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I saw this sentence on rhinospike but it doesn't sound right to me as I have never seen it used this way.

Quiero hacer un viaje a Florida este verano. I want to take a trip to Florida this summer.

Why wasn't a verb like tomar or coger used instead?

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The expression hacer un viaje is usually translated to take a trip, both have the same meaning but you can't state that "hacer" means "to take" in all contexts.

In this context "hacer" is a synonymn of the verb realizar

According to the D.R.A.E

hacer

  1. tr. Ejecutar, poner por obra una acción o trabajo.

realizar

  1. tr. Efectuar, llevar a cabo algo o ejecutar una acción

The action that you execute in this case is "viajar" or "el trabajo" is "a trip".

The verbs tomar and coger in relation with a trip are used to imply the action of making a reservation in a transport. If you say "quiero coger un viaje a Florida", it's because you're planning to make reservations through a web page or a travel agency.

tomar

  1. tr. Utilizar un medio de transporte. Tomar el autobús.

coger

  1. tr. Tomar u ocupar un sitio u otra cosa.
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The expressions "hacer un viaje" and "take a trip" are both idiomatic expressions (idioms) that are equivalent in meaning. But you cannot really compare parts of idiomatic expressions, in this case hacer and make, and say that they mean the same.

I would say that the Spanish idiom is more transparent (less opaque) than the English one, since you could argue that when you take a trip you are doing something (hacer), whereas you are not taking anything (take).

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