Generation X and Generation Y, as they have been labeled, know what they are all about. They use technology for what it’s worth, but what about Generation Z? Certainly, to coin a label phrase, this generation is up and coming.
They are the generation that doesn’t know or remember a time without computers, smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players. They don’t know what a music CD is, nor do they care. They work and play entirely on their electronic smart devices and will also likely schedule all of their travel plans in the same fashion.
While everyone else has the ability to use their smart devices like Generation Z, most don’t. If they did, the whole scenario for trip-planning with smartphones would look something like the following.
Disney World by (Smart) Phone
Aiden and Alethia decide to organize a trip with some of their friends to Disney World. They use Facebook and Twitter to announce their plans and send out an open invite for anyone to come along. Text messaging back and forth on their smartphones, the pair draws in six other friends who plan to join them if the price is right. The first thing they look into is travel medical insurance because, as college students, their parents’ plans cover them at home but are limited abroad. None of their group wants to think about getting hurt on vacation in one of the happiest places on earth, but travel insurance and health insurance away from home are very important. One of their friends is a foreign exchange student who also has to look into international travel medical insurance. They all use their smartphones, as they are part of Generation Z, to look up the key words necessary to find affordable travel medical insurance. Alethia discovers an article that talks about the apps available to the group that will point them in the right direction for their needs. Everyone has travel insurance? Yes? “Okay,” say the texts; let’s move on!
Making It Happen With Apps
Once downloaded onto their phones everyone is in sync and uses the additional apps Alethia found in her searches and text message or Twitter to keep up the lines of communication. A favorite site for consulting is VisitOrlando, where the young adults of Generation Z go to plan their trip to Disney World. They are all thrilled to find on this site the discount attraction tickets they want and the booking for rooms they need close to the famed amusement park. Aidan decides to cross reference the Orlando site with Trip It, a trip app on his phone, to see if the group can save any money in getting there or while they are there. He conveys this info to his friends through text messages and Twitter again, so the whole group is still synced and on the same page.
They make the discovery that for the dates they want to travel, Southwest Airlines is the cheapest. They visit several discount travel sites online, and then use Facetime and Skype to talk about the other air fare possibilities. The group books their flight dates and they pay for their trip up front, securing all the tickets, lodging and flight plans together through the apps Trip It and Flight Track Pro on their smart phones and the “visit Orlando” site. Joyfully connected through technology, the eight friends look forward to their departure to the Magical World of Disney.
And That Is How It Goes
Generation Z has just taken their trip without calling anyone or consulting an actual book. While some of Generation Y and Generation X already do this, this will be the norm for the next generation. All you’ll need is a smartphone and a sense of adventure.
About the author: Jessica is interested in technology and social media. She loves her smartphone and finding new ways to use it.
