's former bodyguard Keith Schiller on October 24, 2016, to speak to Trump about Daniels. But on Thursday, Blanche read Cohen a text he sent Schiller minutes before that call about receiving prank phone calls. Blanche used the texts to challenge Cohen’s account of the call. “That was a lie, you did not talk to President Trump, you talked to Keith Schiller – you can admit it,” he pressed. Cohen responded, “No sir, I don’t know that it’s accurate.”
• Cohen navigates years of inconsistent statements: Trump’s lawyer spent hours tediously moving through inconsistent statements that Cohen has made to knock his credibility. Blanche questioned Cohen on a myriad of topics, including the recanting of his 2018 guilty plea on tax charges, whether he wanted to work in the White House and what he’s said about a pardon from Trump. Blanche suggested Cohen was unreliable and only acted like he’d taken accountability for the crimes when he pleaded guilty to get a reduced sentence.
• Cohen pressed on desire for a pardon: Blanche also challenged Cohen on his desires to be in Trump’s White House, as revealed in private communications with his daughter and people like Pastor Darrell Scott, whom Cohen asked to put in a good word with Trump. Still, Cohen maintained that he only ever wanted to be Trump’s personal attorney — the position he held until he became the subject of a federal investigation.
• Trump perks up for Cohen’s cross: For much of the week, while Cohen has been on the witness stand, Trump has been taking in the trial with his eyes shut. But Trump’s demeanor shifted on Thursday afternoon as the attention turned to Cohen and the media. He sat up in his chair facing directly toward Cohen as Blanche quizzed the witness about his conversations with New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
• Trial nearing an end? Before leaving for the weekend, Merchan told the lawyers to be prepared to give summations on Tuesday – meaning the jury could have the case as early as next week. Prosecutors told Merchan they have no other witnesses to call after Cohen is off the stand, and the defense said it plans to call one campaign finance expert, though that is not set in stone.

Here's what Michael Cohen has testified so far in the Trump hush money trial

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen took the stand this week to testify in the former president's historical criminal trial and the prosecution's key witness will likely wrap up Monday.

Cohen’s testimony ties together the prosecution’s allegations that Trump broke the law by falsifying business records to reimburse Cohen and conceal the hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels that Cohen said he made at Trump’s direction. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies having an affair with Daniels.

Here are the highlights of everything he has said so far in the trial:

Day 1 of Cohen's testimony (Monday):

Cohen implicated Trump :

• Under direct examination, Cohen described how he worked with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker on Trump’s behalf during the 2016 campaign to kill negative stories; how he kept Trump apprised of his hush money negotiations with Keith Davidson, the attorney for Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal; and how Trump approved and was aware of how Cohen would be falsely repaid in 2017 for the Daniels payment as legal services.
• The day before Cohen wired the money, he had two calls with Trump the morning in which he said he told Trump he was going to open the account for the LLC that would wire the money to Daniels. “Everything required Mr. Trump’s sign-off; on top of that, I wanted the money back.”

Cohen ties the hush money reimbursement to Trump:

• On Monday, jurors heard through Cohen for the first time evidence directly connecting Trump to those reimbursements. In 2017, Cohen said he went to Trump’s then-chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, about getting repaid for the $130,000 payment. “Let’s do it,” he said Weisselberg told him. The jury was then shown Cohen’s First Republic bank statement, which showed the $130,000 settlement payment.
• Importantly, Cohen said that after their meeting, he and Weisselberg went to Trump’s office to speak to him about it. Cohen said he was given the title of personal attorney to the president around the same time but wasn’t going to be paid for that title because it was meant as "reimbursement of my money.”

Day 2 of Cohen's testimony (Tuesday):

Cohen walks through his decision to stop being loyal to Trump:

• He explained that he lied on Trump’s behalf to Congress in 2017 during the Russia investigation and that he was “misleading” when he told the Federal Election Commission about the $130,000 payment to Daniels in a 2018 letter. He described how he was given reassurance by Trump’s allies – and Trump’s tweets – that his loyalty was appreciated and that he should not “flip” on Trump. After the FBI seized Cohen’s phones and records in a search warrant in 2018, he said Trump called him, which was the last time they spoke.
• Ultimately, Cohen described how a conversation with his family in August 2018 convinced him to change his tune, plead guilty and tell the truth about Trump. “I regret doing things for him that I should not have,” Cohen said. “I don’t regret working with the Trump Organization. As I expressed before, some very interesting, great times. But to keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family.”

Defense tries to discredit him:

• Trump attorney Todd Blanche’s used a series of colorful quotes from Cohen to try to paint him as someone who hated Trump and who was hellbent on getting revenge while making money off the former president and trying to get his prison sentence reviewed. Blanche had plenty of material to work with. Cohen has written two books, “Disloyal” and “Revenge,” and has recorded hundreds of podcasts – confirming he mentions Trump in every episode of “Mea Culpa.”
• Cohen tried to put another spin on it. Asked what his goal was of putting out a TikTok nearly every night, he said: “Build an audience, to create a community, to really vent because I have a difficult time sleeping, so I found an outlet.”

Day 3 of Cohen's testimony (Thursday):

The biggest blow to Cohen's credibility over a key phone call:

• Cohen had told the prosecution on Monday that an October 24, 2016, phone call between him and Trump’s bodyguard was about discussing “the Stormy Daniels matter.” But on Thursday, Blanche used texts to challenge Cohen's account of the call, claiming it was a teenager prank calling him.
• In the afternoon, Cohen defended his memory of his calls – arguing that while he’s had thousands of calls and did not remember all of the circumstances surrounding them, he did remember the details of important ones. “Because these phone calls are things that I have been talking about for the last six years. They are and they were extremely important and they were all-consuming,” Cohen said. “So while I did not know that it took place at 8:02 p.m., what I did recall is the conversation that I had had.”

What to know about the 3 other criminal cases involving Donald Trump

From CNN’s Devan Cole, Amy O'Kruk and Curt Merrill 

The hush money criminal trial against former President Donald Trump is one of  four criminal cases  he faces while juggling his presidential campaign.

The former president faces at least  88 charges  over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida. Trump has pleaded not guilty to every charge in these cases. 

Here's a recap of each case: 

• Hush money:  Trump was first indicted in March 2023 by the Manhattan district attorney on state charges related to a hush-money payment to an adult film star in 2016. Prosecutors allege Trump was part of an illegal conspiracy to  undermine  the integrity of the 2016 election. Further, they allege he was part of an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, including the $130,000 payment. 
• Classified documents:  Trump was indicted in June 2023 by a federal grand jury in Miami for taking classified national defense documents from the White House after he left office and resisting the government’s attempts to retrieve the materials. The National Archives said in early 2022 that at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from the estate, including  some that were classified . The charges were brought by special counsel Jack Smith. However,  Judge Aileen Cannon  has  indefinitely postponed the trial , citing significant issues around classified evidence that would need to be worked out before the federal criminal case goes to a jury.
• Federal election interference:  Smith separately charged the former president last August with four crimes over his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results. The indictment alleges Trump and a co-conspirator "attempted to exploit the violence and chaos at the Capitol by calling lawmakers to convince them ... to delay the certification" of the election. That case is currently on hold  as the Supreme Court  weighs Trump’s claims of presidential immunity in the matter. The court held a hearing on the issue of immunity in late April. Every day the court doesn’t issue a decision will play into Trump’s strategy of delay, jeopardizing the likelihood that Smith can bring his case to trial before the November election. 
• Fulton County:  State prosecutors in Georgia brought a similar election subversion case against Trump and others. An Atlanta-based grand jury on August 14, 2023, indicted Trump and 18 others on state charges stemming from their alleged efforts to overturn the former president’s 2020 electoral defeat. A trial date has not yet been set in that case, and the Georgia Court of Appeals will consider an effort by Trump and his co-defendants to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from the case.

Read more about  the four criminal cases  Trump faces.  

Trump’s lawyers work to undercut Michael Cohen’s credibility. Here's what happened in court today

From CNN's Elise Hammond

Donald Trump’s defense team focused on challenging what Michael Cohen said in his direct testimony during cross-examination on Thursday. 

Trump attorney Todd Blanche sought to highlight inconsistencies with the aim of at least making jurors realize they shouldn’t want to make an important decision based on Cohen’s word alone. Cohen is the only witness who has directly tied Trump to the $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels and the allegedly falsified documents that described the repayment as a retainer. 

The court is off Friday so Trump can attend his son’s high school graduation. The defense will finish its cross-examination on Monday before the prosecution has an opportunity to conduct redirect questioning.

Here are the key things that happened in court:

• Attitude toward Trump and the trial: Blanche asked Cohen about various times he insulted Trump and called him names. Blanche played a clip from a podcast where Cohen said he hoped Trump would “get a taste of what I went through” and pointed to a social media post where Cohen disparaged Trump.
• Lying under oath: The defense pointed out times Cohen lied under oath . Cohen said he lied to the House Intelligence Committee in 2017 and to the special counsel in 2018. Cohen also confirmed he lied to a federal judge because the stakes affected him personally.
• Pardon possibility: Blanche challenged Cohen on past statements that he never asked for nor would ever accept a pardon from Trump. Cohen said he did explore a pardon from Trump with his lawyers, contrary to what he had testified to Congress. Blanche pointed out that his attorney issued a public statement to correct what Cohen said to Congress. Cohen said a pardon was “being dangled.”
• Cohen’s desire to work at the White House : The defense asked Cohen about his desire to work at the White House , specifically as chief of staff. When he didn’t get picked to be chief of staff, Cohen said he wanted to be the “personal attorney to the president,” but texted his daughter that Trump was "not happy with the title I wanted." His daughter also said she thought Trump and his new officials were “walking all over” him , Cohen confirmed.
• Defense hones in on key October 2016 phone call: Cohen had testified that he told Trump in a 90-second call in 2016 that the Daniels payment was funded and the issue was resolved. On cross-examination, he said he was receiving multiple harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old around the same time. The defense showed call logs and text messages to show Cohen was asking Trump’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller for help with harassment he was experiencing, as opposed to talking about the Daniels deal he testified about. Cohen said they talked about both topics.
• Challenging Cohen’s recollection: Blanche challenged Cohen’s memory about specific details in phone calls. Cohen confirmed that he got about 14,000 phone calls per year in 2016 and 2017. Because of the sheer number, the defense pressed Cohen about how he made specific recollections about calls with people like National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, former editor Dylan Howard and Trump.

The latest on the gag order: Trump's attorneys have filed court documents indicating they will ask New York's highest court to weigh in on the gag order against him in his hush money trial. On Tuesday,  a New York appeals court denied  Trump’s latest attempt to end the gag order. The next day, Trump's attorneys submitted court filings indicating they will appeal the denied motion to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals. 

See courtroom sketches from Cohen's testimony today in the Trump trial

From Christine Cornell

No cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump's hush money trial is underway, but sketch artists captured the scenes as Michael Cohen was cross-examined by the defense today while the former president listened nearby.

Analysis: The dramatic moment in Michael Cohen’s cross-examination that could be decisive

From CNN's Kara Scannell, Jeremy Herb and Lauren Del Valle

The moment when defense indicated that Michael Cohen’s call to Donald Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller was for help with harassment he was receiving — not to speak with Trump about Daniels, as he testified Monday — “was the most dramatic” point of the cross-examination, CNN’s Kara Scannell said.

“It was the most dramatic moment of the cross examination. Cohen looks like he made up that one call after he saw some records form the prosecution and filled in the blank. It casts doubt on Cohen's memory of phone calls in 2016," Scannell said.

But, she added: "It's up to the jury to decide whether he made up this one call or all calls."

Here’s how Cohen explained it in the afternoon, according to CNN’s Jeremy Herb: “Even if he didn't recall the circumstances of every call, he remembers the calls themselves.”

Trump maintains he "didn't violate any law" after day in court

From CNN's Tori B. Powell

Donald Trump called Thursday another "interesting day" in court.

"I didn't violate any law," Trump said. "This is a scam."

The former president quoted commentary in various news outlets about his case, which he described as "political persecution" and a "joke."

"We're supposed to believe in equal justice under the law and this is not happening in America," he said.

Moments earlier, as the trial wrapped, Trump was seen looking at a white sheet of paper with the word "QUOTES" in all caps at the top.

The post was updated with more of Trump's remarks.

Court adjourns for the week and Cohen has wrapped today's testimony. Here’s the latest

From CNN's Christina Zdanowicz

The court is adjourned for the week. Michael Cohen wrapped up his testimony for the day saying that he thought the Stormy Daniels contract was legally binding and answered questions on an alleged campaign finance violation.

Here are the highlights of his end-of-day testimony:

Former Trump Tower doorman’s claim: Cohen confirmed American Media Inc. paid former Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin to suppress his false claim that Trump had an alleged love child with a maid. Trump “initially” didn’t think the story would hurt his campaign.

Stormy Daniels contract: Cohen confirmed the contract for adult film actor Stormy Daniels was a legally binding document. Earlier, Cohen recalled saying he believed Stormy Daniels was extorting Trump.

Concerns about AMI files on Trump: In a 2016 call with Trump, Cohen expressed about the files American Media Inc. had on Trump. He said he was worried someone beside David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher, could get control of the files.

Campaign finance allegations: Cohen’s attorney sent a letter in 2018 to the Federal Election Commission in response to a complaint from a watchdog group who alleged the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels was a campaign finance law violation . Cohen asserted the payment was a private transaction using his personal funds. In a statement to reporters about the complaint, Cohen said neither the Trump Organization nor Trump campaign was involved in the transaction.

Back on Monday : Cross-examination of Trump's former lawyer resumes Monday.

Blanche says defense could still call a rebuttal witness

Trump attorney Todd Blanche said the defense could still call a rebuttal witnesses, but if they do, they won't be long.

Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.