Technology has unmistakably seeped into almost all aspects of our lives. In the world of travel, we don’t seem to see the same level of enthusiasm as to how technology can impact that industry. While technological advances are mainly concerned with the home, travel technology is not far around the corner.

Travel platforms such as Airbnb are continuously exploring new ways to help not only us as consumers, but the businesses who help make our travel possible. After some research, I’ll give my take on where the travel industry is at.

Blockchain technology has been a hot topic for some time now. As a decentralised ledger system, blockchain’s main aim was to be able to give users (and subsequently businesses) a complete, wholistic view of a database. In travel, blockchain is pushing a new frontier across a few different subsections.

The first, and most exciting area that blockchain technology is impacting travel is loyalty points. I’m sure we all have used loyalty points at some stage, such as Velocity points or American Express. These points are essentially akin to marketing data, which in turn goes to feeding the companies that accept these credit cards to begin with. The data however is siloed into industries and market segments, making it difficult to offer cross-selling into other industries where “value chains” can be found.

Blockchain changes all that. As businesses require increasingly sophisticated data sets, blockchain looks at making data more visible across segments, helping to better understand consumer behaviours with better analytics. For loyalty point startups such as Loyyal , blockchain technology helps to create multi-branded coalitions and partnerships, the likes of which we have only barely scratched the surface of. The consumer probably won’t feel a tonne of difference in their travel experience, but for travel companies this could be a game changer.

Though this has yet to hit the shelves, the stage is set for this to come in to effect early next year. Travel overeas could change completely once facial recognition technology becomes universal. In China, facial recognition is taking on a life of its own, with the technology currently being trialled for jaywalkers. The same technology is considering being trialled in airports around the world, and could soon replace the passport as we know it. In a little bit less “Black Mirror” and more “Jetsons”, some hotel chains are looking at using facial recognition or thumbprint technology instead of swipe cards.

Recently A.I. has re-entered the mainstream zeitgeist as companies are looking at A.I. for better recommendations for consumers in terms of their travel options. In the near future we may see the need for travel agents replaced almost entirely with A.I. recommendation interfaces, allowing users to be recommended places to go and things to do, in real time.

Though travel is still “old-fashioned”, technology is really pushing the frontiers of what we can expect out of our travel experi