Joan Jetsetter Named One of Travel's Top Social Capital Seekers

Amadeus' latest report identifies what the travel landscape will look like in the year 2030 and calls Joan Jetsetter one of travel's top social capital seekers

Amadeus North America isn't so much interested in today's travel trends. Rather, the travel technology giant is attempting to predict how and why we will travel 15 years from now (you know, when we're all old and wrinkly and robots have taken over the world).

Amadeus' latest report "Future Traveler Tribes 2030" identifies what the travel landscape will look like in the year 2030 and defines six emerging "traveler tribes." According to the report, I belong to the Social Capital Seeker tribe, and Amadeus named me one of "Travel's Top Social Capital Seekers." The company recently interviewed me about how and why social media junkies like me travel. Read the interview below and find out which traveler tribe you belong to by checking out the full report here.

Amadeus: What’s your take on the importance of documenting your travels using social media? 

Joan Jetsetter: If you don’t see anything about my trip on Instagram, Vine, Snapchat or Twitter, it’s like it never happened at all. It’s a post-modern interpretation of “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” As a travel blogger, social media is a major part of my daily life – I’m checking, posting, commenting and liking before I get out of bed in the morning, documenting my discoveries throughout the day and seeing what I missed on my social feeds before I call it a night. These days, you’ll seldom see me on a trip without three GoPro cameras, my DJI drone, a one-terabyte external hard drive and all the accessories I need to capture my experience for YouTube. I know it seems excessive to those who aren’t content creators themselves, but it’s the only way I want to travel.

Amadeus: What’s important to you when you travel?

Joan Jetsetter: Far-flung destinations, strong traditions, adventure and first-time experiences are some of the attributes I consider when planning a trip. I’d like to be the first among my friends to try something new – something that might be outside my comfort zone and theirs – and report back to them about the experience. Of course, I also want to make sure that wherever I go and whatever I do is going to read well on video and in photos, which takes some extra research.

Amadeus: How can travel companies tap into this demographic and appeal to travelers like you?

Joan Jetsetter: Free, fast Wi-Fi access for multiple devices should be available everywhere, and signing in should be a one-time, super quick process. Suppliers should make the entire travel experience flawless and seamless, from the research and booking phase to the moment travelers return home. Mobile sites and apps should be easy to navigate, and there should be multiple ways for travelers to get in touch with the company, including text messaging directly with a concierge who can assist in real time. I’d like to be able to make every transaction through my phone, in the simplest way possible, by using services like Apple Pay. I’m positive that I would make more transactions if all I had to do were tap a screen.

To read the full Amadeus interview, go here. 

So which traveler tribe do you fit into? Let me know in the comments below.