Will travel one day become unnecessary?

[harvyk]

OK, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be called a heretic for even suggesting such a notion on this forum. But do you ever see a day in which physically traveling to a place is no longer necessary to see the place / do business in the place.

Instead of hoping on a plane for 24 hours, I’d be able to walk down the virtual streets of London on my next holiday, most likely using some sort of virtual reality headset / room.

Instead of flying to LA to discuss some important business, I’d video conference with them with systems so good I might as well be in the room with them. (and video conferences have already started eating into what would have normally been business trips for me)

What made me start to wonder this is the Google has been releasing 3D models of cities, First New York and Rome. Now Google releases 3D Brisbane flyover | News.com.au. Whilst they are not yet perfect, one day without a doubt they will be.

So my question is do you see a day where I can say I’ve done New York, when I’ve never been close to the real city of New York? Or do you think that no matter how good we make the imitation, there is just no substitute for actually been there?

 

[burmans]

OK, I’m pretty sure I’m going to be called a heretic for even suggesting such a notion on this forum. But do you ever see a day in which physically traveling to a place is no longer necessary to see the place / do business in the place.

Instead of hoping on a plane for 24 hours, I’d be able to walk down the virtual streets of London on my next holiday, most likely using some sort of virtual reality headset / room.

Instead of flying to LA to discuss some important business, I’d video conference with them with systems so good I might as well be in the room with them. (and video conferences have already started eating into what would have normally been business trips for me)

What made me start to wonder this is the Google has been releasing 3D models of cities, First New York and Rome. Now Google releases 3D Brisbane flyover | News.com.au. Whilst they are not yet perfect, one day without a doubt they will be.

So my question is do you see a day where I can say I’ve done New York, when I’ve never been close to the real city of New York? Or do you think that no matter how good we make the imitation, there is just no substitute for actually been there?

No, and Yes.

 

[harvyk]

No, and Yes.

Care to expand?

 

[Ikara]

No, and Yes.

You forgot - maybe.

JB

 

[JohnK]

You mean live life via virtual reality instead of reality?

I guess some will choose that option.

What I find weird is that our reality is starting to imitate the reality portrayed in Hollywood sci-fi movies. Which came first?

 

[BillytheFIsh]

No, I don't think so.

For personal travel, some simple examples: I can't imagine ever not wanting to go to Florence to see David again, or Naples to eat pizza amongst the chaos, just because I could experience them in VR.

For business, I think people will probably travel less and less, but imagine it will plateau at the level where there really is no substitute for face to face interaction.

The counterpoint I suppose is what happens when we develop the technology to travel to London in ~2 hours, rather than 24?

 

[casanovawa]

No, we will always travel... Some of us anyway... Being in a virtual reality world may allow you to view the city, but it doesn't allow you to interact with it, to get a true New York experience by interracting with new Yorkers, or the Parisians etc, etc...

Not sure it would ever allow you to walk off the street into a museum in these cities, or a coffee shop, or a theatre etc...

As good as the virtual sim might get, I don't think it would approach the reality of the experience of being there...

 

[burmans]

Care to expand?

No, I think you can't say you've been to New York if you haven't. And, yes I think that no matter how good the imitation, it's still an imitation. You can imitate sounds, you can imitate sights but for me there is more to it than that.

 

[Shan Man]

I believe the idea of virtual trips has already been touched upon.

Total Recall anyone....

 

[tuapekastar]

I think way into the future this may be the case. However hand-in-hand would likely be the ability to beam oneself to whichever location one wants. A very long way into the future.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Real travel vs Virtual travel (not talking business travel ere, but travel for pleasure)
Real sex vs virtual sex
Real coffee vs instant
AFL footy at the game vs on the box

Yes you can do the latter with all, but I know which I prefer.....

 

[Cruiser Elite]

What you been smokin' harvy?

Not sure it would ever allow you to walk off the street into a museum in these cities, or a coffee shop, or a theatre etc...

Or walk into an Irish Pub in Dublin and spend an hour chatting and joking with genuine - not virtual - Irish people. Travel will never become unecessary for me with my inane ability to create a reason to jump an F or J cabin to anywhere. Well maybe only 2 things might stop me - death or bankruptcy but certainly never any potential virtual experience.

 

[harvyk]

I believe the idea of virtual trips has already been touched upon.

Total Recall anyone....

I was thinking about mentioning total recall as an example of the tech I was thinking about.

Real travel vs Virtual travel (not talking business travel ere, but travel for pleasure)
Real sex vs virtual sex
Real coffee vs instant
AFL footy at the game vs on the box

Yes you can do the latter with all, but I know which I prefer.....

One of the guys at work will choose to have an instant coffee instead of a real coffee.
My Brother-in-law would rather watch the V8's on TV instead of actually been there. (I don't understand that one bit)
Sometimes people do prefer the imitation.

What you been smokin' harvy?Or walk into an Irish Pub in Dublin and spend an hour chatting and joking with genuine - not virtual - Irish people. Travel will never become unecessary for me with my inane ability to create a reason to jump an F or J cabin to anywhere. Well maybe only 2 things might stop me - death or bankruptcy but certainly never any potential virtual experience.

Haven't been smoking anything good, and I'm not talking today's tech. Think something more akin to total recall / matrix / star trek style holodecks. Something which would be virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.
Don't get me wrong, I love to fly, and for me the actual travel is as much part of the holiday as the sitting by the pool, drink in hand. Just posing a question, since not everyone like to travel as much as you or I.

 

[Warks]

Isn't it all about the food? Try faking that!

Although they did try "smell-o-vision" movies a long time ago.

 

[NM]

You mean live life via virtual reality instead of reality?

Yeah, I can't imaging a DisneyLand/World experience via on-line virtual reality. And a trip around the golf course won't be the same driving a mouse instead of a buggy.

I guess some will choose that option.

I think some people already do live in virtual reality

 

[harvyk]

Yeah, I can't imaging a DisneyLand/World experience via on-line virtual reality. And a trip around the golf course won't be the same driving a mouse instead of a buggy.

I think some people already do live in virtual reality

I'm not so much thinking that you navigate around the world using nothing more than a mouse (although I know some people do feel that's a more than acceptable substitute), I'm thinking more that you put on a set of VR goggles / walk into a room which every wall / roof / floor is a computer screen which immerses you.

 

[ellen10]

For me now travel is as much about the experience as the places I am seeing.

"travel , in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience."
Francis Bacon.

Now, I am in my 50's so not too old yet but I know my travel style is more the slow travel style now and more about the smells, the everyday sights, the unexpected experiences, the chatting with a local, the tasting of the local food, wines and beers and always the unexpected moments along the way.

 

[harvyk]

My thoughts

Business travel will all but disappear. Online presence will take over, even high skilled work (eg a surgeon doing delicate operations) will ultimately be achievable via a combination of the internet / robotics

Leisure travel will change. Much like aircraft took over from ships as the way to travel from A to B, ships changed to destinations in their own right. These days people who travel on ships talk about the cruise, not so much the destination(s). I suspect something similar will happen with travel. Since anyone will be able to see a destination at anytime, possibly within the comfort of their own living room, travel will become exclusively what the destination offers as an experience. Using the example of meeting people in a pub in Dublin that would be an experience which can't easily be replicated. Travel will also become more about personal relationships than ever before. You won't travel to see the sights, you'll travel to meet the people.

 

[Warks]

When they can replicate the immensity of the Grand Canyon opening up in front of you they'll be onto something!

 

[JohnK]

My Brother-in-law would rather watch the V8's on TV instead of actually been there. (I don't understand that one bit)
Sometimes people do prefer the imitation.

When it comes to sport I cannot be bothered to go and watch live as it takes up too much of my time and costs too much. Much easier to watch on TV and a lot of times I do not bother doing that either.

That is not quite the same as virtual reality though is it?

And yes you will get someone thinking travel is too expensive but they still want the experience of travel and this is where virtual reality comes into the picture.

This thread reminds me of movie. Was it Pleasantville? Or maybe I am confusing more than one movie. Everything through the movie looked real but as the movie progressed it started to become clear things were not as they seemed and what we were seeing was virtual reality through the eyes of someone who never left the home. An obese couch potato.