- After more than 2 years of strict anti-pandemic border controls, Hong Kong has begun its ‘0+3’ no-quarantine scheme
- We have 12 English idioms and one Cantonese phrase you can use as you get ready to hit the road
Many Hongkongers have been itching to leave the city and travel without having to quarantine in a hotel when they return. Photo: Sam TsangStarting Monday, arrivals in Hong Kong are no longer required to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine. Instead, they only have to do three days of self-monitoring at home or in a hotel. During that period, they are still allowed to go out.
For those who are itching to leave the city after more than two years of strict Covid-19 border controls, here are 12 English idioms and one in Cantonese that you can use as you hit the road!
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1. Hit the road
Meaning: to leave a place or begin a journey
Example: Japan has finally resumed visa-free travel, so it’s time for us to hit the road!
2. Get the show on the road
Meaning: to start a journey or activity
Example: The Hong Kong Sevens will be returning in November, and the players can’t wait to get the show on the road!
3. Have itchy feet
Meaning: a desire to travel or do something different
Example: After more than two years of anti-pandemic travel restrictions, many Hongkongers have got itchy feet.
4. Take the red eye
Meaning: a flight that departs at night and arrives in the morning. Usually, passengers cannot expect to get much sleep on these flights and have red eyes, caused by fatigue.
Example: Tim took the red eye from San Francisco to Hong Kong last night, hoping to reunite with his family as soon as possible.
5. On a shoestring
Meaning: to do something with a very small amount of money or resources
Example: Without many foreign visitors coming to Hong Kong in recent years, the tourist attraction has been running on a shoestring.
6. Off the beaten track
Meaning: a little-known and remote place that is not visited by many people
Example: When I travel, instead of visiting all the tourist hotspots, I enjoy going off the beaten track to avoid the hustle and bustle of city life.
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7. Live out of a suitcase
Meaning: to live or stay somewhere on a temporary basis
Example: With many overseas conferences to attend, Tom will be living out of a suitcase over the next few weeks.
8. Break (up) the journey
Meaning: to stop and rest somewhere for a short time during a journey
Example: It takes more than two days to arrive at our destination, so let’s break up the journey by visiting this small town that’s halfway between our start and end.
9. Just the ticket
Meaning: describes something that is exactly what is needed or wanted
Example: Our stay at this five-star hotel is just the ticket as we’ve all had such a stressful week.
10. On the fly
Meaning: to do something quickly without much thought or planning in advance
Example: My mother always makes decisions on the fly, but this is stressful for my father who prefers to have everything planned in advance.
11. Live it up
Meaning: to enjoy oneself, often extravagantly
Example: Sandy is taking a week off to live it up in Hawaii – she has booked many luxury spa treatments and expensive dinners.
12. Call it a day/night
Meaning: to finish something or to stop for now
Example: We have been walking around this museum for the past four hours, so let’s call it a day and get a bite to eat.
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Here’s a phrase in Cantonese slang ...
手信 sau2 seon3 (sau-seuhn): “hand letter”
Meaning: a gift people buy while travelling to bring back for family and friends. It usually refers to a product or food that the place is known for.
In English: souvenir
Example: Can you buy me a box of pineapple cakes as sau-seuhn during your visit to Taiwan next week?