The pattern has been nothing if not consistent in the last few decades. Cities that spent millions (more recently billions) in their preparations to hold the Olympic Games found to their cost that their estimates of a tourism bonanza proved way off the mark. Thousands of hotel rooms remained unoccupied while those who did come shunned the ludicrously high prices for food and transport wherever they could.

Crazy Olympic Hotel Rates

Not to be deterred by previous evidence, London officials are still boldly predicting a bumper summer. Hotels are certainly preparing to make the most of the expected Olympic cash frenzy. You can bag a room at the Crowne Plaza at London Docklands in early July for £108 a night. Book the same room in early August and it will set you back £480. The Holiday Inn Express at Swiss Cottage normally charges a reasonable £68 a night; visit during the Olympics and you’re looking at £359 a night. Yes, that’s right: over £350 for a night in a Holiday Inn Express. There’s demand management and there’s outright greed borne of fanciful predictions. It would be cheaper to stay in Paris and travel in each day by Eurostar than to pay these rates.

The ‘people will pay anything’ mentality extends to taxis and will no doubt cover many restaurants who are expected to roll out their ‘Olympic menus’ over the summer, charging customers special rates to help them commemorate the big event. I strongly suspect this approach will hurt London not only in the numbers who are deterred from visiting in 2012 but also by the negative publicity that such greed will bring to the city. London cannot afford to have the world thinking it is even more expensive that its current reputation suggests.

Grounds for Optimism?

There is much talk about the overall effect of the Olympics on London. Visit Britain and the Mayor of London are unsurprisingly positive, predicting a huge celebration that will paint London and the UK in the best possible light. It is striking that the official language in recent weeks has shifted from talking about a great boost for London in 2012 to the more hopeful (wishful?) line about a long-term Olympic legacy.

At this week’s CIMTIG Question Time a panel of travel industry experts were asked for their views on the effect of the Olympics on UK tourism. It was broadly acknowledged that the number of overseas this year would see a drop, although the general feeling was positive about the long-term benefits of the Games to London.

Positive feeling is good; we wouldn’t bother to get up out of bed without it. But that optimism needs to be set against the £9 billion (or more, depending which source you believe) that will be spent by the time the Closing Ceremony brings the London Olympics to a close. Talk of a long-term legacy is of little interest to those businesses who are hoping to cash in on the massive tourism spike predicted earlier. How will a long-term legacy be quantified in monetary terms? Will we now be hoping that extra visitors come to London  in 2013 and beyond just because of the remaining Olympic infrastructure? The evidence in Sydney, Athens and Beijing doesn’t offer much hope here.

Welcome to London 

It doesn’t have to be this way. Those hotels charging sensible rates for the Olympic period will already be full. Avoiding the temptation of charging rip-off prices for transport and food will help promote the feel-good factor that should accompany the open-air parties and celebrations throughout the Olympic period. This in turn will provide the positive message that London and the UK is so desperate to give to the world. Is it achievable? Without a doubt. Will it happen? Based on current evidence I’m not optimistic.

Greed and the Olympics: will London learn the hard way? is a post from: 501 Places

Over the weekend we had the chance to explore two cities in the south east of England that have a fair amount in common. Both are a short train ride from London; both have enough olde worlde buildings to be regularly used as a filming location for period dramas; and of particular relevance to this post, both can lay claim to being home to a famous name whose legacy is known throughout the world.

Yet the contrast in how these two cities promote their star attractions could not be sharper. Rochester, a 40 minute trip along the high speed line from St Pancras, makes much of its Charles Dickens connections. Wander along the high street and you’ll see a plaque on every other building. On one building is the nun’s house from Edwin Drood; on the next is Satis House from Great Expectations; here is Mr Sapsea’s home; wonder into the Guildhall and you’ll learn about Pip and his apprenticeship. Every link to a story is clearly marked while the Visitor Centre and Guildhall make a big show of every possible aspect of the life of Dickens as well as that of his many well-known characters.

The next day we took the opportunity to explore St Albans during the annual Residents First weekend. I was keen to see the old house of Samuel Ryder, a name known around the sporting world for his sporting legacy. In 1927 he set up the first golf match between Great Britain and the United States. The Ryder Cup has since become the most important event in the golfing calendar and one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.

As well as setting up this golf tournament he made his fortune by creating penny seed packets, enabling people with small homes and modest wages to add colour to their gardens and windows. He was the mayor of St Albans and a dedicated philanthropist, making contribution to many of the city’s institution and leaving a legacy that covers many of the historic buildings.

It would be generous of me to describe my visit to the Samuel Ryder Room as underwhelming. Now an upper room in the Comfort Inn, his office resembles a typical bland corporate meeting room with nothing to tell a visitor of the history of the site. There are a few golf-related photos on the wall but no clues as to why they are there or what the link is between this building and one of the world’s premier sporting events.

Wonder around the city and it’s the same story at the other sites associated with Samuel Ryder. No plaques, no boards, no directions; not a hint to the passing visitor or even the curious resident about the history of a man whose name is known around the sporting world.

It’s hard to understand why St Albans, a city that is desperately keen to attract day-trippers from London, has completely failed to make a noise about one of its most famous residents. He may not be a household name on the scale of Rochester’s Dickens but to millions of golf players and supporters around the world his name will forever be associated with many of the sport’s most famous moments.

Surely there is scope for a museum that celebrates the great moments of the Ryder Cup as well as the life of the man himself (his seed business went on to become part of Holland and Barrett). Of the many millions of American and European visitors who come to London, how many are keen golfers who would jump on a train for 20 minutes to visit the home of the Ryder Cup if the right facilities were provided?

Samuel Ryder doesn’t even manage a mention in the St Albans tourism website although a leaflet has recently been produced that at least allows interested visitors to follow a short trail around the town to see the sites linked to the Ryder story. You can find it in an easy-to-miss corner of the Tourist Information Centre (or here).  Hopefully the local tourism folks will find a way to use the city’s links to the Ryder Cup to promote St Albans to a global market. So far their efforts have been distinctly below par.

St Albans and Samuel Ryder: A Tale of Two Cities is a post from: 501 Places

It’s not unusual in an English bed and breakfast to wake up to the smell of frying bacon. Whether you’re staying away from home on business or pleasure and whatever the day holds in store for you, there are few better ways to kick off proceedings than with a no-holds barred full English breakfast.

Yet travel around the country and you’ll find there is no set format for a ‘full English’, with ingredients depending on regional variation as much as on the whim of the resident cook.

There are a few items that are considered an essential part of any self-respecting breakfast:

Eggs – can be served fried, scrambled, hard-boiled or poached. Given the other ingredients on your plate and the ability of the egg to absorb and mop up the residual juice (fat), I would argue that scrambled eggs (note the plural) work best.

Bacon – done in the British way. In other words, soft and leaving you in no doubt that if you let it go cold you’ll find it covered with a thick layer of solidifying grease: de-licious. Not for us those North American crispy strips; oh no. This bacon oozes (quite literally) intense flavour.

Sausage – can be pork or beef, but either way should be cooked until the skin is crispy yet succulent. Sausages should be juicy when cut open and should never be left for too long in the frying pan. There is no surer way to ruin a good breakfast than with a poorly prepared sausage. Oh, and with a full breakfast you should never be restricted to a solitary sausage.

Tomato – a fried tomato (cooked in the same pan as the meat) can be a delicious part of the breakfast experience. Must never come from a tin (I’ve seen it done and it’s quite frankly shocking).

Toast – no English breakfast is complete without toast. It should be brought at the same time as the main plate and an extra round should be available as required. White toast seems to do a better job of mopping up the sauce from baked beans; something to bear in mind when making your choice of bread.

Other items may or may not be included on your plate:

Baked beans – too often omitted, these are to me an essential ingredient in a good full English. Not only do the beans go well with the bacon and sausage, but the sauce provides a vehicle for the various juices and fats remaining on your plate to be gathered up onto your buttered slices of toast.

Mushrooms – I’ve never really understood why they are part of the breakfast and I don’t fret too much if they have been omitted. If mushrooms must be part of your breakfast offering they should be fried almost to a crisp and served immediately.

Fried bread – a personal favourite, this can serve the same function as the toast but tastes a whole lot better. It is advisable to seek a doctor’s opinion before eating more than one of these heart-stoppers.

Black pudding – this one sorts the men from the boys. It’s best not to think too much about the components and just enjoy the taste, which admittedly isn’t to everyone’s liking. Goes quite well with a fork full of beans.

Hash browns – an American influence that has permeated this most English of traditions, yet I have to admit to always adding one or two to my plate when they are available. Another good juice soaking candidate.

I’ve probably missed a few other local options from the fried breakfast plate – feel free to add them below. Of course such a breakfast should be eaten as the exception rather than the rule – more than a couple of these bad boys in a week and I suspect your cholesterol level will start rising as fast as your weight does. In moderation however, I have yet to find a breakfast offering anywhere in the world that says “Good Morning!” in quite the same style as a fully laden English breakfast.

Why nothing beats a full English Breakfast is a post from: 501 Places

I’m currently arranging a new mobile phone contract. In common with most people I have very low expectations of the customer service I’m likely to receive. This is borne out of years of bitter experience. While the staff often appear incapable of connecting my phone to a functioning network at the price I signed up to, they do display far more enthusiasm in encouraging me to spend extra money on stuff which holds no interest for me. Insurance, technical support, discounted games consoles have all been offered this time in an attempt to increase the value of my custom.

Phone companies of course are not alone. Fast food joints have long used the ‘would you like fries with that?’ line. Presumably it works, as do the frequent requests from museum staff to buy a guide book or the staff in the hardware shop to buy a box of ‘special offer’ light bulbs.

Of course the concept is not a new one. Many businesses have long worked on the principle that you entice punters with an attractive low headline rate and then proceed to fleece the customer with numerous add-ons, whether requested or not. Airlines offer headline rates that few can secure and then whack on their own surcharges; restaurants offer discounts that are soon cancelled out by doubling the cost of drinks, while the assistant selling you a new computer is more interested in you opting for product insurance than in you buying the item itself.

Perhaps of all businesses it is hotels that offer the most needless and irritating examples of upselling. Resort fees, internet and parking charges are piled on in a seemingly deliberate attempt to wind up their guests, while food and drink prices appear to be governed by how much the management think they can get away with.

It doesn’t have to be like this. A few enlightened business owners (perhaps from their own experiences as customers) have chosen to surprise their clients by their contrarian behaviour. We’ve stayed in a couple of hotels where the contents of the mini-bar were complimentary. Ok, they weren’t packed with malt whiskies and brandies, but there was enough beer, juice, water and chocolate to leave these guests very impressed, for what is a relatively small outlay to the hotel.

Do guests pay for these treats in their room rate? Of course they do. But there’s a lot to be said for the giving the impression that staff are more concerned about you having the best experience than in relieving you of extra cash at every opportunity.

Is this simply down to applying a high initial price that then allows you to be generous to your customers by giving back out of the excess you’ve charged? If this were the case then £300 hotels would not charge £25 for parking while £50 alternatives offer it for free; the motel wouldn’t offer a complimentary packed lunch while the 5 star hotel provides the same service for £15.

The ability to make customers feel valued is surely all about attitude and not economics; the ability for those in charge to be able to say “how would I like to be treated if I was the customer?” It’s such a simple starting point for any business philosophy yet it’s one that appears to be a million miles from the minds of those who create ‘the customer journey’.

“Would you like fries with that?” Is upselling upsetting the customer? is a post from: 501 Places

So say the BBC, The Telegraph, The Observer and many other publications in relation to the chances of seeing the aurora borealis in 2012. A whole host of tour operators and cruise companies have lapped up this quote and without any apparent scrutiny added it to their press releases and websites. Look at anyone offering Northern Lights tours and you’ll be very likely to find a variant of this statement occupying a prominent place in their promotional literature.

The phantom NASA Scientist

Some use the term “NASA scientist” while others refer to “NASA scientists”, although in no case is a scientist actually named. However hard I’ve tried I haven’t found a single link to an actual quote from anyone at NASA.

So what is the truth behind this claim? It appears to be little more than unsubstantiated spin relating to a natural phenomenon that is notoriously hard to predict.

Here’s what NASA actually did say in an article in 2009: “Pesnell believes sunspot counts (strongly correlating to Northern Lights activity) will pick up again soon, “possibly by the end of the year,” to be followed by a solar maximum of below-average intensity in 2012 or 2013.”

This story from the New Scientist makes even gloomier reading for aurora watchers, with some predicting the weakest solar activity for over 70 years.

Quite a contrast from all the “once in a lifetime” headlines.

Myth vs reality?

So where could this widely reported optimistic prediction have come from? Perhaps this chart provides a hint of an explanation for those who have thrown their lot behind the appearance of fantastic aurora sightings this year. It combines the research modelling results from over 50 solar physicists showing their predictions for the extent of solar activity in SC24 (the current solar cycle):

What this plot shows, even to the uninitiated eye, is a massive discrepancy between scientists in what they believe will happen in terms of solar activity. It suggests an unpredictable, almost random cycle with no consensus on the level of activity.

Anyone for a quote?

Is this merely a case of laziness on the part of journalists eager to sell a story to editors that is blessed with ready-made eye candy, while tour operators take an easy opportunity to promote the star attraction of their northern tours?

Presumably with all the professional news organisations, reputable tour operators and diligent journalists who have been happy to put their name to such a bold statement, there is some solid research to back it up. I’d love to see it. Failing this, perhaps even a link to a quote from a named NASA scientist would be a start.

The myth of the super-aurora: exposing the Northern Lies is a post from: 501 Places

As so often happens, the comments section of my recent post looking at what inspires us to choose our travel destinations has proved to be more interesting than my original entry. Both Maxine Sheppard and Pam Mandel highlighted the role that the history of a place can play in enticing us to visit; I was reminded of their comments on our return from a short break in Chipping Campden, a lovely market town in the heart of Cotswolds.

Chipping Campden has many things in its favour and it serves as a very good base for a visit to the Cotswolds. I was immediately drawn to a story that has been linked with the town for 350 years; a murder case that involved a confession, three convictions but no actual crime. The story of the Campden Wonder is perhaps one of the most intriguing mysteries you’re likely to encounter and it is no surprise that it has stood the test of time and remains a celebrated part of the local history.

The story takes place at the end of the English Civil War and has been preserved from 17th century published records. It is told with all its twists and turns here. William Harrison, the elderly steward of a local landowner, had been visiting neighbouring villages collecting rent money when he failed to return home. A search party was sent that was initially led by his servant John Perry. No trace of his master was found and when blood-stained items of clothing were discovered along the roadside Harrison was presumed murdered. Perry was held in custody by local magistrate Thomas Overbury and was soon the prime suspect in the disappearance and likely murder of William Harrison. Telling a string of ever taller tales to the authorities, Perry eventually claimed it was not he who committed the murder, but his mother and brother.

All three were eventually tried, convicted of murder and hanged on nearby Broadway Hill overlooking Chipping Campden. It was in the following year that William Harrison walked back into Chipping Campden, very much alive and well. What happened to him for the two years when he disappeared from all contact remains the source of much speculation. Harrison himself claims that he was kidnapped and sold as a slave by Turkish pirates, working for most of the period in western Turkey for an elderly physician. He gave his account as a written testimony to Thomas Overbury, who kept what is considered the most reliable record of the entire story.

Harrison’s account is accepted by many although not all who have studied the Campden Wonder in the following years. Some claim he couldn’t have gone far from the town itself. At the time many presumed that Joan Perry, the mother of John Perry, was a witch and she had cast a spell that accounted for his sudden relocation to Turkey. Others still assumed the whole tale to be made up.

As the helpful staff in the Tourist Information Centre in Chipping Campden informed me, there are several versions of the Campden Wonder story in circulation today, each one providing a different explanation to the events of 1660-1662. I chose a book written by the local historical society as my takeaway research material and learned much more about this unusual mystery as a result.

We will never know which version of the Campden Wonder is in fact the truth, yet this lack of certainty does not in any way diminish the story. The words “Nobody knows for certain what actually happened” seem very much to be expected when relating to a 350 year old incident. Not only was it a long time ago but with a distinct lack of the tools we have at our disposal today to record and share such events, it is perhaps a wonder that we know anything about the case at all.

Wandering around Chipping Campden and along its many miles of surrounding paths it is easy to admire the spectacular views that stretch across the Cotswold Hills and beyond. Yet armed with a tiny bit of knowledge of the events that shook this market town 350 years ago, the place names and the landmarks take on an extra significance. In this way the preservation of local history achieves far more than merely giving local enthusiasts something to do. However impressive the scenery and local buildings may be (and in this part of the Cotwolds they certainly are impressive), it is the accounts of human behaviour in all their tainted splendour that truly bring a place to life.

For more information on this delightful part of the world I would recommend getting yourself a copy of the Rough Guide to the Cotswolds, written by Matthew Teller. It is a comprehensive guidebook for the region while managing to be light enough to keep in your day-pack.

The Campden Wonder: How history can bring a place to life is a post from: 501 Places

We were in Budapest for barely 48 hours, yet on four occasions we watched in despair as a bus pulled away in front of us and left us waiting in the cold. Every connection was missed by a whisker, each time we stood and stared as our bus disappeared into the December gloom.

It’s not always like this of course. Sometimes lady luck shines on us and we barely wait a minute for our connections. We’ve arrived in places where only one service a day was operating yet that bus was standing there as if waiting for us to wander up. We’ve also been completely lost in a town with multiple bus stations and lost all hope of catching the only bus of the day, only to see it coming towards us as we sat slumped and dejected on the roadside.

On other occasions we’ve been thankful for the generosity of the bus driver who has gone out of his way to help. We had walked across the border from Guatemala into El Salvador at Anguiatu and the border official had pointed us toward the main road. No sooner had we spied the colourful chicken bus at the bus stop around 100 metres ahead than it gave out a belch of black smoke and began to chug away uphill. With no idea when the next bus would arrive in this quiet frontier crossing, we looked in frustration and cursed our bad luck as we realised a long wait lay ahead. Just then the engine noise from the bus changed its pitch and we looked up to see it reversing. The back door swung open and the conductor gave us a wave, waiting patiently as we gratefully clambered aboard.

Of course it is those bad moments that stand out. The connection in Puerto Natales in Chile that would take us up to Torres del Paine National Park was definitely our most expensive missed connection. Delays at the border meant that we arrived in town 15 minutes after the only Torres del Paine bus of the day had left. We had already pre-paid our overnight accommodation in the park and were not prepared to let a $200 room go to waste. The only solution was a three hour taxi ride which, even with a bit of negotiation was the most expensive taxi ride I’ve ever taken.

Like them or loathe them, buses seem to play a critical part in the daily life of any traveller. Unlike at home when we have a rough idea of when buses and trains depart, in many parts of the world even the latest technology doesn’t provide much of an insight into the vagaries of the local transport system. The only sensible approach when it comes to bus travel is to turn up early and bring plenty of patience with you.

Stop the Bus: highs and lows of bus travel in strange lands is a post from: 501 Places

Magazine articles, blogs, TV shows, even apps: all make regular claims to help inspire us to choose our next holiday destination. Some of these must work for there to be enough advertising money floating around to keep so many people in business.

But so much of what is out there doesn’t inspire me at all. That’s probably as it should be. After all, we’re not all inspired by the same sources, and those things that make me want to book a flight somewhere immediately will be dismissed as fluffy nonsense by others.

With that in mind I thought I’d look at those things that do help influence where we travel and those that leave us cold. My own list is featured here, but feel free to add your own examples of what it is that provides your travel inspiration.

Things that work for me

1. Good books that feature a particular location

The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk sold me on Central Asia by bringing the region to life with tales of adventure, danger and of the incredible architecture.

2. Images of impressive landmarks

A couple of images of the Roman site at Merida in Spain led me to radically change the course of a recent trip. Unusual photos of famous landmarks, especially those taken at night for some reason, seem to work particularly well for me.

3. Inspiring guide book entries

Guide books are only useful for me once the trip is booked, but can have a great influence on our itinerary in a particular city or region. Descriptions of churches, temples, museums that make them sound exceptional (or even better, bizarre) work wonders.

4. Personal anecdotes

Stories from friends who have been somewhere. This can go both ways (some stories I hear and think “I’ll cross that place off my list’”) but there have been quite a few that have inspired us to make a sudden change our plans.

5. Descriptions of delicious (and good value) food

Tell me about a sumptuous three course meal that cost you (or your hosts) a fortune and I’m lost. Describe that cosy little cafe with the to-die-for chocolate brownies and I’ll be getting out my highlighter pen and building my enitre schedule around a visit there.

Things that don’t work for me

1. A luxury extravanganza

If you’re writing or telling me gushingly about staying in a $700 suite in a posh hotel, I’m very happy for you. But it doesn’t make me interested even in staying in the lowly basic rooms in the said hotel. You’ve painted a picture to me of someone else’s world, not mine.

2. Celebrity chefs

When people tell me about going to this restaurant in London owned by Gordon Ramsay, or that place in Paris run by (insert name of famous and pretentious French chef), I tune out immediately. I see a world of pompous staff, small portions and an extortionate bill to round off the night. I know it’s very uncultured of me, but when I think back to my best meals they all shared the virtues of quantity, quality and value for money.

3. Sandy white beaches

White sandy beaches will entice many folks to cross the world with little more than their swimwear, their suntan lotion and a good book but it doesn’t work for me. With my beach tolerance limited to a couple of hours at a push, a place that sells sea and sand as its main draw is never going to top my list.

4. Party/drinking stories

These come up increasingly in the blogging world but have always existed in the personal anecdotes people share with friends. When someone comes back from holiday what’s the main story they bore their friends with? Is it wandering through the old city or seeing a spectacular sunset or tropical storm? Or is it meeting the delightful Brian and Joyce from Wolverhampton, getting trashed on cheap ouzo and throwing the sunbeds into the pool at 3am? I’m as much for a good night out as the next person, but would avoid like the plague anywhere that is considered a ‘party destination’.

5. Pictures or stories of people doing things

When people describe how much they enjoyed their bungee jump from an Alpine hut or their story-telling workshop in India I’m pleased that they’ve clearly had a good time. Will it make me want to visit those locations? If I had no desire to go to those places before, these stories are hardly going to inspire me as they tell me nothing about the place itself. Someone else’s adventures are just that; they don’t help me to know what I would find of interest there.

Travel inspiration: what works for you? is a post from: 501 Places

It is one of the most common traps for anyone writing a blog: I’ve been to a place so I must write about it. As if the act of merely being somewhere is a story worthy of telling to the world. Let’s face it; sometimes we visit a place and while it may be nice and we might have a lovely time, nothing happens that provides us with a reason to write about it.

Our recent day in Bratislava is a great example of this. The small capital of Slovakia is pleasant enough to stroll around for a day. And stroll we did. We found the much-photographed public statues:

We crossed the bridge over the Danube and took a few pictures of the UFO Tower. The €6.50 for the lift to the restaurant and viewpoint at the top didn’t strike me as good way to spend our money so we moved on.

We wandered up to the castle area. Most of the buildings were shut but they did look very impressive from the outside.

The Christmas market was in full swing and made for a lively festive atmosphere, although the cold December rain didn’t encourage us to linger after our evening meal.

And the colourful houses on both sides of the cobbled streets in the old town make for a very enjoyable wander with a camera, providing plenty of photo opportunities.

I’d happily recommend an overnight stop in Bratislava and there are probably enough places to visit nearby to make it a good base for a weekend break. Prices are reasonable: for under £70 we stayed in an excellent 4 star hotel (Art Hotel William) with one of the best hotel breakfasts I’ve enjoyed, while the bus fare from the airport into the city was €0.90.

But what would I write about it? Nothing newsworthy happened to us while we were there. We didn’t strike up a deep and meaningful conversation with a local person. Neither did we get stranded on a deserted motorway or have to negotiate our way out of a hostage situation. Even our 2.5 hour train journey to Budapest the next day (€14.50) was uneventful.

In short we spent a pleasant but very ordinary 24 hours as tourists in a European city. Nothing less, nothing more. On reflection I don’t think I’ll bother with a Bratislava post after all.

Bratislava: very nice but nothing to write home about is a post from: 501 Places

Information is power, or so we are repeatedly told. We may be living in a consumerist society, but a closer look around us and we see that what we are increasingly consuming is not tangible goods but information and data. We can flick through the latest news stories while we work; we receive instant alerts with updates from our favourite TV shows or football team; we can even follow our friends on their morning commute, through words, pictures and even video when things go spectacularly wrong.

There’s an App for that

The same technological advances are changing the way we travel. Are you worried about who your seating partner will be on that 12 hour flight? Now you can select an appropriate match before you board. Stuck in a strange town and need to find somewhere to eat? Simply hold up your phone and a stream of reviews will appear telling you which places have the best ratings from previous tech-savvy visitors. Want to behave just like a local? There’s an app for that too. Simply use your smartphone and follow the line of other i-tourists acting like long-term residents.

Sometime in the future people will look back at the days before the information explosion and wonder how people managed to travel at all. They’ll ask themselves “How could someone just step out on the streets of a strange city and risk getting lost without any device to get them back to their hotel?” They might wonder how anyone ever managed to arrange a meeting without being able to send maps, coordinates or satellite images; “You arranged it by actually speaking on the phone? No way, grandad!” They will probably shake their heads at the fool who wandered into a hotel without checking to see if previous guests had complained of bedbugs or blood-stained walls.

Silent Nights

We’ve barely started our journey of progress in travel technology and yet some elements of travelling have already changed dramatically. Go to a cafe now and it is likely to be far quieter than it would have been 10 years ago. In the past friends would catch up on their gossip, workers would hold informal meetings and mothers would watch each others’ children while enjoying a chatter. Now you’ll notice far more people using the cafe to enjoy the free wi-fi on offer. Those on their own will be hard at work and even those who are sitting together are doing so in silence, each one deep in concentration at something that can’t wait (usually Facebook). The same applies to hotels – ask a hotel manager and they’ll tell you how much earlier the average guest now retires to their room. Why take in the unusual sights of your temporary surroundings when you could be uploading photos from your day and sharing them with the world?

Back to the future?

Technology has made travelling easier in so many respects, particularly in the early planning stages of a trip. But it also carries with it a danger that our travel experience will be dominated by maintaining constant access to the world of information. There is a balance to be found and as progress continues we might find ourselves increasingly opting out in order to make the most of our travels.

Travel technology: When more is less is a post from: 501 Places