Holiday season is here! Finally! At least for some people it is, others are still in the office writing about other people going on holiday, but they’re not bitter (I’ve heard). Anyway, it’s a win all round, the sun is shining (some of the time), the roads are quieter (some of the time) and people tend to bit just that little bit chirpier (some of the time). Some people are jetting off for foreign lands while others are going back to basics and giving camping a go, either in a caravan or under canvas. Others are opting for the staycation, remaining at home and sampling local attractions or just doing the much needed chores around the house and garden.

So whatever your choice of holiday, have you heard about the virtual reality travel agency experiences? Unlike other technology stuff that we have written about, this is actually happening right now, probably in a store near you, and it sounds brilliant.

Instead of trawling through the shiny, colourful brochures, now technology is really helping companies like Thomas Cook to increase their sales. In some stores throughout the continent you will find 3D digital screens, interactive world maps, iPads, virtual reality headsets, sound effects and even smell generators giving off gentle aromas as you immerse yourself in the holiday experience. Thomas Cook has already introduced the headsets into their Bluewater shop and other brands seem very open to embrace this new technology to boost their profits.

The whole idea is to inspire customers, give them a taste of what a holiday that perhaps they wouldn’t dream about booking, could be like. Now, with a headset on, you can lie in the sunshine by the pool, visit a restaurant or bar, sample some of the excursions or fly over an impressive New York skyline without having to pay a penny towards any of these holidays. A virtual ‘try before you buy’.

You will never hear us knocking print, because, as you know, Glow loves print! For the right purposes it can be perfect, but sometimes fancy pictures and a flattering piece of copy isn’t enough to tempt you to commit to pay hundreds of pounds towards a holiday. This technology can now give you more of a true sense of what your potential hotel, villa or apartment will be like.

According to Marco Ryan, Chief Digital Officer of Thomas Cook, one in 10 customers who try the headset at Bluewater, go on to book holidays immediately afterwards. So although we’ve been drawn away from visiting the travel agencies by all the tools that we now have to hand to book holidays online, this new experience is taking us back there. The shops offer something that a website doesn’t.

Thomson is also jumping on this digital bandwagon and although they currently have 27 digital concept shops, they are planning to extend it to 120. They have the interactive maps, and tablet tables are placed around the entrance for customers to help themselves to in order to research the holidays and other products available. There are also large shop front immersive video walls to show off the holidays and what they have to offer. So far, the results have been very successful, not only has it increased footfall but sales targets have been exceeded.

This concept can only be developed further to reveal all sorts of exciting new ways of experiencing an assortment of things, the possibilities are endless! Maybe we won’t need to go on holiday at all, maybe just a quick trip to a travel agent will be enough to satisfy our need for a break from work.

So enjoy all your holidays, you lucky, lucky people, may you feel refreshed and thoroughly spoilt. For me though, for now, I’m off to Bluewater.

Bon voyage!