Future Narrative #13 - Holiday Exchange
In 2023 we used the three horizons approach to explore the weight of the past, push of the present and pull of the future and create future narratives for 10 years into the future about tourism in Stirling. This story came from an event with Travel Tech for Scotland and Stirling Code Base as part of the tech scaler programme. Our aim was to explore the future of technology in the Stirling area participants included start-ups, destination management organisations, and university students, who came together to explore technology trends. This story playfully reveals the enchantments that can be found across cultures and the familiarities that arise as we spend extended time in new places, specifically between Scotland and Malawi in 2032.
Illustrated by Haley Brunton and written by MƔire Ryan.
Holiday Exchange - Illustrated by Haley Brunton
Chance is a fine thing. Of all the phrases Ben had learned whilst traipsing along the shale paths of Scotlandās outer reaches, this was his favourite to actively misremember. Isabella had initially felt compelled to correct him, her video imageās mouth opening slightly before clamping shut. If she had learned anything from her time in Malawi, it was to listen, to take a back seat, to be informed. No matter how helpful the urge to correct felt, her humbling experiences in Blantyre (and beyond) revealed that any sense of authority was actually stolen dominance. And she loved Ben, she was sure of it. His mind and its constant search for information. Especially she loved his playful misremembering. Ben was certain he loved Isabella too. Her lilt, her ever watchful eyes. He loved watching her learn more about herself in the world. As much as he loved learning about himself.
*
Distance is deadly, thatās what those who have been burned by such relationships will say. They tend to belong to an old order, where face-to-face meetings where not only always possible: they were the standard. In this future, with the chokehold of dating apps and virtual meeting places compensating for the reduction of faith in chance, physical distance naturally diminished as a road blocker for romance. This was true for Ben and Isabella, although neither of them was looking for love when they embarked on their separate journeys. Their connection was forged digitally: in the new-fashioned way, but their romantic connection was solidified due to their physical shifts, which brought them directly slap-bang into the middle of one anotherās lives. On different sides of the world. Separately, they made their way towards one another.
*
Fortune favours the bold, Isabella muttered, as she prepared to press āsendā on her Work/Staycation profile. An Account Managerālately in FinTechāshe had been encouraged by a client to pursue their relatively new home swapping initiative. The premise was a āworking staycationā with an almost flawless success record: the platform paired home swappers with impressive accuracy based on a (somewhat rigorous, but ultimately rewarding) application process. The algorithms were concerned with two forks in each applicantās path. First was location suitability: the place needed to inspire, engage and enthuse the traveller in equal measure. The second was professional expedience: if the traveller was already working, it needed to facilitate continuation. If the traveller was willing to offer services to locals (which would gain you extra credits as part of a global mobility enterprise), then the locals needed to need the services the traveller delivered. Once the criteria were established, the search for a match would begin. In Stirling, Scotland, Isabellaās profile was complete. She was ready to be matched.
*
Thereās only one winner in a two-horse race, Ben chuckled, refreshing his application page. He switched to his other screen with a flick of his hand, distracting himself with a particularly tricky portion of coding for the hotel operating system he was currently assigned to provide a facelift for. A frontend developer by trade, Ben had recently stumbled across the Work/Staycation initiative in a hospitality trends forum: one of the places he frequently visited to inspire a feel for the product he was servicing. After digging in a little deeper, Ben was on board: he used his know-how to autofill his profile and dispatched it post-haste. It had to be Scotland. Ever since he was little, and learned of Blantyreās āfoundingā by Scottish missionaries, heād had a hankering to reverse their journey. Plus, the company was millimetres away from achieving net-zero, and he could up his carbon credits whilst embarking on his adventure. He set himself a timer for 30 minutes, jumping screens to refresh his application as soon as it sounded.
*
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone, the client assured Isabella when she called to politely question the algorithmās decision. Sheād sort of assumed that the programme would translate her lack of worldliness and respond by sending her down to Wales, or similar. Malawi was a wildly exciting place; life sort of jumped out of the pictures in the welcome pack. Her home swapper did seem radiantly happy in his obligatory surroundings snaps. She did want to do something to feel useful beyond her borders. It was just so, so far away.
*
You can fight fate, but, when Benās application finally met a match, he didnāt want to. Transfixed, he scrolled up and down the welcome pack: image after glorious image of the wilds close to Stirling. Burnished heather in autumn. Luminously blue-flowered in spring. Grave and mournful end-to-end sky in winter. Fizzing with animal life in summer. Ben was so engaged with feasting his eyes that he didnāt even notice his home swapping counterpart, a ghost at the corner of a loch.
*
Take only memories, leave only footprints, this is what Isabellaās granny would always say when she left home. She muttered this to herself as she boarded the carbon-efficient aircraft. Her stomach roiled the entire flight; a plaintive urge to Go Back causing her belly to churn. However, disembarking to the all-encompassing warmth at Chileka, mountains visible both left and right of her, Isabella could just about detect a frisson of excitement from within. This was fuelled by the friendliness of her guide: a representative from a conglomerate of local businesses for whom Isabella would be providing account management consultancy services andāas it quickly transpiredāa former colleague of Benās.
*
Smile, and the world smiles with you, while delightful, was not entirely Benās experience upon landing at Glasgow. In fact, it would be fair to observe that he was the only person still grinning at baggage reclaim, and was certainly happier than the cabbie on his last shift of the day. Nonetheless, Ben had made it to Scotland. Heād watched enough Taggart to just about work out what people were saying. He was ready to get involved, and secretly confident he could find Nessie. Ben went straight to the historic Portcullis hotel, who had hired him to assist with rejuvenating their online assets, and to adjust the frontend programming for their newly-acquired robotic staff fleet. Hired to provide relief by maintaining the nightshift, these electronic concierges were experiencing some glitches in their first iteration. Ben was excited to get his feet on the ground with immediate effect. He could check out Isabellaās house later.
*
Good relationships are no accident. As Isabella and Ben began to thrive in their new-shared existences, they found themselves wondering increasingly about their across-the-world counterparts. Deep in the Scottish heartlands, Ben began to perceive a sense of Isabella: not just in the books and trinkets that lined the shelves of her living room, but in the stark beauty of the surroundings. He could imagine a certain gentleness to her person that might permit her to float the jagged terrain like a breeze-thrown web. Isabella learned of Ben mostly through chance meetings with his Blantyre-based connections. The image of an outgoing, laughing man began to match the pictures he filled his home with. As she spent her leisure time soaking up Malawian tradition, feeling privileged to peek into the spirit of Blantyreās community, she often imagined his presence beside her.
*
You canāt fight fate. Initial mutual curiosity was fanned by the platformās instant messaging service: what began as polite enquiries between Ben and Isabellaāregarding the location of the dryer or the code to the Wi-Fiāevolved into a meeting of minds. An online relationship spurred by an offline adventure. Their shared journey began as their separate staycations came to an end. Their tale wasn't just about work and vacation; it was a testament to the potential of our digital age. Through the harmony of technology and human connections, they showed how challenges and changed contexts could craft journeys that blurred borders, promoting personal growth and sustainable travel and inciting love, which is all you need, really.
Provocation Questions
What unexpected place in the world might you be pleasantly surprised to be matched with in a holiday exchange?
Where would you like to spend 6 months, and what would you hope to experience?