I just wanted to tell you about mine and your Grandad’s recent holiday to New Zealand. Having lived there many years ago I never thought we would be able to go back, but the introduction of space travel made it so quick and easy that we couldn’t resist a visit. We booked it using our little robot, Freddie (still can’t get used to having a robot!). We just said the rough dates and how much we wanted to spend and the next thing you know, it’s all booked.
As you know, we went by rocket. I was a bit nervous, but it was so comfortable and sooooo quick! None of that 28 hours business like back in 2015 – 1 hour! And most of that was waiting for take-off and landing. We just went straight up, and then straight down again (or at least that’s what it felt like). No need for yukky airplane food either. Just a quick sip of water to help swallow the travel sickness pills that we had to take.
Passport control is non-existent now we all have those little chip things. Again, I was a bit sceptical, but hey ho – gotta embrace new technology. The full body scan seemed a bit invasive, but I know that New Zealand has always been very vigilant when it comes to bringing nasties into the country.
We used our smartphones to help us get around. It felt like going back in time, but we couldn’t take Freddie the robot with us!! We were able to plot our routes and book hotels and restaurants so much quicker than the old days. And then we could use our phones as keys to the rooms – no need to check in, just turn up. Perfect for me as I’m sure your Dad would tell you, I hate having to talk to people!! And it’s so nice not having to worry about checking out – we could just leave and that was that. Same as at the restaurants – no waiting for the bill. Just order on the tablets on the table, and pay and leave when we wanted to.
One of the best things about the trip was the driverless cars. I used to hate driving in New Zealand, and now it’s a breeze. Just sit down, tap in where we wanted to go – and away! It meant we could pack so much more into the days as we weren’t tired from driving – and we could have the odd glass of wine – especially good when we went to the wine tasting in Marlborough.
One of the best things we did (and I would recommend this so much) was a helicopter ride over the Franz Josef Glacier. Again, this felt much safer with the pilotless helicopter. I was pretty nervous at the start, but the views made it all worthwhile. I love this new technology where I just blink my eyes quickly a couple of times and it takes a photo. We can’t wait to show them to you on our wall screen at home when you come to visit.
It was great talking to you on the vidi-wall at the hotel in Wellington. It was such a clear line, and no delay like the old days. It felt like you were in the room with us!
Luckily the countryside in New Zealand has hardly changed at all. It felt like going “home”. The beach is just as we remembered it. Completely unspoilt. And now it’s so quick to get there, I can see us going again.
I can’t wait to see you again soon. The holograms are all very well, but nothing beats a real life hug.
Lots of love and hugs, Nana Nic xx
Travel in 2039 