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We can say "by car", "by bike", "by bus", "by train" and "by flight" when we're traveling by a transportation vehicle. But what if we're traveling by walking, what term should we say?

A few possibilities (in my idea):

  • "by foot"

  • "by feet"

  • "by walk"

  • "by walking"

Which term would be the best for concatenating with the preposition "by"?

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It's by air rather than by flight, but on foot (and on horseback).

From other comments, it appears that some people do find by foot idiomatic. Google Ngrams shows the usage increasing during the 20th century - a lot of the early references are false positives.

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  • By is a flexible preposition. “By train, plane, and automobile” is almost a stock phrase. A team of rescuers once went By Dogsled for Byrd” to rescue the Admiral from the South Pole. I have no problems with going somewhere on foot or by foot, or by rowboat or kayak or helicopter or wheelbarrow or even by stealth. But, as @Kate says, *by flight is not idiomatic
    – Xanne
    Dec 26, 2022 at 10:17

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