Travel Tips & News

How technology can keep us safe when we travel again

Recently updated on August 30th, 2022 at 04:30 pm

Wondering if and how technology can help us when we travel again? There were already plenty of incredible apps and tech to help us travellers navigate new cities, countries and airports smoothly. The pandemic obviously threw a spanner in the works and now travellers have new expectations and needs for travelling.

A new global study by Amadeus has found that technology will play a major role in restoring our confidence in travel. After surveying more than 6000 people in France, Germany, India, Singapore, UK and the US, they found more than four in five people (84%) said technology would increase their confidence to travel in the next 12 months.

From concerns mixing with crowds, to social distancing to physical touchpoints, we take a look at the tech that travellers want and new technology we can expect to see in 2021. Plus, we’ve shared some of our best tech tips travellers should know about.

Masks will stay post coronavirus

Health scanning at airports

Those little body temperature guns are just the beginning. There’s a new metal-detector gate that measures your temperature, blood-oxygen levels, heart rate and respiration rate just by walking through it. Symptom Sense is a new device that could give airlines a more accurate picture of a passenger’s health than just a simple temperature reading.

Nano needle pod at airports

If you land in Hong Kong in 2021 you might come face-to-face with a negative pressure pod. This sci-fi looking space capsule disinfects you upon arrival with a 40-second treatment using “nano needles,” photocatalyst technology and a sanitising spray.

Contactless everything

Travel is about connection, except when it comes to border security, check ins and identification. When it comes to passing through checks, the less contact the better. For travellers who had concerns about travelling in light of COVID, 34% said if biometrics (like facial or voice recognition) could replace person-to-person check-ins, security and boarding checks, it would make them more likely to travel. Airlines like Delta, Air France and JetBlue had already started to test biometric boarding before the pandemic, and more are looking to follow now.

As for punching your pin into a keypad? Pass the hand sanitiser, please. For future travel, 42% of those surveyed cited contactless and mobile payment options as ideal to prevent physical contact. Beyond tap-to-pay functionality in shops, restaurants and hotels, travellers want mobile payments options like Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo.

How technology can help travellers? With contactless payments

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Universal travel pass

Every country has its own set of COVID-19 passenger travel requirements and it can be confusing to solve. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has proposed a global and standardised solution, creating the IATA Travel Pass to validate and authenticate documents required for travel. Some countries like India already have an app like this set up, but a global health passport or ID app would be wonderful.

Robots taking over extra hygiene measures

Every touchpoint of travel has increased their hygiene measures – from increased and more intensive cleaning to staff using PPE. Wondering how technology can help? The answer is robots (of course). At Pittsburgh International Airport, four robots – called Amelia, Orville, Wilbur and Rose – roam the terminals. They use water pressure and chemicals, plus ultra potent UV-C light, to zap the floors. The bots zoom about for eight to 10 hours before needing a charge, leaving cleaning staff time to focus on other areas.

On-trip notifications

Unsurprisingly, travellers want an easy way to stay informed about localised outbreaks and changes to government rules. From the Amadeus survey, 42% of respondents said mobile applications that send on-trip notifications would help boost their confidence in travel. Making sure you have apps for your airline, hotel and general travel advice is one way to stay informed. We’ve listed some of our favourite apps to install below.

Empty airport terminal

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Our favourite apps for travelling in 2021

There are plenty of tech tips travellers should already know about. These are our favourite additions for travelling in 2021.

QR scanners
In restaurants we’re already seeing physical menus replaced by QR codes stuck to the table or wall. More and more we expect to see other physical things replaced by contactless communication methods like QR. Most people have a favourite QR code reader already but if you don’t have one, download one before travelling.

Local tracing app
A tracing and tracking app can alert you if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. Google and Apple have paired together to create Exposure Notifications, and you can download a local government app in the area you live in or will travel to. These apps don’t store your data and just require Bluetooth to be left on to work.

Store your COVID test result
Many airlines require a negative test before travelling and allow you to store your result in an app. You may already like to have a digital boarding pass and now, more than ever, having the airline app on your phone can help navigate restrictions and rules in your destination. Most airlines use their apps to communicate current travel rules with you. United Airlines and Cathay Pacific are trialling a special app called CommonPass.

Apps for room service
Many more hotels are now embracing and using app technology. Avoid close contact with staff by request housekeeping, in-room services, food, check-in and check-out and contactless payments via an app. Hilton has the Honors app and Accor group has Accor All. Ask your accommodation ahead of time if they have an app you can download for your stay with them.

Sitata
This app calls itself your “ideal travel companion”. It helps you manage your itinerary, sends notifications about disruptions and delays and can connect you to help.

Are you planning to travel in 2021? Do you have questions about how technology can help you travel? Leave us a comment below… 

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