Elite Traveler Summer 2021

INSPIRE 20TH ANNIVERSARY GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE LUXURY

The GoPro Hero 9 has a front-facing LCD display, a larger rear touch screen, 5k ultra HD video (even when you’re zooming in), 20MP photo quality and 1080p live streaming

Technology The way that technology has advanced in the last 20 years is quite astounding. We now carry around a phone, camera, calculator (and so on and so on…) in our pockets at all times and can speak to anyone on Earth at the click of a button — things that would have seemed impossible two decades ago. We are more connected than ever; and even more so in the last year, many of us have relied on various technologies and gadgets to help us through the pandemic and the tough times that came with it. From home gym equipment to a clever wine fridge, we take a look at tech-savvy products from the companies who have pioneered in the last 20 years and who, through their advances, made our lives that much easier.

by Samantha Coles

GOPRO Maybe the most fun tech item to come out (especially for skiers, surfers, mountain climbers, et al), GoPro was founded in 2002 and is synonymous with adventure. Known for creating hard-wearing, versatile action cameras, the company released its first model in 2004 and has since evolved with various iterations, the latest of which is the GoPro Hero9. The waterproof camera has a front-facing LCD display (the only model that allows you to see what you’re recording from the front), a larger rear touch screen, 5k ultra HD video (even when you’re zooming in), 20MP photo quality and 1080p live streaming. As both the camera and the company were born from a love of the great outdoors, supporting causes that are involved in the natural world are part of the company’s fiber. GoPro for a Cause was launched in 2015 and shines a spotlight on a number of nonprofit organizations, with GoPro matching donations (to a specified level). Many a GoPro video or picture has gone viral (and the company runs competitions to give budding photographers/videographers a chance to win various prizes and to gain exposure for their work), so highlighting important causes carries much weight. One partnership, Skate Like A Girl, addresses the lack of diversity in the world of skateboarding and encourages inclusivity through a number of programs: after-school enrichment programs, free summer clinics for kids and the Youth Employment Skateboarding (YES) teen volunteer program. gopro.com