How technology transforms travel: from paper maps to artificial intelligence.
Digital Tickets and Contactless Payments
Previously, purchasing tickets for flights or trains meant standing in line at ticket offices and the risk of losing a paper ticket. Today, just a few clicks in an app allow you to choose a flight, pay for it, and receive an electronic ticket.
Contactless payments have also significantly simplified the lives of travelers. Systems like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and similar services enable payments for transport, restaurants, and shops without the need to carry cash or even a bank card.
How does this help? Less paperwork, increased security (no need to carry large sums of cash), and the ability to quickly book a ticket from anywhere.
Artificial Intelligence and Personalized Recommendations
With the advancement of AI services, travelers can receive personalized itineraries based on their preferences. For example, apps like Google Travel or Hopper analyze previous trips and suggest optimal options for the next journey.
Moreover, chatbots and voice assistants (such as ChatGPT, Siri, Google Assistant) help quickly find answers to questions:
How to get to the city center?
Where to eat with a view of the Eiffel Tower?
What attractions are near the hotel?
How does this help? Time savings, more accurate recommendations, and the ability to avoid tourist traps.
Smart Maps and Navigation
It’s hard to imagine a modern traveler without Google Maps, Maps.me or Waze. These services not only provide route guidance but also help:
- find the nearest restaurant, café, or ATM,
- check public transport schedules,
- learn about traffic jams and road closures.
Furthermore, there are offline maps that can be downloaded in advance and used without internet access.
Online Booking of Accommodation and Transport
Once, travelers had to search for a hotel on-site or call ahead. Now, platforms like Booking, Airbnb, Agoda, and others allow you to find the perfect accommodation in just a few minutes.
Services like BlaBlaCar, Uber, and Bolt have made traveling within a country easier, cheaper, and more convenient.
You can book accommodation in advance, choose comfortable conditions, compare prices, and read reviews.
Automated Airports and Biometrics
More and more airports are implementing biometric control – for instance, in Dubai and London, you can pass through passport control using facial scanning.
Additionally, self-service kiosks have emerged, allowing passengers to check in for flights, select seats, and even check in luggage independently.
Translators and Language Technologies
In the past, travelers carried phrasebooks, but now it’s enough to open Google Translate or use devices like Pocketalk, which translate speech in real-time.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Now you can "visit" attractions without leaving home – VR technologies allow you to explore the Louvre or the Colosseum in 3D.
Augmented reality (AR) makes tours interactive – for example, using an app, you can see how ancient buildings looked in their original form.
What’s Next?
Technologies continue to transform travel: soon we will see more driverless taxis, holographic guides, and artificial intelligence in route planning. Perhaps in the future, travel will become even more accessible and convenient.