What Will Travel Look Like in 20 Years? -- WSJ

By Conor Grant

This is an edition of The Future of Everything newsletter, a look at how innovation and technology are transforming the way we live, work and play. If you're not subscribed, sign up here .

If you're a child of the 1970s, you probably looked to the whimsical optimism of the cartoon show "The Jetsons" for an idea of what the future of travel might look like. We would hop into flying "aero sedans" that folded into briefcases and take holidays on an asteroid. While those things haven't materialized, some big changes in travel are expected by 2046.

This week, Heidi Mitchell spoke with industry thinkers and researchers about what travel might look like in 20 years. Here's what they told us.

Your AI agent handles everything

The era of search-and-click travel, where consumers spend hours comparing flight prices and room options, will be over. Scott Fleming, president of the travel practice at Aon, describes a future where your personal AI agent handles the entire choreography of a trip.

The distributed airport

Let's face it: The modern airport is a time suck. Ty Osbaugh, global practice leader for aviation at the architectural firm Gensler, believes that's going to change. He envisions a solution whereby the airport is deconstructed and scattered across its nearest city.

Demand-controlled destinations

The middle class is growing in populous countries like India and China, which could lead to even bigger crowds in Rome, Paris and other tourist destinations. Richie Karaburun, a professor at New York University, believes "overtourism demand control" will reshape how the world's most iconic destinations operate.

More on this topic:

   -- 🎥 WSJ's Dawn Gilbertson made AI her travel agent -- and wound up 
      in a quaint, little-known seaside town. (Watch) 
 
   -- This writer tried to give her husband a surprise vacation, but tech got 
      in the way. (Read) 

🤔 What changes to travel are you hoping for in the future? Send me your thoughts, questions and predictions at future@wsj.com (if you're reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply).

More of What's Next: Data Centers in Space; Whispering to AI at Work; Ubiquitous 'A' Grades

Are data centers in space a pipe dream -- or AI's next big thing? SpaceX, Blue Origin and others aim to develop orbital server farms that will run AI computing systems, bypassing Earth's power and land limitations. Yet questions about these systems remain unanswered.

Typing is being replaced by whispering, and it's way more annoying. Tech workers are walking around talking to AI, pairing dictation apps with coding tools to turn rambling prompts into usable text in seconds -- a process that can be both efficient and obnoxious.

"A" grades are suddenly everywhere since the arrival of ChatGPT and other AI tools, according to new research, making them less useful to employers trying to size up college graduates.

Future Feedback

Last week, we reported on a startup led by iRobot's former CEO that is developing an emotionally intelligent robot called the Familiar. Readers shared their thoughts on these companion bots:

   -- "First, there was the Orwellian TV that watched you back. Then, the 
      refrigerator got in on the act. (Your smartphone probably beat them both 
      to the punch, but Siri is listening so I won't go into details.) Now, 
      we're seeing robotic cuddly pets engineered to form emotional bonds with 
      users? What could possibly go wrong?" -- Jonathan Kanner, Mississippi 
 
   -- "I believe a soft toy robot you can hug is a wonderful invention. More 
      people are living longer, with more of us suffering from various 
      cognitive and emotional disabilities. We also increasingly live in big 
      cities, where we're anonymous, confined to our living quarters, rather 
      than in smaller villages where everyone knows each other. Therefore, 
      we'll increasingly need toys that can replace current dogs and cats, 
      which will interact with us and yet require zero upkeep." -- Natalie 
      Alexander, Ontario 
 
   -- "Will the Familiar gobble up dust and random scrap papers? That would 
      make it truly functional." -- Joe Cobb, Arizona 
 
   -- "This seems to be another disappointing sign of the increasingly fragile 
      and crumbling interpersonal networking capacity of our society. I'm a 
      75-year-old, never-married bachelor. Despite a pretty robust association 
      with family and friends, I've lived a pretty solitary existence my entire 
      adult life. Yet I can't imagine how a 'companion robot,' a term that 
      seems extraordinarily oxymoronic, could even remotely compensate for 
      human companionship. My recommendation to anyone considering one: Check 
      out your local animal shelter and find a pet that needs rescuing. They'll 
      provide better companionship than any robot, no matter how 'snuggly.'" -- 
      David Young, Utah 

(Responses have been condensed and edited.)

Elsewhere in the Future

   -- Inside the new wild west of AI kids' toys. (Wired) 
 
   -- A startup aiming to make geothermal energy mainstream is going public. 
      (The New York Times) 
 
   -- The Tesla Semi could be a big deal for electric trucking. (MIT Technology 
      Review) 

About Us

Thanks for reading The Future of Everything. We cover the innovation and tech transforming the way we live, work and play. This newsletter was written by Conor Grant. Get in touch with us at future@wsj.com. Got a tip for us? Here's how to submit.

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May 15, 2026 11:55 ET (15:55 GMT)

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