If you live in the Arab world for any real length of time, eventually either you or someone you know is going to take a trip somewhere. If it’s someone you know, you’ll probably want to say something like “Have a safe trip” or the oft-borrowed-from-the-French “Bon Voyage”, but in Arabic.
So, how do Arabs wish each other a safe journey? Well, that’s what we’re going to figure out today. Not only will you learn what to say but you’ll also learn what people might say to you when you finally leave the country.
As Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So, let’s get to stepping as we begin today’s journey into the Arabic language.
There are many different words and phrases that Arabs use to wish someone a good trip. However, it mostly depends on where the person is from.
We’ll start with perhaps what is the most widely understood phrase for wishing someone an enjoyable journey - Modern Standard Arabic’s رِحلَة سَعيدَة /riHlah saʻeedah/ or “Happy Trip”.
If you’re in Egypt, however, you might want to say “! تِروح و تيجي بِالسَّلامَة” /tirooH w teegee bissalaamah/ meaning “Come and go safely!” What’s more, if it’s you on the receiving end of this Egyptian expression, then your reply should be الله يِسَلِّمَك /allaah yisallimak/ to a male or الله يِسَلٍّمِك /allaah yisallimik/ to a female.
In the other part of the Middle East, the more religiously inclined might say short blessings over you such as الله يحميك وتوصَل بِالسَّلامَة /allaah yHmeek w tooSal bissalaamah/ “May God have mercy on you and may you arrive safely” or “حَفيظَك الله” /HafeeDHaak allaah/ meaning “May God keep you safe.”
Finally, when you’re deboarding an aircraft, the Arabic-speaking stewardess may say “رافَقَتك السَّلامَة /raafaqatk issalaamah/. Used for “Goodbye”, it literally translates to “May safety accompany you” and is generally only used when saying goodbye to a passenger of any vessel.
Of course, these aren’t the only ways to wish someone a safe trip. However, they are a good beginning to your very own Arabic language journey when you learn Arabic the right way with the Kaleela Arabic language learning app. Download it today and let Kaleela guide you every step of the way. Visit kaleela.com for more information.
