Technology Shapes the Travel Experience
If you are anything like me, you love a good adventure: flying through the sky to a destination you have never explored before, meeting people from around the world, and eating food from different cultures. During undergrad, I studied abroad in England. Since my return, I have caught “travel fever”, provoking a need to explore as much as possible.
In the mist of all this wanderlust, I can’t help but think about how traveling has changed in the past decade. From planning to execution, technology has simplified the overall process of traveling. Below, I have listed a few of the travel technologies that we may take for granted. Perhaps this will provoke a greater appreciation for the current travel process, or maybe you will discover a new way to arrive at your next adventure.
My mom did all the trip planning when I was a kid. Sitting at the dial-up computer, she attempted to find hotels and tourist destinations. Often times, my frustrated mom would give up on this endeavor, leaving our trip open-ended. My trip planning experience is so different from my mom’s all those years ago. There are countless platforms that allow me to find good deals on destination packages that include flights, hotels, and other places to visit. There are ways to compare flight prices, place reservations, and check hotel ratings.
My Recommended Travel Planning Tools
Are you a “fly by the seat of your pants” type? This app is for you! It compares discounted airline deals for those adventurers seeking a getaway without much time to spare. Check it out.
A convenient way to make reservations for hotels, flights, and other important travel accommodations. Visit this helpful site here.
This is GPS app that finds interesting places to explore along your route. Give it a try or explore the app here.
This site is incredible if you’re looking for things to do at your destination. Check it out here.
Did your family always use an atlas and frequently stop at gas stations for directions? Back in the day, my family sure did! Much has changed in the last decade. With a simple swipe of two, everyone can use their smart phones to lead them straight to their destinations. For those with unreliable phones (or lack of phones), a simple Global Positioning System (GPS) will be just fine.
Think about years ago, where you may have waited in line for forever to check in to your flight. Now, we have mobile apps where we can easily check in without spending hours at the airport before we get to our gate. We simply press a couple of buttons on our phone and scan it at the entrance. Say goodbye to the many minutes wasted at a counter.
With these progressive changes to travel, travel costs have been affected since users’ have had the ability to easily search for the best deal. Think about how restaurants and hotels have to improve now that travelers have tools to look up reviews. Technology changes the world all around us and it all starts with someone listening to users and keeping them in the design process to ensure solutions that help the user experience.
Design thinkers, user-experience designers, engineers, and inventors have been studying travel for decades. This has allowed us to travel with little-to-no stress. Design thinking and human computer interaction (HCI) are at the center of these innovative technologies that promote pleasant travel experiences. Next time you’re planning an adventure, think about all those people on the back end that have listened to travelers like you and me to make it possible.
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Michaela Tangeman
Michaela Tangeman is first-year EMDD graduate student. She is a graduate assistant for the Department of Journalism at Ball State University. She loves problem solving, and traveling.
