Many of the everyday conveniences that make traveling easier are genius inventions in the world of travel. These ordinary products and gadgets have seemingly had a positive impact on tourism. Find out which inventions deserve credit for turning the travel industry on its head.
Hotel key card
A small piece of plastic made hotels safer and more convenient for travelers. Magnetic key cards began appearing in the 1950s and have since become a standard means of entry into accommodations around the world. The card can be replaced in an instant and tucked neatly into a wallet.
Smartphone
Whether you want to listen to an audio guide, read hotel reviews, plan an itinerary, or take panoramic photos, there’s an app for that on your phone. The best benefits of travel are offered by today’s smartphones. Apple has filed a patent for a tool that would allow airline passengers to use iPhones to store valid IDs and boarding passes. The technology would work in conjunction with innovative airport security checkpoints that could use facial recognition or iris scanning technology along with electronic identification stored on smartphones to move passengers through checkpoints quickly.
Credit card
Credit cards first appeared in the 1920s but didn’t become popular until the 1950s. Early credit cards like Diners Club and American Express were made of cardboard. Now, travelers use their plastic counterparts for cashless financial transactions in all areas of their lives.
Digital camera
While some photographers still stick to shooting, anyone who has packed a suitcase can appreciate the benefits of a compact digital camera. With a digital camera at your fingertips, you have the freedom to capture an almost endless number of travel images and, thanks to the right digital technology, share them in an instant. Over the years, cameras have become smaller, sharper, and, fortunately for travelers, significantly more economical.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance has been saving travelers from the devastating consequences of airline defaults, hurricanes, illness, lost bags, and civil unrest for nearly a century. A little history: Liability insurance was first offered by Travelers Life & Annuity in 1919. Today, about 30 percent of travelers (and 70 percent of cruise ship passengers) insure their trips.
Online Travel Booking
Of course, travel agents can offer services that are unmatched by any computer reservation system. However, the ability to quickly and easily research flight schedules and fares online, purchase tickets, check hotel availability, and more has changed the way we plan and book trips.
Satellite navigation system
Navigation, especially when maneuvering on roads in other countries, has become much easier since Global Positioning System (GPS) technology became available to most travelers. First developed for military use, GPS combined with mapping software is now widely used in rental cars, smartphones, and even bicycles.
Suitcase on wheels
Rolling luggage will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020. It may be hard to imagine that travelers had to lug around heavy, boxy suitcases until the 1970s. The man who invented rolling luggage was Bernard D. Sadow, former vice president of US Luggage.
Jet engine
Automobiles, trains, and ships are certainly among the most important inventions of all time. But only the airplane allows travelers to cross oceans in a matter of hours. But early piston-powered propeller planes didn’t have what it took to get passengers from their point of departure to their destination in a cost-effective and timely manner. Once jet engines became the standard for commercial aviation, more affordable and significantly faster travel became possible.
