Virtual reality technology is allowing travelers to explore foreign cities and landmarks without leaving home. Apps are also enabling travelers to complete tasks like room service orders without human interaction. In addition, technologies like Google Maps and Project Fi are remodeling the travel experience. Drone photography is increasing in popularity and providing new angles, while human-carrying drones may soon transport people through the air. Border security apps aim to streamline entry processes, like the Mobile Passport Control app currently in trials.

3. Wouldn’t it be nice if you
could tour foreign cities and
landmarks without leaving
your home? Believe it or not,
“virtual travel” is already here,
and it’s likely to become more
refined in the coming years.
Marriott, one of the world’s
largest hotel chains, has been
experimenting with “VRoom
Service,” where lodgers can
use virtual reality technology
to explore Chile, Beijing, or
another select locale.1

4. Increasingly, getting
from Point A to Point B
can be managed
without having to
interface with human
beings. For example,
many hotels allow
lodgers to carry out
various tasks and
requests (e.g., room
service requests) with
smartphone apps.
Airports are also
getting in on the act,
enabling travelers to
bypass human agents
with the use of these
kinds of apps.

5. We’ll probably see notable improvements in Wi-Fi
technology in planes over the next year, particularly
faster speeds.
Wi-Fi has been a fantastic resource for travelers who
need to connect their electronic devices to the Internet
while on the road. To meet this demand, many hotels
and airports offer Wi-Fi.

6. Search engine giant Google
has already substantially
remodeled the travel
experience with tools such
as Google Maps. The
company is developing
another innovation for
today’s busy traveler:
Project Fi.
Currently invite-only,
Google’s Project Fi is a
mobile virtual network that
provides various data and
voice services. It is
expected to be available to
consumers at a basic rate
of $20/month.2

7. There was a time when most travelers had to
make do with cheap cameras if they wanted to
take pictures of the sights they encountered on
their trips. The advent of drone photography is
changing that tradition, however. Drones allow
users to take photos from hundreds of feet in the
air, giving them access to angles that are
otherwise impossible.
Drone photography is projected to increase in
popularity over the next few years.

8. While we’re on the subject of
drones, this technology is
rapidly evolving to the point
where it will soon be possible
to transport people in the air.
In January 2016, the Chinese
company Ehang debuted a
human-carrying drone at the
Consumers Electronics Show
(CES). This drone can travel
more than 10,000 feet into
the air, and can be folded up
into a five-foot area.3

9. The days of having to lug a
beat-up passport
everywhere may soon be
over. U.S. Customs and
Border Protection is
currently experimenting
with its Mobile Passport
Control (MPC) app, which
will streamline the entry
process into America.
The app was launched on
a trial run at Hartsfield-
Jackson Atlanta
International Airport in
August 2014.4

10. Founded in 1967, Scenic Airlines is
renowned across the globe for its aerial
sightseeing tours of the Grand Canyon.
The company escorts around 300,000
passengers each year around this famous
site. Please visit www.scenic.com for
more information.

11. 1. http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/28/vroom-service-marriott-hotel/
2. https://fi.google.com/about/
3. http://money.cnn.com/gallery/technology/2016/01/08/ces-2016-hits-flops/
4. http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-contro