The origin of the word “journey” is most likely lost to history. The term “journey” may be derived from the Old French word travail.[3] According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the first known use of the word journey was in the 14th century. He also states that the word comes from Middle English travailen, travelen (meaning to toil, work, strive, travel) and earlier from Old French travailler (meaning to work hard, strive).

In English we still occasionally use the words travail and travails, meaning struggle. According to Simon Winchester in his book The Best Travelers’ Tales (2004), the words travel and travail share an even older root: the Roman instrument of torture called tripalium (Latin for “three stakes”, as in naticata). This link reflects the extreme difficulty of travel in ancient times.