Travelling is the act of moving from one place to another in a defined period of time. Travelling may be in a defined region or over a defined area, with or without personal belongings, with or without a reservation, with or without tickets, etc. Travelling involves the movement from one point to another within a defined period of time. Travelling can also be done by foot, by bike, car, train, plane, boat or any other mode, with or without baggage, and could be one way or round trip. In most cases, travelling requires the movement from point A to point B.
Travelling within the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, to the extent that it involves traveling through airports or by road, is known as travelling. The word ‘travelling’ has other meanings, for example, going abroad, venturing abroad, going on holiday, exploring, etc. In the case of travelling through the United States or the UK, therefore, the words ‘car’ or ‘trailer’ are used to describe the car or trailer being Travelled. These terms, however, do not apply to passengers travelling as baggage, freight or in a bus.
For instance, when I say that I was travelling from Boston to Toronto, Canada; this is considered as a one place journey. The term, ‘Travelling’ in this context does not indicate where I am Travelling to, i.e. only that I am going from one place to another. Similarly, when I say that I am going to Toronto from Boston, the term, ‘Going to Toronto’ does not indicate where I will be going to, i.e.
In the United States, the spelling of the word, ‘Travelling’ is used as it is most commonly seen there. As far as British English is concerned, it also has one spelling that does not have anything to do with travelling, i.e. ‘traveling’. It is, in fact, the spelling used by British people that shows a difference in the usage of the two words.
In British English, the word, ‘traveling’ is associated with the concept of travelling. The use of the word, ‘traveling’ indicates an activity that has taken place. Whereas, the spelling, ‘traveling’ suggests an event which has taken place. This is the preferred spelling in United States while speaking about traveling to Canada.
When people who speak American English travel to Canada, they use the spelling, ‘journeying’ while those who travel to Canada to speak of, ‘visiting’ or, ‘seeing’. There is a slight variation in spelling between these two spellings. American English, of course, favors the spelling, ‘journeying’, whereas, ‘visiting’ is the preferred spelling in Canadian English. However, in British English, the spelling, ‘journeying’, is used to indicate travel and, ‘visiting’ is used to indicate an event. The spelling, ‘journeying’ being more common in American English while ‘visiting’ is more common in Canadian English.