New Florence. New Renaissance.

Travel tech accessories

The gadgets you pack can make or break a big trip—so if something is going to take up precious space in your carry-on, you need to be sure it's not going to fail on you. We put a number of travel tech accessories, from portable LTE hotspots to gadgets that'll keep you from losing your Airbnb's keys, to the test and came up with this list of the gear that'll make your life easier, no matter where your travels might take you.

Conde Nast Traveler

The list includes a tiny white noise machine, the Marpac Go

 

 

World Heritage inspired travel

Since 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized more than a thousand cultural and natural heritage sites around the world, with the goal of preserving humanity’s most precious places and traditions for future generations. From geological wonders to marvels of engineering, here are 10 family-friendly destinations that have been recognized for their universal value.

National Geo highlights 10 trips including those with Indonesian shadow puppets, the annual migration in the Serengeti and fairy chimneys in Turkey (in video)

 

 

 

The Airport as Mini-City

Bloomberg profiles airports at Beijing, Singapore and Hong Kong and how they have encouraged wide development around the runways and the terminals

Beijing’s new airport anchors a 50-square-kilometer (19.3-square-mile) economic zone that will include research and development labs, exhibition spaces, and medical facilities. It’s expected to handle 72 million passengers a year by 2025 and contribute 900 billion yuan to the regional economy, state-run media says. Emaar Properties PJSC, the largest publicly traded developer in the United Arab Emirates, plans to build an $11 billion mixed residential-leisure facility near the zone, U.A.E. state media reports.

At Singapore’s Changi Airport, the S$1.7 billion ($1.2 billion) Jewel Changi complex (in the vid), a five-story glass dome that includes a shopping mall, gardens, and the world’s highest indoor waterfall, has become an attraction for locals since opening in April. The Singapore government expects to spend tens of billions of dollars in the next decade on airport expansion.

The city government last year also tapped New World Development Co. to build a HK$20 billion shopping-and-entertainment complex at the (Hong Kong International0 airport. The 3.77 million-square-foot Skycity, scheduled to open in 2023, will be the biggest mall in a city full of them.

 

Airport security wait times are improving!

Hard to believe but the TSA reports wait times have improved in many major US airports

The LA Times reports one reason why

At LAX, for example, Delta, United and American have paid to install a total of 30 new automated screening lanes that use multiple conveyor belts to allow up to five passengers to simultaneously unload bags, shoes and clothes into bins to be screened. Airline officials say the lanes can make screenings up to 30% faster. The lanes cost just under $900,000 each.

Such lanes are being used in airports across the country, but LAX has the greatest number of automated screening lanes in the nation.

 

Tracking the hotel shuttle

For anyone who frequents airport hotels, one of your biggest frustrations may be locating (or waiting for) the complimentary shuttle to a given property. You may frantically rush outside only to stand outside for 20 minutes — sweating or shivering — when you could’ve casually grabbed a snack or cup of coffee en route to your designated pick-up location. In some cases, travelers may forgo the free ride entirely and order an Uber or Lyft instead of attempting to deal with the headache.

Sensing these woes, one major program is moving in a direction to remove this confusion. As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, Marriott is now offering shuttle tracking at 15 of its hotels, with plans to roll out the availability to 200 total by year end. The new feature — which can be accessed via the Marriott app — offers patrons the ability to see exactly where a shuttle is located as well as its estimated arrival time and distance.

The Points Guy

Image Credit

Man Overboard Technology

Quartz magazine writes "Since 2000, 284 people have fallen off cruise ships—and another 41 from large ferries—an average of about 1.5 people per month. The cruise industry says that accidental “falls” don’t happen when passengers are behaving responsibly. And online commenters on cruise forums generally dismiss those who go overboard as drunk, careless, or stupid, and see these events, while unfortunate, as no more than a Darwinian culling of the vacationing population."

Just in 2018, over 28 million passengers took a cruise, so only a tiny fraction have fallen overboard since 2000. Still the disruption from search and rescue missions, the stress on the passengers and crew and the negative PR is significant. Cruise lines are starting to use thermal cameras, sensors and other technologies for timely detection of such incidents.

MSC Cruises has piloted with Bosch and HPE to deploy "a comprehensive shield of intelligent optical and thermal video cameras which provide nonstop comprehensive surveillance alongside the relevant exterior parts of the ship. All captured video images are streamed in real-time to a Central Security Room where the video stream is monitored together with all other inputs from the 1,200 HD CCTV cameras on board the ship."

MARSS promises low false alarms with their product called MOBtronic

• Multiple radars simultaneously monitor ship wall ensuring falling objects are detected and tracked
• Radar tracks are confirmed by collocated independent radar sensors
• Behavior of confirmed track is analyzed (based on speed, fall direction, shape, strength)
• MOB radar track is verified with infrared signature (heat, object shape, dimension, range)
• Visual confirmation by crew based on video replay; within seconds crew can confirm MOB alarm

 

 

 

 

Sonic Travel Wonders

In a world dominated by spectacle, what are the auditory equivalents of the Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge, or the Grand Canyon? If your ears chose your next holiday destination, where would they go? National Geo Traveler lists 15 places to visit for extraordinary sounds.

 

Includes “The Great Stalacpipe Organ,” the largest musical instrument in the world, built into Virginia’s Luray Caverns.

 

 

Airbus "Bird of Prey"

The theoretical design is for a hybrid-electric, turbo-propeller aircraft, according to a statement on the Airbus website.

"Inspired by efficient mechanics of a bird, it has wing and tail structures that mimic those of a bird of prey, while featuring individually controlled feathers that provide active flight control," the statement reads.

The aircraft would be capable of carrying up to 80 passengers and would burn 30%-50% less fuel than comparable aircraft in operation today.

While the aircraft won't be built, the aim of the project is to motivate the next generation of aeronautical engineers, according to Martin Aston, a senior manager at Airbus.

"Our 'Bird of Prey' is designed to be an inspiration to young people and create a 'wow' factor that will help them consider an exciting career in the crucially-important aerospace sector," Aston said in the statement.

Aston hopes the project will help to make aviation more sustainable, with cleaner, greener and quieter planes by taking design cues from nature.

"We know from our work on the A350 XWB passenger jet that through biomimicry, nature has some of the best lessons we can learn about design. Who can't help but be inspired by such a creation?" he said.

CNN Travel

 

 

 

 

Rethinking redeye flight seats

Singapore based AirGo have come up with a new design for premium seating that they claim is the most space efficient in the world. The seating provides spaces for families and couples, as well as for solo travelers who want a more traditional product. IF the design really does save so much space, it could make lie flat business class travel a whole lot cheaper.

Simple Flying

 

 

Out There

Great PopSci issue which looks at the edge of everything - in space, under our oceans, the poles of our planet and elsewhere.

We know so little - so much more to explore