Sojourns on the Moon and Mars, AI-powered robot concierges and virtual reality time travel experiences – tourism is changing, and fast.
Peering the future of travel in 30 years might radically change on us as we peer into our crystal ball
and reveal what vacations might look like in 30 years’ time.
All-electric planes will fill the skies. Zero-emission all-electric aircraft are likely to become commonplace by 2050, particularly for shorter haul flights. Right now, a number of companies and organisations are developing e-planes, including major players like Airbus and NASA, as well as smaller-scale firms and startups such as Eviation, magniX, Wright Electric, Electric Air and Ampaire, and even Elon Musk has hinted at plans to create one.
Supersonic aircraft will make a comeback.
Concorde, the world’s first supersonic commercial aircraft, made its final flight in 2003 and since then, the skies have been devoid of passenger planes that can fly faster than the speed of sound. This is all set to change in the near future.
Leading the way is Colorado-based startup Boom. The company, which is backed by major airlines, revealed aprototype of its Overture aircraft in October, with the plane expected to take to the skies
in 2025.
Elsewhere, Boston’s Spike Aerospace is working on an ultra-quiet supersonic business jet that will reduce flight time by half.
More ambitiously, Atlanta-based startup Hermeus has secured funding to develop a Mach 5 passenger plane that will make the journey from New York to Paris in just 90 minutes and the UK and Australian space agencies are collaborating on a hypersonic plane project incorporating Reaction’s SABRE engine that would cut the flight time from London to Sydney to a mere four hours.
Planes will boast panoramic windows, massage seats, sound showers and more.
According to Airbus, the passenger planes of 2050 will boast upper-level viewing decks with panoramic windows providing awesome 360-degree views that can transform into opaque screens in an instant. The European aerospace corporation also predicts the aircraft of the future will be kitted out with
ergonomic memory foam massage seats serving drinks and vitamins, and collect body heat to power in-cabin features.
Sound showers, sleep hormones and special shades to block out light will coax passengers into blissful
slumber and minimise jet lag, while cabins will feature state-of-the-art entertainment
zones dedicated to relaxing and playing games.
These are the ground breaking planes that will change air travel forever.
Hyperloop transport systems will slash journey times. The brainchild of Elon Musk and his Boeing ompany, Hyperloop is a fifth mode of transportation that consists of sealed near-vacuum tubes through which levitating pods can travel at hypersonic speeds. Seemingly the stuff of science fiction, the technology is closer than ever to becoming a reality.
Musk has made the technology open-source, enabling other companies to develop it, and
Richard Branson’s Virgin has stepped up to the challenge with aplomb.
Earlier in November 2020, the firm completed the first successful passenger journey at the Hyperloop test site in the Nevada desert. The company’s aircraft traveled the length of the 1,640-foot (500m) test track in 15 seconds at a speed of 107mph.
In the future, the pods are projected to attain speeds in excess of 1,000mph.
Driverless flying taxis and buses will be everywhere. Right now, a slew of startups and more established firms are scrambling to launch the world’s first air taxi service, and by 2050 Jetsons-esque flying taxis, as well as buses, are likely to be everywhere.
Safer, cheaper, cleaner and better-all-round than conventional helicopters, these electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, to give them their proper name, are set to transform travel.
Numerous firms including German startup Lilium and China’s Ehang have already completed successful test flights.
Dubai is vying to offer the world’s first air taxi service, which is expected to launch in 2022, the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela will trial flying taxis that same year, while Orlando is set to America’s first flying taxi airport with services poised to go nationwide by 2025.
