Microsoft consumer portal MSN celebrated its 15th birthday this week by asking users how they think they will travel in the year 2025.
The poll (which also included questions about other consumer trends) took place in the UK in mid-November 2010 and saw up to 10,000 people take part, answering questions about destinations, technology, lifestyle changes and more.
The results are interesting not as a barometer of how the travel and technology industries will develop, but more around the expectations of consumers...
What overall travel trends do you think will be popular in 2025?
- More people will stay in the UK because global warming means the temperatures will be hotter - 17%
- There will be an increase in luxury travel because the economy will be better - 9%
- Gap years won’t be as popular - 12%
- Backpacking will decline because countries will become more developed and therefore more expensive - 15%
- Travel to long haul destinations will increase as flight technology advances and flight times become shorter - 47%
How do you think people will travel on holiday in 2025?- By plane - 63%
- By train - 7%
- By boat - 3%
- By car - 3%
- By bike - 1%
- An increasing number of people will stay in UK - 23%
Do you think factors such as greater airport congestion and heightened security procedures will ensure that by 2025 air travel is a miserable experience?Do you think backpacking will be as popular as it is now in 2025?- Yes, it will be as popular - 21%
- Yes but the backpacker destination will be different - 29%
- No, most of the backpacker destinations, such as Thailand, India, Vietnam and Indonesia will be so saturated with tourism that they will be just as expensive as general holiday destinations - 27%
- No, flight prices will be more expensive so less people will be able to afford round-the-world tickets - 24%
Which destinations will be the most popular for backpackers in 2025?- Thailand - 8%
- Vietnam - 5%
- Indonesia - 4%
- Cambodia - 5%
- China - 15%
- Russia - 5%
- Australia - 14%
- Fiji - 4%
- New Zealand - 8%
- Japan - 3%
- Western Europe - 8%
- Eastern Europe - 11%
- Dubai - 4%
- Canada - 7%
Which of these technologies do you think is most likely to be extinct within 15 years?- Landline telephones - 35%
- Non-touchscreen mobiles and smartphones - 13%
- DVD players - 19%
- Physical media (CDs, DVDs) - 18%
- Physical cash - 15%
What will be the biggest threat to the planet over the next 15 years?- Climate change - 18%
- Pollution - 6%
- Rising seas - 6%
- Terrorism - 25%
- Global nuclear war - 13%
- Asteroid - 3%
- Over population - 30%
How far will the human race have got in its exploration of space by 2025?- People will have revisited the moon - 46%
- There will be a permanent base on the moon - 19%
- The first human will have set foot on Mars - 22%
- There will be a permanent base on Mars - 4%
- There will be a colony of humans living in space - 9%
If DVDs become obsolete in the next 15 years, what do you think will take their place?- Blu-Ray discs - 23%
- USB-style chips - 30%
- There will be no physical discs, it will all be online - 48%
What technology do you think will be powering YOUR car in 2025?- Internal combustion engine 18%
- Hybrid system 19%
- Plug-in electric motor 10%
- Hydrogen fuel-cell system 47%
- Other 6%