It’s safe to say that pretty much every traveler utilizes technology these days to plan and book trips, but some people are taking things a step further by planning holidays that revolve around technology.
Some people love beaches while others embrace culture and iconic landmarks, and then there are those that seek out cities where tech takes center stage.
Researchers believe that as much as two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas in the not so distant future. To accommodate this growth, cities are needing to employ the latest technology to be able to not only provide employment opportunities but also make things like transport, commerce, and food production more streamlined.
When it comes to high-tech hubs around the world, there are definitely cities that stand out from the rest of the pack.
Whether it’s offering travelers access to the latest electronic gadgets, providing homes for the world’s largest technology companies and successful startups, or highlighting the history of technology’s advancements through fascinating museums, here are some of the top cities that are embracing technology and attracting tech-savvy travelers.
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Most of us are aware of that small chip we place in our phone, but the traditional cute little SIM chip may soon be replaced by embedded SIMs (eSIMs) which are being hardwired into newer phones.
Let’s explore the pros and cons of new eSIM-enabled smartphones and discuss what eSIMs mean for world travelers with this international sim cards comparison I’ve put together.
SIM cards have long been used by travelers to avoid paying exorbitant prices for roaming charges, but how will eSIMs change the way we connect while traveling?
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More important than what you pack for travel is what you pack your travel gear in. Of course, what travel pack you choose largely depends on what type of traveller you are…or does it?
What if there was a travel backpack for everyone, from the wilderness trekker to the urban backpacker and everyone in-between?
From the company that revolutionized the travel shoe with their all terrain sneaker line, comes the new Shell travel backpack that caters to all types of travellers. It’s a backpack and wardrobe system with unmatched versatility, easy access, and organization to pack up to 20% more; a multipurpose travel backpack every traveler will love to use.
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Ever craved a deep muscle massage while traveling? Maybe your muscles are tight from all day exploring Angkor Wat, or your back is killing you from that airline seat you’ve been strapped into for 10 hours.
Massage guns have always been a tool used in fitness; they relieve pain, reduce soreness, and improve performance for both gym junkies and athletes.
Using them improves the circulatory system, central nervous system, and all of the connective tissues in your body: muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, bones, cartilage, and fascia.
But there’s another activity that puts stress on your body: Travel and outdoor adventure (OK that’s two activities, but for me they go hand in hand!)
And to cut down on the high cost of spa treatments when traveling, a massage gun that you own; that you can pull out at any time and use for unlimited recovery; is a brilliant option.
Portable, light, and in a travel case with 8 hours of battery life, the Ekrin B37 is a fantastic massage gun to take with you for travel, and have on every outdoor adventure.
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If you’re often on the go, odds are that your mind is racing as fast as you are. From navigating the airport to booking hotels, and keeping up with work while you’re traveling, it can be hard to keep your wires uncrossed.
The last thing you want is to miss an important meeting or lose out on a cheap flight because you’re overwhelmed with the logistics of travel.
Thankfully, there are no shortage of solutions in today’s online world. If you feel like your brain has motion sickness, here are seven travel apps to help you stay organized.
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Covid-19 has impacted nearly every industry including the gambling industry. Many of the world’s top casinos have been forced to close intermittently as countries go in and out of lockdowns.
While things started to look promising for gambling tourism to return in 2021, the more serious Delta variant has forced many casinos to find alternative ways to appease their customers’ urge to gamble. One of these ways has included the increase of online live casinos.
Over half the world’s population gambles at least once a year, many of those choosing to do so in casinos while traveling. As the gambling industry has grown, it has become an integral part of tourism and the economy of many nations.
Casinos of course employ a great deal of people themselves, but it’s also the flow-on effect of drawing millions of international tourists and having them support local restaurants, hotels, and attractions that really impacts the local economy.
The pandemic has forced casinos around the world to take their gaming floors online, inventing new ways to enhance the experience to make it as close to the real thing as possible.
While online casinos may never fully replace real-life physical casinos, they have definitely found their place and are likely to stay given that there remains uncertainty of when many countries will open up their borders and restrictions will be eased enough to allow famous gaming floors to open to tourists once again.
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The rise of Instagram has not only inspired us to travel more, it’s also inspired us all to become better photographers. We’ve also seen the creation of the social media influencer, a potentially lucrative career that didn’t exist just a few years ago.
While the number of professional photographers was once quite limited and mostly employed by large publication companies, there is now a wide array of travel photography jobs available with many photographers simply working for themselves.
The idea of a photojournalist covering a war-torn region or capturing images of rare wildlife for National Geographic used to be the picture of a travel photographer, however today people are successfully combining their passion for travel and photography to make money in all sorts of ways.
Whether you’re interested in photographing food, landscapes, architecture, wildlife, people and cultures, products, or big events, there’s a place for you in the travel photography market.
You can score contracts working for tourism boards and hotels, make money from photographing the cuisine and interiors of restaurants for promotional purposes, become a destination wedding photographer, do studio portraits while working on a cruise ship, or even become a paparazzi who chases celebrities around the world.
If interested in monetizing your travel photography, here’s my informative guide to everything you need to know about starting down the path towards becoming a professional travel photographer.
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Whether you’re a professional gamer en route to an overseas tournament or simply resort to video games to kill the boredom at airports and during long-haul flights, many of us wouldn’t think of leaving our beloved virtual games behind when traveling.
For anxious travelers, video games can help alleviate the many stresses of traveling, and they’ve become so lifelike that many almost make you feel as though you’ve been transported to another world.
For avid travelers who have been restricted during the pandemic, Tomb Raider lets you visit Peru, Assassin’s Creed can transport you to places like London and Egypt, and Microsoft’s Flight Simulator can pretty much take you anywhere in the world.
Thankfully, travel restrictions are beginning to be eased and we can get back to real life travel experiences. While many of us will gladly put down our games in favor of real life hands-on experiences, it’s important to remember that with international travel often comes a lot of downtime.
If your go-to boredom-killer is gaming as opposed to scrolling through social media, here are some of the top gaming gadgets and gear you should pack to enhance your experience and keep your equipment safe while traveling.
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There are many portable power stations on the market, and it’s now become an essential for when you’re camping, roadtripping, or embracing vanlife; a guaranteed, reliable source of power even when you’re off grid or traveling remote.
Since writing our original review of the Bluetti AC200P 2000 Wh, we’ve continued to keep an eye on the portable power bank space. I’m a girl who loves remote adventures, though I am equally addicted to my laptop and phone.
Electricity is not something you want to sacrifice on when traveling, and when it comes to portable power stations, this is one area where it pays to invest in the most reliable, highest capacity choice.
Despite new brands and models constantly hitting the market, the Bluetti AC200P 2000Wh is still the most reliable portable power sources. So today we’ll be expanding on my original review, to take a closer look.
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It used to be intimidating to travel through Asia because of the language barriers. It was hard to find the right attractions, restaurants, and hotels because travelers didn’t know where they were going.
In recent years, all of that has changed. Thanks to innovation and new technologies, travelers can feel right at home no matter where they are in the world. Why? No matter what kind of information you need when traveling through the Asian continent, there’s now a mobile app available to guide you. From being able to order food to getting directions to a destination, it’s all available through your mobile device.
If you’re getting ready to travel to Asia, you can make your travels a whole lot easier if you take the time to download the following mobile apps before you go.
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It’s widely accepted that the best way to learn a new language is to immerse yourself. But how do you immerse yourself in Japan when borders are locked down? Or when you don’t have the means to just take off and escape to Italy (a girl can dream!).
There are plenty of ways to immerse yourself in language from home these days; apps, games, and even video chat with foreign strangers (though that’s if you’re paying attention to what they’re saying!). The problem is though, that while companies are constantly trying to make language learning fun, you still need to take time out of your day.
But that just changed! Toucan is a free Chrome extension (download it here) that helps you learn a language as part of your normal, everyday web browsing. Once turned on, it scans the text of whatever website you’re reading and changes a small number of words into the language you want to learn.
It peppers your normal daily web experience (social media, news and everyday reading) with translated words so you can pick up a new language without even trying, without changing your behavior, and without taking any extra time out of your day.
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Pre-pandemic, land based casinos were among the most popular tourist attractions in most countries; case in point, before lock down, Australia’s most popular casinos attracted more visitors than the Sydney Opera House!
But post pandemic, land based casinos are facing a threat from technology, and as the world of online casinos brings us virtual experiences all the way from Egypt to Italy, gambling tourism is evolving to a virtual space.
Now, you can start your casino experience from the minute you depart, and choose to play Casino Australia from an airport on the other side of the world, even before you’ve arrived in the country.
But despite being able to play from home, travelers who typically engaged in casino tourism are playing online games while traveling, whether to pass the time through boring airport delays, or back in their hotel room at the end of the day.
Whether you’re playing from Vegas, Macau, or in-flight because WiFi is now offered on the plane, keep these tips in mind for traveling and playing online casino games.
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There’s no denying that smartphones and their handy apps have revolutionized travel. Whether it’s booking flights and hotels, navigating new cities and finding parking, or gaining insight on local attractions, phone apps make many aspects of travel much easier.
With Canadians aiming to be fully vaccinated by September, the easing of border restrictions will hopefully allow vaccinated travelers from around the world to enter Canada without having to get tested or go through quarantine.
To get you ready for your future Canadian holiday, I thought I’d introduce you to some of Canada’s top most useful travel apps. Whether you need a campsite in Banff or want to check the winter ski forecasts, here are ten incredible Canadian travel apps you should download before your trip.
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Haven’t got the time nor patience to wait until 2050 for space travel? The good news is that you don’t have to and can do it right now in the world of gaming!
The original space race which ran from the late 1950’s right through until the culmination of the cold war in 1991, laid the foundations for space exploration and hopefully one day soon, space travel.
The thought and ambition of civilians traveling effortlessly through space, venturing to different planets as if they were just a simple Boeing 747 on a City-hopper journey, let alone inhabiting any of them may seem a bit far-fetched.
However, if history has taught us anything it is that anything is possible and with the rate of technology expansion and development it would be naive to completely rule such occurrences out in the future.
There have been many space theme games that have attempted to shed light on what life would be like if space travel were to become reality. Perhaps, for the time being at least, we’ll have to be content with a continuation of this until the correct advancements are made.
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After your incredible trip, the last thing you want to do is to clean your floors. You probably just want to take a rest, catch up with friends, or browse through your photos to re-live your adventure. The back-breaking chore of using the good old mop and bucket is always the least of my priorities.
Of all the most disliked household chores, mopping is perhaps the most despised. Even vacuuming doesn’t top that list. From the filthy water to the floors of most homes which are a challenge to mop, I’ve found it’s often easier to simply neglect the task!
Fortunately, technology has evolved and introduced robots, yes, robots! … that can perform almost anything, including household chores while we’re out of the country on an adventure.
If you’ve ever fantasized about having your home cleaned while you’re away on vacation, consider investing in a robot mop. The battery-operated mop can get rid of stains, grime, and dirt from all sorts of flooring surfaces such as wood, tile, and stone. There are even models that can even vacuum your floors first.
With so many out there, it’s vital to do your research (when it comes to reviews, read before you go to the store), and to buy with enough time to test it out around the house before you leave. This guide will help you understand what mopping robots are and which necessary functions and features you need to look for.
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The entire world is your office as a digital nomad as long as you have access to great WiFi and suitable working spaces. And while we used to suffer through power plugs in awkward places, and balancing a laptop on pillows, hotels nowadays have really upped their game.
There are a number of hotels now, who are meeting the trend of digital nomadism, and setting themselves up specifically to offer a fantastic work / travel space. They offer strong, fast WiFi, great cafes, and discounts on long stays. The hotels mentioned below even have their own co-working spaces.
If you’re working from the road, the following are the top hotels in the world for digital nomads. We’ve chosen our favorites across four continents; use them as your newest international base!
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In the early days of photography, taking photos was a rather labor intensive process. The first cameras offered for sale to the public came in the late 19th century but it would be decades before amateurs could easily take decent looking images.
Digital photography revolutionized the way people captured memorable moments and made taking photos far less costly than using film.
Quality digital cameras are now a standard feature on smartphones, and while using an expensive, fancy DSLR camera can produce professional looking images, they can prove quite complicated for most novices to use.
Thanks to smartphones, you can now take great images without needing to know or understand a lot of technical photography jargon. However, there are simple ways you can take your smartphone images from being good to looking really professional.
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The future of paying for travel may not be with cash or credit cards, rather with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The tourism industry has embraced this new age way to pay, with travelers already being able to pay for flights, hotel rooms, tours, and more with their secure digital wallets.
There are many advantages to using this decentralized digital currency as a way to pay for travel and as more and more airlines, hotel brands, and other travel-related companies join in on the acceptance, using Bitcoin may quickly become the go-to form of payment for travelers.
The industry is at the forefront when it comes to accepting cryptocurrency and more and more travelers are purchasing Bitcoin to pay for their travel.
Here are just some of the current airlines and travel booking websites where you can use your Bitcoin to get traveling once again.
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One of the newest trends to impact the travel industry is cryptocurrency. Ever since Bitcoin launched the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency back in 2009, the idea of earning and using virtual money has expanded and now you’ll find a number of other new digital cryptocurrencies to choose from as well.
It’s never easy travelling on a strict budget, and many ways to save involve having to endure a bit of discomfort or foregoing certain luxuries; riding on overnight buses or packing yourself into tight dorm-style accommodation come to mind.
But thankfully, there are a few ways you can save money that don’t involve roughing it. And one of the newest ways you can not only save costs but also make money while travelling is by using cryptocurrency to pay for your travel, and learning how to trade in crypto to become somewhat of a new-age digital nomad (if you know what you’re doing!).
Yes, cryptocurrency now looks to have its sights set on the travel industry. Here’s how you can earn money by trading it while you’re traveling.
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How much money have you forgotten about? Money that’s sitting in your drawers, leftover from overseas trips? Euros, Pounds, Canadian Dollars, Japanese Yen? Maybe you’ve got a couple of Australian gold coins with a kangaroo and emu engraved on them.
Almost every traveler I know returns home with a pocket full of foreign coins. And they either get lost in the washing machine, or go in a draw for ‘when I’ll visit again’. But have you ever visited again? Or have you been sitting on hundreds of dollars worth of coins and notes for years on end? (Though it doesn’t need to be hundreds, I’d love to exchange my currency even if it was only worth 10!)
Fortunately now, there’s a cool app where you can sell your coins to others looking to buy them! It’s called MoneyAtlas (here for iPhone / here on Android), and you can connect with other travelers to exchange your foreign currency, at a price you set! Skip the inflated exchange rates at the airport, and make a deal traveler to traveler!
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Last year, international travel became much harder. Barred from landing in many countries, you may have found yourself in a situation where you’re stuck inside with nothing to do and had to cancel your long-planned dream vacation. Luckily, there are still places that are waiting patiently for you to come and explore!
With Telportus, you can now engage in a virtual guided tour. These live experiences are just digital versions of guided tours that you’re used to receiving when you travel, but now they’re happening right in your living room.
You can pose questions to local experts in real-time, pointing out what strikes your curiosity. Check out this video, and below for some of the most epic tours!
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The internet has made traveling abroad not only manageable, but pretty easy in-fact. We’re now at the point where the phone in your pocket can translate words, give you directions, and recommend must-do activities.
I’d be hard pressed to name a traveler in the 21st century who doesn’t rely on some form of smartphone app. But of course, most of these apps are dependent on having a stable internet connection.
Without one, your phone camera might work, but that’s probably about it. But thankfully, staying connected isn’t all that difficult. Multiple options exist and these days, most won’t break the wallet. The following are the most convenient ways to keep an internet connection while you’re on international leave or vacay.
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Vacations are supposed to be about logging off, but most of us still end up traveling with our laptop.
Whether we need it for business, or checking on emails and loading travel pics to our social media feeds, our laptops can be a lifeline to our life back home, and a valuable tool when booking tours, tickets, looking up directions, and researching things to do in the area you’re visiting.
While most of us check and recheck to make sure we packed our laptop, we often don’t give nearly as much thought into keeping our laptop protected both physically and in terms of making certain our personal data that is stored on it remains secure.
From the moment your laptop leaves the safety of your home, you make it vulnerable to getting damaged or potentially stolen. Thankfully though, there are many ways you can reduce the chances of anything happening to your laptop and the data that’s stored on it.
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Have you been using your current PC for longer than you can remember? Has your PC become noticeably slow?
I traveled with my first laptop for 7 years until its untimely death, and have traveled with my second since 2013 to this day! (Admittedly it’s on it’s last legs and held together with duct tape!)
It’s inevitable that, at one point or another, the time will come for us all to get a replacement. Buying a new computer can be a fun yet daunting task. You have to research, scroll through reviews, and potentially try out a few different models.
After doing all of that legwork, the last thing that you want is to get a virus. Especially as electronics can be difficult to replace or take into a shop when you’re on the other side of the world, in a completely different country.
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Regular readers will know by now that I never leave home without my power station. Whether I’m camping, road-tripping, or on a city-break with my laptop and phone, a reliable source of power comes with me everywhere I go.
And it’s not just because I can’t go a day without my phone (though that’s also true!). It’s also the comfort of camping with a running fridge for keeping food; for air-con when you’re road-tripping through the desert, and for being able to power lights for safety.
It’s also necessity when you have to face severe energy shortages, which many countries around the world, especially developing nations, constantly do.
So I’m not willing to sacrifice electricity when I travel – yes, because of the safety and convenience, but also because you simply don’t have to.
My favorite portable power station to date has been the Bluetti AC200 (I wrote this review), which has now been made even more powerful with its latest product update: now the AC200P.
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