Reasons to travel include recreation, tourism, travel or vacation research to gather information, to vacation to visit people, volunteers travel to charity, migration to begin life in other places, pilgrimage and religious mission travel, business travel, trade, commuting, and other reasons, such as to get health care or fled war or for the pleasure of travelling. Travel may occur by human-powered vehicles such as walking or cycling, or in a vehicle, such as public transport, cars, trains and airplanes.

The motive for the trip including pleasure, relaxation, discovery and exploration, get to know other cultures and take personal time to build interpersonal relationships. Travel may be local, regional, national (domestic) or international. In some countries, non-local internal travel may require an internal passport, while international travel usually requires a passport and visa. Travel may also be part of the journey, which is a particular type of travel which a person moving from their usual residence for one or several locations and back.