convenient travel and comfortable travel

[belissimo]

Hello,
I saw two questions in a book: which journey was the most comfortable/convenient?
I found the previous thread about comfortable journey.
But what does convenient journey mean?
Thanks

 

[Bigote Blanco]

convenient = implies easy

It was a short, convenient trip without any stops or delays. It was a short, easy trip without any stops or delays.

or the opposite would be:

It was an inconvenient trip with many stops and delays. With many stops and delays, it was not an easy trip.

 

[belissimo]

If I am asked 'Which was the most comfortable journey?' I could answer,"when we went to the Alps by car because i like travelling by car.It makes me feel good'
And 'Which was the most convenient journey?' My answer, " when we went to the Alps by car because there were no traffic jams'
Will it be correct?

 

[Damnjoe]

If I am asked 'Which was the most comfortable journey?' I could answer,"when we went to the Alps by car because i like travelling by car.It makes me feel good'
And 'Which was the most convenient journey?' My answer, " when we went to the Alps by car because there were no traffic jams'
Will it be correct?

Yes, you are correct is you like traveling by car because it's more comfortable (lots of room, soft seats, good shocks so the ride is smooth, etc.)

But "convenient" is more than just traffic jams. "Convenient" is a trip that is easy to plan, or perhaps it is close. For example, if I live in Texas I might say, "traveling to Mexico by plane is convenient" because it is easy to plan (just buy a ticket and walk to the airport), it is fast (it takes less than an hour), there isn't a long wait at the border to check baggage and passports, etc. But this doesn't necessarily mean it would be a comfortable trip. Perhaps the seats in the airplane are hard and hurt my back, perhaps the plane makes me sick, perhaps it's crowded, perhaps it's really expensive, etc. A bus might not be convenient because it stops at every town along the way, it is often late, maybe the buses often break down, and you have to wait an hour at the border.

However, if you live in a small town that is 4 hours from the nearest airport, it might not be convenient and a bus straight to the border might be easier. Does that make sense?

Here's a couple more examples:

I live very close to where I work. It's convenient because I can just walk to work every day.
The subway system in New York is convenient because it runs 24 hours a day, you don't have to wait long between trains, and it goes all over the city.
Having a car is convenient because you never have to wait or worry if there is going to be a bus.

 

[Egmont]

If I want to fly from Boston, near my home, to Philadelphia for an afternoon meeting, there is a flight that leaves at 10:30 am and arrives at 11:59 am*. This time is perfect for me; this flight is very convenient. However, it is convenient for many other people also. Therefore, it will be full and there will be no chance of an upgrade to first class. If I take a flight at a less popular time, such as the one that leaves at 5:30, it will be less convenient, but it will also be less crowded and (if I'm lucky) I will get a free upgrade. Therefore, it will be more comfortable.

_____________________________
*Very few flights are scheduled to arrive or depart at noon or midnight. The reason is that "12:00 am" and "12:00 pm" are confusing: which is noon, which is midnight? Even if an airline uses the 24-hour clock internally and in its timetables, it can't stop people from writing down times in the more familiar 12-hour system. To reduce this confusion, flights which would normally be scheduled to land at noon or midnight are moved in one direction or the other by one minute.

 

[sdgraham]

If I want to fly from Boston, near my home, to Philadelphia for an afternoon meeting, there is a flight that leaves at 10:30 am and arrives at 11:59 am*. This time is perfect for me; this flight is very convenient. However, it is convenient for many other people also. Therefore, it will be full and there will be no chance of an upgrade to first class. If I take a flight at a less popular time, such as the one that leaves at 5:30, it will be less convenient, but it will also be less crowded and (if I'm lucky) I will get a free upgrade. Therefore, it will be more comfortable.

_____________________________
*Very few flights are scheduled to arrive or depart at noon or midnight. The reason is that "12:00 am" and "12:00 pm" are confusing: which is noon, which is midnight? Even if an airline uses the 24-hour clock internally and in its timetables, it can't stop people from writing down times in the more familiar 12-hour system. To reduce this confusion, flights which would normally be scheduled to land at noon or midnight are moved in one direction or the other by one minute.

This is all good advice, even if the thread is over five years old.

 

[Xander2024]

This is all good advice, even if the thread is over five years old.

It's never too late, sdgraham. I too had a problem with using these two adjectives and none of my books gave an adequate explanation of how they should be used in different situations. The posts by Damnjoe and Egmont are just excellent and so very helpful.

Thank you.