No future for tech travel?

Is there a future for those of use who travel with technology?

A review of the headlines during this column’s five-year run would suggest that the answer is “no.” If things continue at the rate they’re going, then laptop computers, personal digital assistants and cell phones will be banned from planes, trains and cars.

Take motorists, for example. Last year, legislation to regulate cell phone use for drivers was introduced in 43 states, with 35 of them calling for an outright ban on the devices. New York, which so far is the only state with a wireless driving ban on the books, reportedly issued more than 2,000 tickets since its rule went into effect last fall.

Even planes are quickly becoming as technology-hostile as a convention of Luddites. Usage restrictions on gadgets abound. Most airline seats don’t come equipped with power outlets. And forget trying to connect to the Internet: American Airlines cut off satellite phone service to 653 planes in March. Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines have pulled the seatback units out, too, and other carriers are considering a similar move.

So should we just leave our technology at home?

No. People may give you dirty looks when you power up your cell phone at the airport; they may frown at you when you open your tray table to work on your notebook computer; they may even cringe when you turn on your PDA for a game of solitaire.

Ignore them. By that I don’t mean do something dangerous, like talk on the phone and drive at the same time. But to the critics who tell you to “take a break” from the technology, as if gadgets were no different than an addictive street drug, I say: pay them no heed.

There’s a group of travelers that believes the inside of an aircraft should be a sanctuary of civility, a mile-high library where the hum of a jet engine gently lulls you to sleep. These clueless vacationers have been watching one airline commercial too many. The plane trip often represents the best opportunity for many of us to catch up on e-mail, to check phone messages, and even to conduct business. We can’t afford to support these travelers’ illusions. We shouldn’t be expected to.

It is these backward travelers – the ones who favor onerous new laws against technology users and who insist that all electronic devices be turned off at all times – who are on the endangered list. They may not know it, but they are. Traveling with technology is not just a part of our collective future; it is our future.

And it is a bright future.

There are wonderful things ahead, from 3G phones that incorporate high-bandwidth video and audio technology to in-flight communications systems that let make safe phone calls, check e-mail and watch live television. There will be PDAs liberated from their stylus, cellphones that outperform your PC and wireless devices that require little (or no) battery power. I can’t think of a place I’d rather be than this exciting future.

So in this, my next-to-last Travel Technologist column, I urge you to continue the struggle for a future that is inclusive of technology. None of us wants to compromise the safety of an aircraft, train or plane, but does making the vehicle safer mean giving up our technology? In all but a few instances, it doesn’t.

I will be there to share this future with you, as a guide, commentator and critic. This column will continue in a slightly different form elsewhere. Next week I’ll tell you where to find the new Travel Technologist. Until then, safe tech travels.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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