Bon Voyage

Vacations are supposed to be about relaxation and rejuvenation, but anyone who has stood in the crowded lines at an amusement park or waded through the hordes of people at Disneyland knows that this is not always the case. In this episode of Futuropolis—the 12th and final episode of season 1—we set out to see how technology might help shape better vacations in the future. Transportation will inevitably get faster and cheaper, but we also hope it will be jet-lag-free. Hotels might transform their own furniture to make your room just the way you like it. And don’t worry—the good ol’ postcard isn’t going anywhere (aside from your Grandma’s mailbox). With our look back at the *Popular Science* archives, you can join us in the cockpit of the Concorde in 1973, before the supersonic plane would first carry its commercial passengers. Beyond these basic improvements, we want to know about some of the loftier goals. We talk space tourism with Phil McAlister, who works with commercial spaceflight at NASA. Virtual reality executive producer Christine Cattano explains how technology can entice and enhance our experiences of a place. And futurist Thomas Frey describes machines that could enable you to relax on a beach, from the comfort of your couch. But vacations aren’t just about relaxation, they’re also about status, says Greg Lindsay, a researcher, futurist and journalist. He says we’ll soon be inventing destinations with deeper and more authentic experiences than we can even imagine today. Buckle your seatbelts, loyal listeners. It’s going to be a wild ride! Futuropolis is a biweekly podcast on the Panoply network. This week's episode is sponsored by Braintree, code for easy online payments. If you're working on a mobile app and need a simple payments solution. check out Braintree. For your first $50,000 in transactions fee-free, go you braintreepayments.com/future. And also by Squarespace. Start building your website today at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code Future at checkout to get 10 percent off. Squarespace—build it beautiful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices