Crystal Ball Gazing - Techno Travel

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March 21, 2008· Filed Under Holidays 

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Recently I’ve been contacted by two emerging new travel sites - Volette.com and So Much World. Both are very interesting, but quite different in their takes on travel.

Volette is perhaps more aimed at the business traveller, but not only, whereas So Much World is more like an on-line version of my favourite Lonely Planet guides. I know that both sites are still in a development phase, especially Volette.com. Indeed, the brain behind Volette.com, one Joe Tangredi, has several ideas as to the direction he wants to take his internet venture, although I don’t know what they are just yet.

Later on next week, hopefully, I’ll be meeting up with Joe, and maybe he will reveal some of his plans for the future to me. I hope so, I’m very curious to know what they are.

So Much World on the other hand, has already added a personal bookmarking service called Travel Bookmarking. I guess this is a sort of travel specific version of del.icio.us and So Much World’s Travel Bookmarking system can be used to keep a record of all those interesting travel resources you’ve managed to dig up on the web. This is not a bad idea at all. In fact there are so many useful travel resources springing up all over the webosphere that organising them can be a bit of a headache. Travel Bookmarking may well remove some of the frustration behind trying to keep track of them all.

Anyway, these new travel sites got me thinking. Such sites would make excellent ‘walk-around’ guides to people touring the countries mentioned. Sooner or later, Italy for example, will have a working WiFi-max system meaning that anyone with a wifi enabled phone, UMPC, Pocket PC or laptop will be able to hook up to the web wherever they find themselves and get information about the place they are visiting or about to visit.

Taking this a step further, wouldn’t it be good if you could hook up to the web to check out your next port of call and see a list of user-rated places to stay, eat and visit in the area in which you are? With a little more technical jiggery-pokery, I’m sure it would be possible to do things like book a hotel in Rome while you are touring the Amalfi coastline, for example. Or book the ferry over to Sicily directly from your hotel room or the seat of your rented car in Messina.

The possibilities are endless. How about coming across a lovely view or picnic spot, which you can then add/bookmark to the map on your phone so that others can find the same place? Or hooking up your wifi device in the morning and seeing a list of interesting places to visit around where you are staying. Then you just select the places you like the sound of (or look of with a few photos), and the computer works out an itinerary for you, which, in turn, can be sent to your GPS navigator. Cool. It would even be possible to see where it is raining, so you could avoid areas with bad weather. How about rating beaches and other features? I could go on.

What all these things boil down to is ‘local knowledge’, which is something that is invaluable. My parents, for example, have found my knowledge of Italy to be very useful as I can easily suggest interesting places to visit and how to get to them. With wifi based travel guides, and automatic itinerary generation, everyone could benefit from local knowledge and, hopefully, end up with a much more rewarding travel experience.

Long live the future!

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10 Responses to “Crystal Ball Gazing - Techno Travel”

  1. Gege' said on March 22nd, 2008 5:55 pm

    I’m in the midst of organizing a tour guide service. So far it’s a one-man operation, hopefully it’ll be a 2 or 3 man thing eventually.

    Anyway… the coolness factor of wi-fi connectivity has been pointed out to us. There are those who just can’t say no to a gadget, even when the gadget can’t possibly provide the same experience as its old analog predecessor.

    Recently, I spent the day with an American family who’d contacted me for a one-day tour of Florence. The subject of the wi-fi thing came up toward the end of the day… they told me that they would never even consider it after having spent a fun and informative day with a real person who not only told them more than they ever hoped to know about what they were seeing, but who could answer their questions, keep them entertained, negotiate purchases, translate menus, provide local gossip and give them a hug at the end of the day!

    Technology’s great… but it’s not always better!

  2. AlexR said on March 22nd, 2008 8:30 pm

    Hi Gege’ and Happy Easter!

    Whereas you are right about the ‘personal’, read ‘human’, touch, I think that sooner or later technology will take over from human to human contact.

    But, you are right: “Technology’s great… but it’s not always better!”

    I shall be watch my son’s experiences with technology very closely, as I am curious to see if he will become more techy than me. He does have a techy dad, so this is quite probable. We’ll see.

    Hope all with well with you an yours down in the country.

    All the best,

    Alex

  3. Gege' said on March 23rd, 2008 10:32 am

    Happy Easter to you and yours.

    You really think that technology will replace human contact? How sad.

    To quote that deep thinker, Nancy Reagan, one can always “JUST SAY NO!” Technology doesn’t have a mind of its own. Fortunately, we do - and can choose at some point, to put our collective foot down and not be woo’d by flashy gizmos at the expense of our humanity.

  4. AlexR said on March 23rd, 2008 5:22 pm

    Hi again Gege’,

    Yes, I guess what I’m saying is that technology will replace human contact. In fact, to be more precise, technology has already reduced human contact considerably, but, having said the above, at the same time I think technology has raised overall levels of contact, both virtual and physical, immeasurably.

    This blog is but one tiny example. Without it, I would not have ‘met’ so many interesting people, and, it is possible (It has already happened) that I will actually meet more people in the flesh as a result.

    So, in summary, I suppose that technology is reducing physical contact, but only initially. In the long term, I think technology will actually increase human contact.

    And technology is helping us to communicate, and communication fosters understanding. Understanding reduces the perception of differences and a reduction in differences leads to fewer conflicts.

    Don’t lose hope.

    Kind regards,

    Alex

  5. Jessica, Italy Logue said on March 26th, 2008 6:54 pm

    I like the future you’re describing, Alex! I also look at it from a travel writer’s standpoint, where it’d be easier to instantly upload a video or something talking about a tourist attraction or restaurant or hotel (or whatever), instead of my current system - a very long (and constantly updated) list of posts I need to write. Of course, as a writer, I hope that the need for actual content doesn’t go out the window entirely, but it’d be nice to have a mix of mediums.

  6. AlexR said on March 26th, 2008 7:23 pm

    Hi Jessica,

    Good to see you here!

    Your video idea is a good one, and I suspect that your vision of one corner of the future is very close to how things will end up.

    I don’t think the need for written content will go out of the window just yet, but we are already making use of more videos and images than ever before - and this will continue IMHO.

    As the web becomes faster and more available lots of interesting things will happen.

    All the best,

    Alex

  7. Gege' said on March 26th, 2008 10:13 pm

    Wow! That’ll be GREAT! Video… and eventually no real need for the written word! Soon enough, tourists won’t even have to leave home at all! And they won’t even need to bother themselves with reading either! YAY!!!

  8. AlexR said on March 27th, 2008 12:17 am

    Yes, it will be great Gege’ - it means that we can travel without all the hassle of travelling, as you say.

    Soon we’ll be able to switch on the sun lamp , the atmosphere generator, and surround ourselves in a 3d virtual world - without even having to leave Citta di Castello or Milan. Cool!

    And lets face it, reading is really rather tiring, all that moving of the eyes, plus all the work the brain needs to do. What a drag!

    Now your true love for technology is really being revealed. All that mandolin playing, I reckon; I fear it has mediaevalised your grey matter!

    All the very best,

    Alex

  9. Gege' said on March 27th, 2008 9:31 am

    I don’t play the mandolin anymore - it’s SO last century. Instead, I watch a video of someone playing it for me.

    I hope they include scratch-’n-sniff with the travel videos so tourists can get the full experience!

    Perhaps virtual travelers will also take jet-lag inducing drugs. Will do-it-yourself Stendhal Syndrome kits be available too?

    This is all very depressing - I think I’ll go watch a video of someone being happy!

  10. AlexR said on March 27th, 2008 4:01 pm

    Hi Gege’,

    “I don’t play the mandolin anymore - it’s SO last century.”
    Good - it’ll wear your fingers out.
    “Instead, I watch a video of someone playing it for me.”
    Great - much more ‘today’.

    “I hope they include scratch-’n-sniff with the travel videos so tourists can get the full experience!”
    Wonderful - I’m already working on this - the scratch part is quite easy. All I have to do now is sort out the sniff thing….

    “Perhaps virtual travelers will also take jet-lag inducing drugs.”
    Fantastic - I suggest you take a double dose of your favourite sleeping pills - that should induce that good old jet-lag feeling.

    “Will do-it-yourself Stendhal Syndrome kits be available too?”
    Fabulous - this is an easy one - just take out a photo of your favourite place and taser yourself. Instant Stendhal Syndrome - not bad eh?!!

    Have a happy day,

    Alex

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