As generative AI continues to evolve, new camera technologies are emerging that allow users to capture images from anywhere in the world. Couple that with most everyone's experiences of disruption during the pandemic, the shit-show that airline travel has become, economic and social upheavals, and you can begin to sniff out weak signals of new forms of travel-like experience.

I'm talking about things like virtual travel experiences on Microsoft Flight Simulator, hours-long live streams of walking through cities (with an ASMR-like ambient audio of the bustle of the city streets), and many more.

How might these technologies evolve further, enhancing the experiences with photo albums of places “visited”, 3D printed souvenirs, and more? How can the traditional travel industry adapt to these changes? What new forms of “experience” might emerge in this context? How will social norms around travel and destination experiences evolve in response to these technologies?

This Design Fiction Dispatch explores the implications of these emerging technologies on the future of travel and leisure in a post-pandemic world.

Read the full Design Fiction Dispatch ↗.

To get more Design Fiction Dispatches like this one, please subscribe and support this work on Patreon.