... somebody invented a machine which could beam us everywhere we want to?

Do you know this typical holiday situation when you are sitting in a car next to four more persons being blended by the sun which is warming up the car and having the knowledge that you are forced to remain in this conditions for the next seven hours? Yes, you do? Than you are probably also familiar with the wish to find an alternative solution for those travels.

Imagine, there would be an apparatus looking like those space shuttles being sometimes on funfairs which is able to transport you anywhere you want in less than three seconds – the only thing you have to do is setting the address of your aim. Sounds good, doesn't it?

That there are nonetheless negative points of this way of moving I will show you in the second recording of this episode of  “What if...?”.



But let's start with the obvious advantages of this invention.
Firstly, the main important merit of our travel-machine is certainly saving time. These hours you can now use for exploring your holiday place or chatting with your friends whom you wanted to visit. Surely, it is also easier to overcome yourself to do journeys also to locations which are actually far away – simply because it makes no difference anymore whether your sister lives 500 km away from you or next to your house.

This leads me to my next positive argument: It is now no problem any longer to see beloved persons. Long-distance relationships wouldn't exist no more – because you simply need three seconds to your company in China and three seconds back to your children's school in Greece.

Moreover, think on all the money you can save! E.g., you don't need to pay for petrol any longer, you can avoid buying a ticket for the train or the bus.

Furthermore, our green planet would may be thankful, too. It needn't to endure all those exhaust gases which were produced by our traffic means. The number of carbon dioxides would clearly decrease. What for a recovery for our plants and atmosphere!

And don't forget the traffic jams: You are no longer forced to be transfixed on one street for four hours.

Although, all these thoughts sound very good and some of the smarter people of you listeners already have been starting making a plan how to create such a machine I have to stop your euphoria a bit. So please take away your technical drawings and try to rethink our imaginations together with me – because  I want to present you the  rather negative aspects of this travel - apparatus.

At first, the traffic economy area is comprising much in nowadays. Ticket controllers, bus drivers, stewardess, captains, road builders and and and.... all these people will lose their job, their basic income in case our travel-machine would be real. That means, millions of work places would not exist any longer and for such an incredible number of humans it is nearly impossible to find alternative employments. Therefore, an invention like this would also reason a lot of poverty.

One more point I want to make clear to you with a question: When you have the choice between a journey with our beamer without paying any travel costs or a longer hike – which one would you choose?  We prefer a transportation for free, instead of a car with steadily increasing petrol prices.  Probably, lot's of people would start using the invention also for very short distances. Our travel machine would support our laziness and would be bad for our health!

Moreover,  the most entertaining experiences are those you are making during travel periods: Sharing funny stories with your friends while going by bus to school or work, getting to know new people who are sitting in front of you in a train and watching all those interesting places you are coming about when you are riding by car to the sea. And isn't it more satisfying finally reaching your holiday aim with a crowded car because you are now appreciating your arrival more?
Visiting foreign countries or spending your free time far away from home wouldn't be something special any longer.

I don't know how you feel, but I don't want to miss any adventures I made on my long – sometimes exhausting – but always interesting travels in cars, buses, trains, planes and ships! So let's keep dreaming about this beam–apparatus but also reminding of the nice travel experiences!