How wearables will change travel

Picture this: You've just arrived to Brooklyn and your smartwatch alerts you to a Coney Dog festival that night (because, hey, it knows your tastes). Your earpiece then asks if you'd like to attend, giving you the ability to answer and ask for directions, which it provides via real-time mapping technology (which is already changing the way we travel). Along the way, you receive a Tweet, which your earpiece reads to you aloud, giving you the chance to respond. At some point, your smartwatch records you've reached 1,000 steps, which your earpiece announces (likely in a proud voice). Once at the festival, your earpiece asks if you'd like to take a photo — using your smartwatch — and then share it on social media and pretty soon, you fall in love with your smartwatch because it sounds exactly like Scarlett Johansson.

The reality of this situation isn't as far off as you think — well, all except for that last part.

Wearable technology is still in its infancy stage, and already it's beginning to change the way we travel. Products like Google Glass, and the Apple Watch in particular, can make travel more seamless. Big players like American Airlines, Tripadvisor and even Starwood have already created apps for Apple Watch, and we’ll likely see more travel brands joining the bandwagon, helping to eliminate the need for travelers to carry tickets or credit cards, or even scramble for their phones.

I'm personally way more likely to lose something when traveling, so having my hotel key, alarm clock, smartphone and travel apps literally attached to my body would (hopefully) solve that problem. And built-in nutrition and exercise trackers make it easier to stay healthy on the road, a constant battle for Road Warriors.

As complex actions likely won't work with the smaller screen, Steffan Berelowitz, VP of Digital Platforms for Travel Tripper, believes wearables will soon lead companies to simplify the travel-planning process with more options for one-click upgrades and quick bookings.

He explains:

"Imagine checking out from a hotel on a business trip and receiving a promotion the same day to book the same room at a future date, or receiving a confirmation on the Apple Watch that offers a one-click upgrade to our room, or adding a package such free parking, breakfast or airport transfer.  Those kinds of promotions can be delivered and sold via watch interfaces before the trips starts."

So while functions like browsing the web may not be realistic for wearables, being able to scan a QR code for boarding a plane or bypass hotel check-in and unlock their guestrooms is what will make travel more seamless.

And it will lead to other developments. Dan Fuoco, Interactive Marketing Manager for Visit Detroit, theorizes that wearables' limited screen space will lead to a focus on audio communication and Bluetooth-type gadgets. In 3 to 5 years, he predicts we'll be able to create voice-activation hardware that is small and portable enough for the consumer to carry or wear.

Fuoco says:

"To be able to speak back to the device with something more than "Call Natalie" would greatly increase its capabilities and appeal. It would be like having a conversation with another person."

Taking this one step further, it's possible wearables will soon be able to interact with each other. For example, when a notification on your Apple Watch pops up, your Bluetooth earpiece could read it to you. You respond, and the conversation continues, like in the hypothetical situation at the beginning of this article.

If you don’t mind looking like Inspector Gadget, Google Glass also has travel changing potential. In addition to making it possible to share on social media using nothing but your voice, we recently saw Amsterdam Schiphol airport experimenting with allowing fliers to ask the glasses to look up flight and gate information using little energy.

Essentially, wearables may be the answer to hands-free travel.

First, of course, the industry needs to sort out issues with international data plans, because wearables rely on using data, and if you have to pay roaming charges, forget about it. Although there's likely plenty of time. As T-Mobile CEO John Legere has stated, wearables will likely become mainstream, but not in 2015. If we had to take a guess we'd say by 2024, for sure.

How do you think wearables will change travel?

Jessica Festa is the founder on the solo and offbeat travel blog, Jessie on a Journey, and the online responsible tourism and culture magazine, Epicure & Culture. She's constantly searching for local experiences beyond the guidebook. You can follow her travels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.