With Christmas and the new year just around the corner, people throughout America and the U.K. are starting to think about their travel plans this festive season. Many are eagerly waiting to use their hard-earned holiday time to get away with friends or to catch up with family. Every year, we see a higher percentage of the population spending time overseas. A look at the causes made us wonder: are people getting paid more? Are they getting more time off? Are they merely more interested in traveling? The answer to these questions was no.

The reason why more people are taking trips out of state and overseas is because of technology. It has provided many variables that make it easier and more practical for people to travel. Here are the ways that technology has increased travel everywhere.

1. More Listings

Previously, owners who were looking to let their property as a holiday home had limited marketing resources. Without the support of a strong team of professionals, getting their property noticed was difficult, which meant they would miss out on bookings and income opportunities. Technology has revolutionized the way we find holiday accommodation.

One company doing this extremely well in the U.K. that's on my hot startup radar is holidaycottages.co.uk, where travelers from all over the world can find the accommodation they need, easily and quickly. We've seen huge travel companies make it big in the U.S. including Airbbnb and Couchsurfing--now we are seeing more companies from countries all over the world innovating travel.

2. Better Prices

Before the new wave of technology, travelers had limited options when it came to searching for places to stay. Shopping around for prices and availability wasn't an option, which meant they would settle for whatever accommodation they could get their hands on. This meant travelers were forced to pay a high price to get accommodation suitable for their stay.

Today, with the technology on offer, this is no longer a constraint. By increasing the availability and accessibility of accommodation listings, online platforms have given travelers a much broader base of places to stay. In turn, this has created a competitive holiday letting market, driving the price down. Instead of a handful of options, there are hundreds to choose from.

3. More Communication and Transparency

Communication is key for both customers and property owners but in the past it has been a primary concern. For an owner, you need to be sure that your property is always in safe hands and that the company you're letting your property through, like holidaycottages.co.uk, is doing all they possibly can to ensure your holiday let performs to its full potential. For customers, booking a holiday is an investment so being confident in the service provided is key. Technology has helped to build these bridges to ensure that through constant communication, neither owners nor customers should need to worry.


Transparency comes in many forms. For a traveler, being able to see photos, reviews, and ratings is very helpful when choosing a holiday cottage. For a property owner, knowing that the transaction is secure, and that their payment is dependable is a huge factor in their willingness to rent out their property. With technology acting as a middle man, a level of trust has been built between customers. The fear of being scammed or misled is slowly fading into the background as more and more reputable resources and systems are being brought into the industry by technology.

Published on: Dec 3, 2015