The fast-nature of this industry means we have so little time to think about the future as we’re often so busy making sense of what’s in front of us.
But it is really important to look ahead, as the future of travel might be closer than we think.
Yesterday, Travel Weekly explored the way climate change would affect client bookings for agents.
Now, we’re borrowing from an incredible article posted by the ABC about the future of travel.
The article gives an, at times, grim look into what travel will look like in 2030.
We’re not sure what kind of magic the ABC used to create the article, but the forecast is fascinating.
The article is extremely long, thoroughly researched, and way too well written for us to take any credit for it, so if you want to read the mammoth piece in full, click here.
But if you’re feeling a little lazy, here are the most interesting takeouts on what travel in 2030 might involve.
More than simply “boycotting flights” becoming “as popular as vegetarianism”, the article also predicts that Europeans will be “burning beds to protest overcrowding from tourists”.
We’ll use host me apps to dine with local families
As per the ABC , “Authentic experiences guided by locals — like the “Airbnb experiences” launched in 2017 — will continue to be popular.
“Locals will also house you, cook for you and do your laundry — all sourced and paid for through apps, guided by reviews.”
“But, as Williams warns, ‘if you turn something that is a co-operative gesture into a financial transaction, you can often lose what was attractive about it in the first place’.”
We’ll use smart glasses to pre-order meal before arriving at restaurant
According to the article, “Through mass location tracking, businesses like Google will be able to tailor recommendations for venues and suburbs popular with people like you, so you can travel like a local”.
“Discount offers for nearby restaurants flash up in your smart glasses. Vexa compares reviews, savings, distance and wait times and shows you the top five in a split-second”.
“There’s a longer wait at your favourite — 14 minutes — but you’ll be served faster thanks to your high customer rating. Plus, Vexa calculates that 80 per cent of its visitors are locals — it should be worth it.”
“At the restaurant, the hostess greets you by name, her glasses using facial recognition to match you to the waiting list. “We’re working on your order”, she says in Turkish, which is translated to subtitles on the edge of your frames.”
We’ll see subtitle translations on glasses to communicate with locals
As per the ABC , “Translation software has made huge leaps in the past two years thanks to “machine learning” by artificial intelligence.”
“Skype has added real-time translation to its calls, while Google’s Pixel Buds earphones offer instant translation between 40 languages. By 2030, auto-translation will be everywhere.”
“Waiting for your meal, you do a quick check-in to make sure everything’s okay at home: you jump into the livestream of your house and use the 360-degree function to view the courtyard — the dog looks happy and no dead plants yet.”
We can’t encourage you enough to check out the article in full here.
Though, we can’t assure you it won’t make your brain spin.
