Excursion vs. Vacation — What's the Difference?

An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes.

A vacation (American English), or holiday (British English), is a leave of absence from a regular job, or a specific trip or journey, usually for the purpose of recreation or tourism. People often take a vacation during specific holiday observances, or for specific festivals or celebrations.

A usually short journey made for pleasure; an outing.

A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation, especially one with pay granted to an employee.

A roundtrip in a passenger vehicle at a special low fare.

A holiday.

A group taking a short pleasure trip together.

A fixed period of holidays, especially one during which a school, court, or business suspends activities.

A diversion or deviation from a main topic; a digression.

The act or an instance of vacating.

A movement from and back to a mean position or axis in an oscillating or alternating motion.

To take or spend a vacation.

The distance traversed in such a movement.

Freedom from some business or activity.

A brief recreational trip; a journey out of the usual way.

(obsolete) Free time given over to a specific purpose; occupation, activity.

A wandering from the main subject: a digression.

A period during which official activity or business is formally suspended; an official holiday from university, law courts etc.

(aviation) An occurrence where an aircraft runs off the end or side of a runway or taxiway, usally during takeoff, landing, or taxi.

(North America) A holiday; a stretch of leisure time away from work or duty and devoted to rest or pleasure.

(phonetics) A deviation in pitch, for example in the syllables of enthusiastic speech.

An extended period of time away from work or school.

(intransitive) To go on a recreational trip or excursion.

The act of vacating something; moving out.

A running or going out or forth; an expedition; a sally.

The act of making legally void.

A journey chiefly for recreation; a pleasure trip; a brief tour; as, an excursion into the country.

(intransitive) To spend or take a vacation.

A wandering from a subject; digression.

The act of vacating; a making void or of no force; as, the vacation of an office or a charter.

Length of stroke, as of a piston; stroke. [An awkward use of the word.]

Intermission of a stated employment, procedure, or office; a period of intermission; rest; leisure.

A journey taken for pleasure;

Intermission of judicial proceedings; the space of time between the end of one term and the beginning of the next; nonterm; recess.

Wandering from the main path of a journey

A period of intermission of regular paid work or employment, or of studies and exercises at an educational institution; the time during which a person temporarily ceases regular duties of any kind and performs other activites, usually some form of liesure; holidays; recess (at a school); as, the spring vacation; to spend one's vacation travelling; to paint the house while on vacation. Vacation is typically used for rest, travel, or recreation, but may be used for any purpose. In Britain this sense of vacation is usually referred to as holiday.

The time when an office is vacant;

Leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure;

The act of making something legally void

Spend or take a vacation