In my mother tongue, there is a word that describes the entire event of…
your going to one place and coming back.
The beauty of this word is it is very useful as in one word, you describe the entire thing and with a bit of negation!
Let's build an example:
I want to have a driving license (InE) ~ Oh, that's not an easy task with local RTO (Regional Transport Office). You'll have minimum [the word in my mother tongue].
If I say, you'll have to visit the RTO thrice, it works but then the word 'visit' has no negation in it.
Few more examples:
Did you go to her place? ~ Yes, I did/had three [the word in my mother tongue] (i.e. comings and goings), but she did not seem to be interested in the project.
The closest word that comes to my mind is the word 'visit'.
I'm asking natives; do you use 'visits' for the following example?
My 'visit' to the place was a waste
You'll have to have several 'visits' to get the work done
I wasted my time for the 'failed visits' I made.
Or there is another word/phrase/idiom to pass a clear message? Please mind the negation.
Note: I know the use of 'have been' for the places but that's not I'm looking for. Typically, the word I'm searching for is a 'noun' as in my second-last example.
Best Answer
The term that comes closest to what you're looking for is either trips or round trips.
A trip is a journey. A round trip is a journey that starts and ends in the same place. So if you start at home, travel to Paris, and then come back home, you have made a round trip to Paris.
In many cases, the "round" nature of a trip is implied. So the most common way of expressing what you're talking about would be:
The idea of multiple trips already, depending on context, carries some mild sense that the trips are a burden. If you use "round trips" instead, it emphasizes this:
As best I can tell, this is the most idiomatic way to express what you're looking to express.