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The Future is Now: Five Travel Innovations Poised to Revolutionize the Way Rove

By Mike Richard Dec 19, 2019 6:24 PM

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The future of travel is, quite literally, now. The ability to virtually visit anywhere in the world in near real-time, board a plane with the swipe of your palm, and leave your car running at the airport while a robot “valet” whisks it to an automated parking garage are coming very, very soon. In fact, the technology for these travel innovations already exists, and will soon redefine the way we travel.

See the World Like Never Before Through Augmented Reality Glasses

Vuzix’s M300 smart glasses — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Remember Google Glass? The company would rather you didn’t. Fact is, the innovation was just too ahead of its time. Fast-forward a few short years, and it’s already difficult to imagine travel before essential mobile apps like Google Maps, TripIt, and Uber. Now, picture the convenience of being able to access those same apps from your field of vision at all times. Products like Vuzix’s M300 smart glasses (similar to Google Glass) provide that level of access and the ability to interact with those apps via speech and basic hand gestures. Consumer versions would allow travelers to access directions, hail a rideshare, make a dinner reservation, and research every fact about their current destination — all laid over their field of vision Terminator-style — without ever touching their smartphone.

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Traditional Boarding Passes Will Give Way to Biometric Technology

facial recognition, Stock-Man-Printing-Boarding-Pass-at-Kiosk — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mobile boarding passes have already made ticketed air travel obsolete. The next step will be to remove the concept of a “pass” altogether. As of mid-2017, JetBlue and Delta are trialing biometric boarding and luggage processes at select U.S. airports. Facial, retina, or palm scans will ultimately replace all of the above. Air travelers will simply need to step to airport security, wait a few seconds for their face or eye to be scanned automatically, and continue to their gate — all without ever presenting their smartphone or a paper ticket.

Fully Automated Robot Valets Will Eliminate Airport Parking Hassles

Stanley Robotics – Automated Valet Parking Service

Airport parking has always been a hassle that often involves parking in what feels like a different zip code from the terminal and praying that a shuttle shows up. Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport is working to eliminate that headache entirely with a robot “valet” that automates the process. Flyers leave their car at a designated cabin, and the system picks it up and parks it neatly in the garage. Removing humans from the equation means the system is capable of packing twice as many cars into the same space, effectively doubling garage capacity.

Pilotless Planes Will Redefine “Auto Pilot”

surefly pilotless plane — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Driverless cars are slated to become commonplace on U.S. roads in the next few years. Not long after, it’s possible that pilotless commercial airplanes will take to the skies. Most passengers are surprised to learn that today’s modern airliners can already takeoff, fly, and land with little to no human intervention. UBS reports (via CNN) that we could see the first remote-controlled planes and helicopters by 2025, with fully automated aircraft to follow five years later. The problem right now is that less than 20% of air travelers polled would agree to fly in a pilotless plane. Would you?

Hyper-technology Will Provide Lightning Fast Ground Transportation

Hyperloop Explained

It’s unlikely commercial air travel will disappear anytime soon. Instead, lightning fast ground transportation will complement our travel infrastructure. Impossibly fast maglev trains like those used in Japan or the Elon Musk-backed Hyperloop could be the way forward. The electromagnetic tube technology for the latter promises to whisk passengers between New York City and Washington, D.C., for example, in just 20 minutes at up to 700 miles per hour.

Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He’s kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South… Read Full Bio

5 Tips If You’re Traveling With Cigars: I Learned No. 2 the Hard Way

Wood, Hardwood, Accessories

Traveling with cigars can be challenging if you’re not prepared. The lack of preparation can lead to your favorite cigars getting smashed from inadequate storage, or they can peel because they weren’t kept at the proper temperature, among other issues. Sometimes you do all the right things, and still come away shaking your head.

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades now, and it’s not beneath me to admit that I’ve made plenty of cigar travel mistakes in that span, and as recently as two weeks ago. You live, you learn, and hope you don’t waste a stogie on the next trip. My most recent cigar travel mistake is what inspired me to share these tips. Sure, there are plenty of articles out there offering similar advice. But this list comes from a cigar smoker and writer who has visited six countries and about a dozen states in the last year alone. And in that time, mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.

The art of adventure packing: packing light but effective

Clothing, Coat, Jacket

If you are like me, you grew up with stories of adventure. Whether you were fans of fictional adventure like Indiana Jones and Alan Quartermain, or you loved the true-life accounts of Ernest Shackleton and David Livingstone, there is a deep pull to venture into the unknown. The desire to abandon the Mon-Fri 9-5 in search of something deeper. You could spend your time thinking about hopping a boat and sailing the seven seas like the pirates of old. You could look up at the elusive peak of a mountain and believe it begs to be summited. You could stare into the depths of a jungle and wonder what treasures it hides beneath its canopy. No matter what kind of adventurer you are, you need to be prepared for whatever the world throws at you. I have climbed Salkantay Peak and explored the jungles of Peru. I have scanned the plains of Africa in search of a giant cat (the prospect of which was much more comforting than the actual sighting and wondering if I was far enough away). And I have disappeared into the secluded areas of Svalbard. One thing that remained constant was the need for the right pack.

Here is what I learned when packing for my adventures.

Savannah Beyond the Postcard

Architecture, Building, Spire

Savannah is one of those cities that seems almost too easy to like. The live oaks are dramatic. The Spanish moss does exactly what it is supposed to do. The brick sidewalks buckle in all the right places. The houses look like they were designed by people who understood proportion, shade, and the value of a proper front step. Even the light seems to arrive with better manners than it does in most places.

I have a built-in advantage when it comes to Savannah. We have family there, so we have been back several times, not just once for the checklist version of the city. I have also done a photography workshop there, which is a terrific way to learn any city. You get up early, stay out late, and pay attention to alleys, doorways, ironwork, reflections, and the way a city changes when the tourists are still asleep.