As artificial intelligence, supersonic aircraft, and even space tourism continue to evolve, travel experts say the way people vacation and move around the world could look dramatically different by 2046. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, everything from airport security to road travel may become faster, smarter, and almost entirely automated.
Industry leaders told the publication that the addition of personal AI travel assistants could soon replace traditional booking websites. Instead of comparing flights and hotels manually, travelers may soon rely on AI agents that understand their preferences, budgets, and travel habits to plan entire trips automatically. Scott Fleming, president of the travel practice at Aon, told the newspaper, “My agent will know the places I like, it will have insight into my finances, my budget, my risk tolerances, all my preferences from the kind of room I like to my pillow type.”
The article also predicts that major changes for airports are in store. Rather than travelers arriving hours early at massive centralized terminals, instead, they could clear biometric security closer to home before taking small electric air taxis directly to airport gates. According to the Wall Street Journal, airports may become streamlined “airside-only” hubs in the future, which focus mainly on boarding and departures.
Security checkpoints themselves could also become almost invisible. Experts believe that facial recognition, biometric scanning, and advanced sensors could eventually replace passport checks, shoe removal, and long TSA-style lines entirely. Fleming predicted travelers would simply move continuously through the security system without having to stop.
Overtourism is expected to become an even bigger challenge as global middle-class travel demand continues to grow, particularly from countries like India and China. Richie Karaburun of New York University told the Wall Street Journal that popular destinations could eventually require reservation systems for entire cities during peak seasons and travelers would need advance permits to visit heavily crowded locations like the Colosseum or even enter cities such as Rome during busy travel periods.
At the same time, emerging destinations may also benefit as travelers search for less crowded alternatives. Cities like Porto, Valencia, and Kanazawa were examples of highlighted secondary destinations.
Road travel may also become safer and less stressful due to connected vehicle technology, while experts envision highways, traffic systems, and vehicles constantly communicating with one another in real time to prevent accidents and smooth congestion. Fully autonomous vehicles could transform long road trips into something more similar to train travel, allowing passengers to relax, work, or sleep while the vehicle handles driving.
Meanwhile, supersonic passenger flights could possibly return within the next decade. Fleming pointed to plans by Boom Supersonic to develop aircraft that are capable of flying passengers from New York City to London in under 90 minutes. Karaburun told the Wall Street Journal, “Supersonic travel will compress the world in a way we haven’t seen since the Jet Age,”
Even space tourism may continue to expand beyond short suborbital trips as experts interviewed by the Wall Street Journal believe commercial space hotels could begin appearing in orbit sometime in the 2030s. Initially catering to ultrawealthy travelers before potentially becoming more accessible later in the century.
