Travel glossary
The Egretline Travel glossary defines the cruise, airline, insurance, document and booking terms you will see while planning a trip. Each term has a one-sentence definition, links to related terms, and links to the guides where it matters most.
A
- All-inclusive resort
- An all-inclusive resort includes lodging, meals, most drinks and many activities in one price paid in advance.
B
- Balcony cabin
- A balcony cabin is a cruise stateroom with a private outdoor balcony, priced above inside and oceanview categories on the same ship.
C
- Cancel for any reason
- Cancel for any reason (CFAR) is an optional travel insurance upgrade that refunds part of your prepaid costs if you cancel for a reason the base policy does not cover.
- Chargeback
- A chargeback reverses a credit card charge after you dispute it with your card issuer, for example for services you paid for but never received.
- Closed-loop cruise
- A closed-loop cruise starts and ends at the same U.S. port on the same ship and stays within the Western Hemisphere.
- Commission
- In travel, a commission is the payment a cruise line, resort or tour company makes to the agency that booked the trip.
D
- Deposit
- A deposit is the partial payment that holds a booking; terms state whether it is refundable and when the balance is due.
- Disembarkation
- Disembarkation is leaving the ship at the end of a cruise, when passengers clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the port.
- Drink package
- A drink package is a prepaid cruise add-on that covers set beverages per day, usually priced per person per day for every day of the sailing.
E
- Embarkation
- Embarkation is the process and day of boarding a cruise ship at the start of a voyage, including check-in and security screening.
- ETIAS
- ETIAS is the European Union's planned online travel authorization for visa-exempt visitors, including U.S. citizens, to 30 European countries.
F
- Final payment date
- The final payment date is the deadline to pay the full balance of a cruise or tour, after which cancellation penalties usually apply.
- FIT
- FIT means foreign independent travel, a custom trip built for one traveler or party rather than a packaged group tour.
- Future cruise credit
- A future cruise credit is a credit a cruise line issues instead of cash, usable toward a later sailing under its own expiry rules.
G
- Global Entry
- Global Entry is a CBP trusted traveler program that speeds pre-approved, low-risk travelers through U.S. customs on arrival.
- Gratuities
- On a cruise, gratuities are a daily per-person service charge added to your onboard account unless you prepay them.
- Group block
- A group block is a set of cabins or rooms held under one group contract, often with its own deposit and release dates.
H
- High season
- High season is the time of year when a destination is most in demand, so prices and crowds are usually at their highest.
- Homeport
- A homeport is the port where a cruise begins and ends, such as Port Canaveral, PortMiami or Port Tampa Bay.
- Host agency
- A host agency is a larger travel agency that independent advisors affiliate with for supplier contracts, booking tools and commission processing.
- Hurricane season
- The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to NOAA's National Hurricane Center.
I
- Inside cabin
- An inside cabin is a cruise stateroom with no window, usually the lowest-priced category on a ship.
- Involuntary denied boarding
- Involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, is when an airline refuses to let a ticketed passenger board an oversold flight against their will.
M
- Medical evacuation coverage
- Medical evacuation coverage pays to move you to an adequate hospital or home when you are seriously ill or injured while traveling.
- Minimum connection time
- Minimum connection time is the shortest layover an airline will sell between two connecting flights at a given airport.
- Mishandled baggage report
- A mishandled baggage report is the claim you file with the airline when a checked bag is delayed, lost or damaged.
- Mobile Passport Control
- Mobile Passport Control is a free CBP app that lets eligible travelers submit passport and customs details on a phone before inspection.
- Montreal Convention
- The Montreal Convention is the international treaty that sets airline liability limits for lost, delayed or damaged baggage on most international trips.
- Muster drill
- The muster drill is the mandatory safety briefing on embarkation day that shows passengers their assembly station and lifejacket use.
O
- Open-jaw ticket
- An open-jaw ticket flies you into one city and home from a different city, so you do not have to backtrack.
P
- Passport card
- A passport card is a wallet-size U.S. passport valid only for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
- Pier runner
- A pier runner is a passenger who races back to the ship as the gangway is about to close at the all-aboard time.
- Planning fee
- A planning fee is a fee some travel advisors charge clients directly for research and design work, separate from supplier commissions.
- Port fees
- Port fees are the taxes, fees and port expenses that cruise lines charge per passenger on top of the cruise fare.
- Port of call
- A port of call is a stop on a cruise itinerary where passengers can go ashore, as opposed to the departure port.
- Pre-existing condition waiver
- A pre-existing condition waiver lets a travel insurance policy cover a medical condition you had before buying it, if you meet the policy's purchase rules.
R
- REAL ID
- REAL ID is the federal standard for state driver's licenses and ID cards that TSA has required for domestic flights since May 7, 2025.
- Repositioning cruise
- A repositioning cruise is a one-way sailing that moves a ship between seasonal regions, such as from Florida to Europe in spring.
S
- Schengen Area
- The Schengen Area is a group of European countries that share one external border and allow travel between members without routine passport checks.
- Sea day
- A sea day is a full day of a cruise spent sailing between ports, with no stop on land.
- Seller of Travel registration
- Seller of Travel registration is a state requirement, in Florida, California and Washington among others, for businesses that sell travel to consumers.
- Shore excursion
- A shore excursion is a tour or activity in a port of call, sold by the cruise line or booked independently.
- Shoulder season
- Shoulder season is the period between a destination's peak and low seasons, when weather is usually decent and demand is lower.
- Significant schedule change
- Under DOT rules, a significant change is a flight change such as departing 3+ hours early or arriving 3+ hours late on a domestic trip.
- Six-month passport rule
- The six-month passport rule is an entry requirement in some countries that your passport stay valid for six months beyond your arrival or departure date.
- STEP
- STEP, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, is a free State Department service that registers your trip with the nearest U.S. embassy.
T
- Tender port
- A tender port is a cruise stop where the ship anchors offshore and small boats ferry passengers to the pier.
- Transfer
- A transfer is pre-arranged ground transportation between an airport, hotel, resort or cruise port.
- Travel advisor
- A travel advisor is a person who plans and books trips for clients and is usually paid by supplier commissions, planning fees or both.
- Travel advisory
- A travel advisory is the State Department's safety rating for a country, on a scale from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).
- Trip cancellation insurance
- Trip cancellation insurance reimburses prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs if you cancel for a reason listed in the policy, such as illness.
- Trip interruption insurance
- Trip interruption insurance covers unused trip costs and extra travel expenses if a covered reason cuts your trip short after you leave.
- TSA PreCheck
- TSA PreCheck is a trusted traveler program that lets approved travelers use expedited security lanes at participating U.S. airports.
V
- Visa
- A visa is permission from a foreign government to enter its country for a stated purpose and length of stay.
W
- WHTI
- The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) sets the documents U.S. citizens need to re-enter the United States by land or sea.