Introducing - Tech Tip Tuesdays

With the travel industry basically shut down, I have been immersing myself in other things, particularly focusing on what personally fills my bucket, helping seniors.

While facilitating zoom calls with seniors, I often talk about travel (see my blog post about Virtual Vacations) but also find myself giving little tutorials on how to make the most of a smartphone or tablet. Whether it's something my own kids are teaching me or something I am teaching my parents - there is always something new to learn when it comes to technology.

You may still be asking, "What does Tech Tip Tuesday have to do with Travel?" Besides being a fun alliteration, there is actually a lot of overlap between technology and travel services. In today's contactless world, travel companies are relying more heavily on apps and websites to keep customers informed as well as to enhance the customer experience. From checking in for a flight or hotel to making dining reservations to signing forms/documents, technology is increasingly showing up in the travel experience.

I have a perfect example, this happened way before covid was around...
I was doing a site inspection on a cruise ship, the Norwegian Encore. It was the inaugural sailing and my friends and I were the first people to be hosted onboard, very exciting! This particular ship has a race track where you can drive and race in a go kart. Lots of people were lined up to be among the first to experience the largest race track at sea. While standing in the crowd, my friends and I went online and made reservations. Sure enough, before long, the crew was calling out our names and we walked past all the other people, straight to the front of the line - we were literally the first guests to experience the new race track! No one understood why we got to go to the front of the line until we explained that we went on the app and made a reservation! 

Today, these experiences are even more prevalent. Another example is the 'Medallian class' on Princess Cruise Lines, in which you use the app for all kinds of experiences such as contactless boarding, finding a member of your party, dining reservations, activity reservations and even getting food delivered directly to you! It won't be long before people without the skills to navigate the technology will be left behind.

So, in order to be sure my clients (and prospective clients!) are comfortable with their technology, I am offering some simple tips that can be used for everyday life as well as to enhance their travel experiences.