Can you say a person is in transit?

Is “In Transit” the Right Way to Describe Someone’s Journey?

We’ve all heard it: “Your package is in transit.” But can you use the same phrase to describe a person’s journey? While grammatically sound, using “in transit” to refer to a person traveling is a bit like wearing a tuxedo to a barbecue – technically acceptable, but perhaps a tad overdressed and slightly out of place.

While not inherently wrong, “in transit” carries a subtle connotation of something being moved or transported, rather than someone actively traveling. Think of cargo, luggage, or even data packets. These are entities in transit. People, on the other hand, typically travel, journey, or are en route.

Imagine telling a friend, “My aunt is in transit from New York to London.” It’s not incorrect, but it feels somewhat impersonal and detached. Saying, “My aunt is traveling from New York to London” or “My aunt is en route to London from New York” sounds more natural and conveys a sense of purposeful movement.

There are, however, niche situations where “in transit” might be appropriate for a person. Consider a refugee moving between camps, a diplomat shuttling between negotiations, or perhaps even a character in a science fiction novel traversing interstellar space. In these contexts, “in transit” hints at a temporary, intermediary state, a period of movement within a larger process of relocation or displacement.

The phrase can also find a home in formal contexts like official documentation. A border control agent might use “in transit” to categorize someone passing through an airport without entering the country. Similarly, an airline might refer to passengers “in transit” who are connecting to another flight.

Ultimately, while you can say someone is in transit, it’s often not the most effective or elegant way to express their movement. Clearer, more conventional alternatives like “traveling,” “en route,” or even “on their way” generally prove superior. So, unless you’re striving for a specific nuance or working within a particular context, consider leaving “in transit” for the packages and stick with the simpler, more human-centric terms. Your communication will likely be clearer for it.