When people ponder what the far-off future will bring, their imaginations inevitably run toward travel and transportation. It’s ironic because travel is the one thing that doesn’t really change. For 100 years it’s been planes, trains, boats and automobiles. And yet as far back as the 1920s and 30s, filmmakers and writers were creating worlds where going from place to place would require teleporters and individual flying machines and super-speed monorails being propelled through glass tubes in dome-covered, climate-controlled metropolises. I’d have thought that by the sci-fi-sounding year 2010 we would at least have some of the cool stuff James Bond already had in the 1970s.
The reason this comes to mind—other than my usual ADD—is that I came across the results of a poll that MSN had run, asking users in the UK how they will travel in the year 2025 and other lifestyle questions. A couple of highlights:
• What overall travel trends do you think will be popular in 2025?
More people will stay in the UK because global warming means the temperatures will be hotter – 17%
- There will be an increase in luxury travel because the economy will be better - 9%
- Gap years won’t be as popular - 12%
- Backpacking will decline because countries will become more developed and therefore more expensive - 15%
- Travel to long-haul destinations will increase as flight technology advances and flight times become shorter - 47%
• How do you think people will travel on holiday in 2025?
- By plane – 63%
- By train – 7%
- By boat – 3%
- By car – 3%
- By bike – 1%
- An increasing number of people will stay in UK – 23%
• Do you think factors such as greater airport congestion and heightened security procedures will ensure that by 2025 air travel is a miserable experience?
- Yes - 62%
- No - 38%
The year 2025 isn’t that far off, but I for one am still a little disappointed that there isn’t a teleporter or flying saucer mentioned anywhere in the survey responses. On a more positive note for agents, consumers expect air travel to be even more miserable in 2025 than it is now—and that will probably lead to more consumers seeking out the help of experienced pros to help guide them through the morass.