Never Trust An Expert Or Specialist….

What will travel look like in the future? But who can we believe?

We’ve all heard the stories about the world leading market experts who overlooked great ideas. Thomas Edison was told his light bulb was “unworthy of the attention of practical or scientific men.” Alexander Graham Bell was told his telephone was “idiotic”. Walt Disney was told he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Kodak invented digital photography but didn’t adapt it and went bankrupt, etc.

So, who can we trust?

About 30 years ago, a young Canadian psychologist, Philip Tetlock immersed himself in the largest future prediction study ever conducted: he gathered 82,000 predictions from experts in a wide variety of fields, and had them answer questions within their area of expertise. Energy specialists, economists, political, etc. His findings shocked him. Experts were terrible at predictions. In most cases, anyone interested in any of those questions would have been just as well off flipping a coin.

The expertise of good predictors lay in curiosity and an endless sense of wonder about what the future might bring.

What he did discover however was a small group of people who actually were really good at making predictions.  They were generalists, not specialists. These were people who were open-minded, were willing to change course, when necessary, admit their mistakes and had the ability to look at a problem from a number of different perspectives. The expertise of good predictors lay in curiosity and an endless sense of wonder about what the future might bring.

In answer to our question on the future of travel, if you are not an expert, you therefore probably have more of an idea than all the leading industry experts.  So, I did my own research to find out what others are thinking.

Not surprising, our current pandemic issue gets more than a few mentions. Such as Rapid Virus Testers, Walk-Through Sanitizers, Hygienic Airplane Seats, Middle Seat-Replacing Sneeze Guards or  ‘Glassafe’ Shields, Hygiene-Focused Travel Kits, Inflatable Face Shields, in-flight janitors, in-flight magazine digital alternative, post-pandemic hotel with touchless access to limit in-person services like receptionists, or even Sci-Fi-Inspired Face Shields that has your head in a plastic bubble! Anything to give travel industry professionals and consumers more peace of mind about our uncertain future.

Off-grid travel is gaining massive popularity.

The bottom line is, travel as we knew it, is no longer something we can take for granted. There is now a more mindful need to keep away from crowds, particularly in a foreign destination. The need to be cautious about simple tasks such as checking into a hotel, going to a restaurant or taking a guided tour. This means choosing to avoid busy urban centres,

Instead we are now seeking alternative ways of travelling and exploring the world. Off-grid travel is one area that is now gaining massive popularity.

Whether it’s a luxurious off road caravan or an RV decked out with all the basic luxuries such as the washing machine and hair dryer, remote mountain cabins or sailing boat, the good news is it’s never been more comfortable to go off the grid.

the biggest game changer of all, is I believe, thanks to solar

Even a basic camping setup as we are using on Our Senior Aussie Gap Year, offers relative comfort. Apart from a quality tent to ensure a good night’s sleep… which has proved itself through some very windy and rainy conditions, the biggest game changer of all, is I believe, thanks to solar. A basic off-grid battery power setup with just a solar blanket, will keep the lights on, and more importantly the fridge running infinitely.

The other emerging solutions to that long standing need when experiencing nature in the bush, is a shower.  With limited on-board water, the idea of a shower, let alone a long one, can only be dreamed of. Until now!

And that’s where the fun and challenge of camping comes in. With limited resources, coming up with solutions to make living that little bit more comfortable can be very rewarding. Hence, with a basic collection of materials such as piece of scrap wood, a plastic cup, a shower curtain and a piece of plastic…. we can now enjoy a delightful twenty minute shower from as little as just one litre of water! Oh how nice it is to crawl into bed feeling so fresh… 😊

What’s your travel predictions for the future?

Photos… some of the bush camping spots in the Goldfields around Kalgoorlie. Move over China…. The Great Wall of Midgiemooltha. A group of like minded off grid travellers. Love a beer in some of the really off beat local pubs. And you’d think the AFL footy grand final would be a hit in the local pub. Not so for every diner  at the local pub in Esperance. We had fun though!

Minimalistic Camping… if you are interested in minimalistic camping and would like more details on our rig setup, send me a message and I’d be happy to share more details.