How wearable tech is changing the way we travel, for business and leisure

Travel used to be about finding yourself, but now there are apps for that. We book flights on our phones, mapping apps guide us around unfamiliar cities, and social media check-ins record our progress. Entire trips are formed, photographed and filmed using only a smartphone.

Now it’s time for the next phase; wanderlust with wearables. Smartphones may have become the ultimate travel gadget years ago, but the travel industry is now beginning to embrace other connected devices that threaten to make travellers themselves part of the increasingly global Internet of Things.

One of the most unexpected is the Ocean Medallion. Unveiled in January by the world’s largest cruise company Carnival – owner of Princess Cruises among others – this tiny 50g disc acts as a “personal concierge” for guests. Worn as a pendant on a wristband, in a clip, or just put in a pocket, the wearer gets all kinds of unusual benefits that, on a cruise ship, could make a trip go much more smoothly. The disc acts not only as a ticket for the trip, streamlining the boarding process, but also as the door key to a cabin. It’s used to pay for everything on board, acting like an e-wallet or contactless card, Apple Pay or Hong Kong’s Octopus card.

Worn on a wrist, the disc itself is laser-etched with the guest’s name, ship and the date of sailing, but it’s much more than a souvenir. It uses the kind of technology embedded in smartphones, including chips that enable Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth, all designed to be invisible to the guest, who doesn’t need to switch it on or off, recharge it or interact with it in any way.

Those happy to download an app called Ocean Compass to their phone can use the embedded technology in the disc to do other things such as find their way around the ship, or locate their travel companions. You can even order a drink from anywhere on the ship, and a bartender will deliver it to you, wherever you are. Due to launch on Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess in November 2017, followed by Royal Princess and Caribbean Princess in 2018, it all works around a purpose-built Internet of Things network of intelligent sensors and devices, but a cruise ship is a closed, controlled and customised place. Could this kind of connectivity work for travellers in the wider world?