The future of travel? Expect nose-to-jowl and armpit-to-armpit journeys

As someone who has closely tracked the evolution of business travel and the technology that fuels it, veteran CNN journalist Richard Quest has more than a vague sense of what the future of travel looks like. For the short term, he says, it’s not incredibly comfortable, or glamourous. Here’s an edited excerpt of our chat with him that ranges from his idea of luxury to the golden rule of travel. 

How has travel informed your world view?

Travel has informed my world view quite considerably simply because you have been there and seen it. You get a better idea of what it is really instead of having to imagine it or if somebody tells you or discusses it with you.

You’re constantly busy, with a work schedule defined by larger events around the world. Where do you go to take time off?

Finding a place to go on a holiday is always quite a challenge because I spend a lot of time on the road. The last thing I want to be doing is packing and unpacking. So, I tend to go to where my family has a place in Spain. We like to go down there because it is home away from home.

How do you see travel and mindsets changing in the times of Trump?

For most people, it’s not going to make a difference. Where you are going to see a difference is travellers for the United States. The US travel association are saying they are already seeing numbers going down, where people are saying, “I don’t want to go to the United States, where immigration could be very tough and rude, where I won’t feel very welcome and the industry could be aggressive against me.” One can see it reflect in the numbers, the international arrivals to the United States fall because the perception is that the US is no longer that welcoming to foreigners. True or not, doesn’t matter, that’s the perception.  So in the era of Trump, it won’t affect the rest of the world but in terms of affecting the United States, there is surely going to be a fall, there’s going to be a backlash.

Between flying taxis, SpaceX, hyperloop and space tourism, what, according to you is the future of travel?

The future, the long-term far distant future is exceptionally exciting with Hyperloop and SpaceX, and things that are really just a few decades away. The short- term, 10 years down the road, I don’t think is going to be any different, it’s going to be just as miserable, it’s going to be just as brutal. There’s going to be just a lot of slog, over-crowded airports, planes that are full, nose to jowl, armpit to armpit and I am afraid that’s the reality these days. The future of travel is more people going to more places, without the infrastructure being able to carry it, that’s the simple long and short of it.

5 apps that you can’t do without when you’re travelling?

TripIt: Everything goes into TripIt, it’s just really good. It does what it says. I hated it at first, loathed it, thought I would never use it and then suddenly I found it to be so useful.

SeatGuru: Because I want to check what seat I have. Last night I was flying, and I just wanted to check where my seat was, if it was by the toilet. But then I checked and found out that it was not all that bad.

Kayak: Because I might need to change plans quickly. It’s really useful.

TimeZone: I use when I am about to go away. And then it goes on the front page of my phone. So I can see right now it is 5.15pm in the afternoon in Sydney, in Singapore it’s 3.15pm, London is 8.15am, and New York it’s 3.15am in the morning.

Checklist: It has my entire checklist for travel, such as medications, charged headphones, laptop power supply, all the way down to stuff like belts and shaving stuff.

As you travel, what do you hear about how the world feels about India?

I think people always understand what India is about and know that it is an extremely complex country with huge dynamics which is going to invariably challenge the traveller. One has to be careful of stereotypes. I was in Mumbai recently, the airport is phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal. I went through faster than anywhere else. Thoroughly enjoyed that quick trip to Mumbai. The visa issues have got a lot better in India than they have been in the past. They are still considerable and they still can be extremely annoying and frustrating. But at least they are getting a lot better than they were.

Which destination is next on your bucket list?

I don’t really have one. I am beyond bucket lists. Bucket lists will end up getting you disappointed in my view because the place will never be as brilliant or as good or as bad or whatever you imagined it to be.

How do you feel about kids in Business Class?

Business class was designed for business, so either pay the money and go to the front to First Class or sit at the back of the plane. Even parents who have kids will certainly be the first ones to say, “oh, I can’t stand it when a child screams while traveling in business”. Babies are fine, they will probably sleep for most of the flight but it is the 2 year old with a voice that has no volume control.

What’s your idea of luxury today? And is it different from what it was 10 or 20 years ago?

My idea of luxury today, is time and space, it’s as simple as that. It’s not champagne, it’s not caviar, it’s time and space. It is the ability to sit and think, it is the opportunity to actually enjoy and see a view. To reflect, to write my diary. That for me is true luxury.

You’ve met people from across the world—how different or similar are we, really?

We are all similar, of course we are. Maybe with a little tweak, but fundamentally we are all similar, trying to get through the day in some shape or form. Trying to do the best for themselves and their family, trying to make an honest buck and live as good a life full of integrity as you can be. Fundamentally we are not that different.

Your golden rule of travel?

Treat other travellers, as you would have them treat you. Say hello and good morning in a polite way when you board the aircraft. Think about it, you are going to sit next to somebody for six-eight hours. So my way of doing it is to create an ambience on board which we’ll both enjoy. Create a courtesy level where we’re both respectful towards each other’s needs.

[“Source-cntraveller”]