In celebration of its 20th birthday, Yahoo! has posted a list of the twenty most prominent things that have greatly influenced the way we travel.
1. Terrorism. The most popular form of transportation in terms of traveling from a country to another is the plane. Given that one international plane can accommodate as many as one hundred people, aircrafts have been the target of devastating terrorist attacks. One such event is the 9/11 incident, which has resulted in the birth of Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, two establishments that have forever changed the system of traveling through an airport.
2. Richard Branson. Although Branson established Virgin Atlantic in the year 1984, the English businessman was also able to transform traveling through his later inventions, some of which include the Virgin Galactic (2004), Virgin America (2007) and Virgin Hotels (2015).
3. Steve Jobs. He is not just the brain behind Apple, but also the man responsible for one of the biggest transformations in the digital world. Improving technology in this aspect has drastically changed the way people travel: iPhones, iPads and iPods have become the most utilized traveling companions in this generation.
4. Jet Blue. Jet Blue’s low cost airline has made our lives easier by making travel more accessible to all.
5. Empowered travels. Sharing traveling experiences is the best way to ensure others travelers can avoid potentially horrendous vacations. This has led to the establishment of websites like Expedia and TripAdvisor, which give anyone the power to decide how they want their adventures to pan-out, thanks to the aggregation of critics in the above-mentioned sites.
6. GPS. The availability of reception in the public has made circumventing the globe as easy as reciting your alphabet in kindergarten.
7. In-flight Wi-Fi. The discovery of wireless fidelity around the world has allowed travelers to stay connected while on the go. In-flight Wi-Fi pushed this change a step further.
8. The flat-bed airline seat. In 1996, British Airways gave birth to the first ever flat-bed airline seat, giving people a greater opportunity to travel comfortably in business and first class flights.
9. Noise-canceling headphones. A quieter and more comfortable ambiance was made possible through Armal Gopal Bose’s noise-canceling headphones in the year 2000.
10. Social Media. Friendster introduced the new generation of travelers to the world by allowing people to connect with each other and share their experiences. More recently, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have inspired more and more people to do the same, thereby increasing the number of travelers around the world.
11. Video Chatting. Skype came from a Jetsons cartoon’s concept of video chatting. In 2010, FaceTime was launched, making it easier for people abroad to communicate with family and friends.
12. The Euro. In 1999, the monetary system of Europe was unified, which led to the production of the Euro, making traveling in Europe easier.
13. Smoking. Smoking on flights to and from United States was banned in 2000, thanks to the U.S. Congress.
14. Hotel mattresses. Competition between hotel mattresses began when Westin released The Heavenly Bed in 1999.
15. Airbnb. The largely successful home rental service started in 2008, enabling everyone to become a hotel manager.
16. Ridesharing. Just like Airbnb, Uber (2009) and Lyft (2012) did the same for the transportation industry, enabling everyone to be a taxi driver.
17. TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry. The hassle of security and customs are now improved by Global Entry (2008) and TSA Pre-Check (2011).
18. Full-body scanner. Thanks to the full-body scanner, launched in 2010, security has never been better…whether you are comfortable with it or not.
19. Malarone. Compared to its predecessors, this drug has minimal side effects, and improved the fight against malaria after its launch in 2000.
20. Food trucks. An innovation of Kogi barbecue food truck by Roy Choi in 2000 went viral even though food trucks have been around for a while. Gourmet food is now available almost everywhere.
