The future of travel may include more journeys for longer durations to increasingly remote destinations as travellers’ confidence in their connectedness and ability to be rescued increases with the widespread use of satellite communications devices, according to the world’s most experienced travellers responding to the Global Rescue Spring 2024 survey.
Eight out of 10 respondents (82%) would feel safer with a smartphone enabled with satellite connection abilities, according to the survey results.
“Nearly half (49%) said they like knowing they can always call for help if needed while more than a third (37%) reported that having satellite communications capabilities if cell coverage is unavailable gives their family, friends or colleagues peace of mind,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services, and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce.
One out of 10 (12%) said they had lost cell coverage before during travel, and it concerned them that they were unable to communicate with others, especially in an emergency.
Most travelers (81%) have already reported they are planning three or more trips in 2024, with 40% of respondents committing to three or more international trips. Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents said that since the pandemic ended, they are planning to stay longer on at least one of their international trips in 2024. A nearly equal percentage (22%) of respondents said they plan more adventurous, immersive trips in 2024.
“Add to those survey results the race among wireless service companies and smartphone manufacturers to provide satellite communications capabilities for users, and travelers have a bigger safety net to travel more boldly in the future,” Richards said.
The traveller frontier is expanding. Off-the-grid adventures could include risking a venomous bite while exploring Brazil’s Snake Island, exploring remote south pacific islands like Vanuatu, or braving the deadly heat in Ethiopia’s Danakil Desert. These locations will likely become more popular as travellers’ confidence in their ability to call for help increases. While 80% of respondents don’t want to travel to space, a full 20% do.
“People were born to travel, explore new places, and take part in transformative experiences,” Richards said. “Improved safety and security protections make traveling boldly more accessible.”
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