3 Ways Tech Changed The Way We Travel

Round The World Magazine

6 years ago

3 Ways Tech Changed The Way We Travel

A man walks into a small travel agency on the corner of a busy street. Charmed by the posters of various exotic destinations (and the smile of the girl behind the counter), he decides he needs a break from everyday life – he sits down, smiles back at the girl, and asks about what getaways he could book for his budget.

This scene might sound like the beginning of a rom-com, and it might soon be a thing only seen in them, because of the ways technology changed the way we travel both for business and leisure.

1. Booking online

It’s easier than ever to book anything from a city break to a weeklong vacation online. There are a variety of platforms to choose from, ranging from Booking.com that’s been around for more than two decades to new, disruptive, and innovative services centered on the new, smartphone-using generation.

Today, you can arrange everything from buying your plane tickets to renting a car at your destination using nothing but your pocket-sized supercomputer.

2. A cornucopia of information

Wikipedia – just like the printed encyclopedias of the past – is a good place to start finding out the facts about the country, city, commune or village you are about to spend hours or days in. But thanks to the internet, you can dig way deeper into it – you can find out the impressions, opinions, and tips of others that have already been there and shared them with the world. What in the past was done by word of mouth is done today by a variety of online outlets old and new, ranging from Tripadvisor (founded in 2000) to a cornucopia of travel blogs telling stories about their authors’ adventures from all points of the compass.

3. Travel guides are going out of style

Thanks to the amazing variety of information and tips on what’s worth your time in which city, not to mention the cornucopia of online services meant to make your travel, lodging and dining a streamlined, easy to arrange experience, guided tours are slowly going out of style.

Today, many people prefer to book their own flights, arrange for lodging through Airbnb, cook their own meals and explore the local cuisine instead of dining at a hotel, and checking out everything from the most amazing hidden beaches to the most exciting landmarks based on itineraries they build themselves. This way, their experience becomes more personal, more satisfactory, and far more fit to their own tastes and pace than ever before.

This is a change brought forth by modern technology, and we have to admit it – it’s for the better.