Donald Strachan Dec 30 2014 at 8:56 AM

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Travel takes us all over the world, but its key technology battles are happening in your pocket. Mobile use is booming. During 2014, Skyscanner flight searches from hand-held devices have grown by 152 per cent, according to the company. Mobiles will become ever more important, particularly as last-minute and in-destination booking booms.

Gone roaming

Of course, a mobile phone is useless if you can't afford to use it. I have written regularly this year about roaming, including how to avoid charges with apps such as Roamer (Android, iOS;roamerapp.com). Roaming will continue to be an issue, but welcome changes may arrive for European travellers. In April, the European Parliament voted to end roaming charges within the EU by December 2015. Details are still to be confirmed.

The convergence between phone and wallet will accelerate. It is not yet clear when Apple's mobile payments system, Apple Pay, will come to Australia. In Britain, Zapp is working with banks and retailers to add a mobile payment capability to existing UK banking apps. Zapp's service will launch in 2015.

Pay as you go

Some travel apps already have a built-in payment function, including taxi services such as Uber and Hailo and last-minute hotel service HotelTonight. Restaurant app OpenTable (Android, iOS;opentable.co.uk) is trialling payment direct from its app in several US cities, including New York and San Francisco. Set to launch in London, new restaurant app Reserve (iOS;reserve.com) also enables diners to settle their bill in-app. Paying with your phone will become more mainstream in 2015.

Wear it's at

There is already plenty of buzz about "wearable technology", particularly smart watches. The Apple Watch launches in 2015, but Android Wear devices including the Motorola Moto 360 are already on sale. Travel apps will learn how to make best use of this new hardware. For example, clever itinerary management app TripCase (Android, iOS;tripcase.com) automatically notifies a connected watch if your flight is delayed, cancelled or even if the departure gate changes. One of my favourite apps, Rain Alarm (Android, iOS, Windows Phone;rain-alarm.com), also works smoothly with Android Wear. My watch simply vibrates when rain is heading my way. More travel apps will work in tandem with smart watches by this time next year.

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Mobile phones will change the way we travel in 2015