?Hyper-connected travellers need a holiday too? by Christopher Baldwin, Selligent

A new wave of hyper-connected travellers are leaving an ever-increasing data footprint as they research travel-related services and products online and offline.

?Consumers are protected? but what about the risk carried by OTAs?? by Eduardo Barreto, SafeCharge

Digital travel sales are expected to reach a staggering USD $817 billion by 2020. Driven by a desire for convenience, fast access to cheap deals and the confidence that comes with ATOL protection, people are more than happy to book a holiday on their laptop or their mobile.

?Top tips on how to combine a business trip to a new city with sight-seeing? by Gail Banim, Staycity Aparthotels

Life is extremely fast-paced and stressful at the best of times, but when international travel is a mandatory element of your job role it can be tricky to try and appreciate the new cities and locations you are sent to with work. It doesn?t need to be this way.

?Understanding interchange fees in the travel payments ecosystem? by Andrea Dunlop, Paysafe Group

For the majority of online travel agents, payments represent nothing more than a necessary evil; it?s widely accepted that getting paid costs money, and most merchants are prepared to leave it at that. However, by taking the time to understand why these costs exist, and by asking acquirers the right questions, businesses have the potential to significantly drive down their payments expenditure.

'The changing face of the fan experience' by Rob Slawson, Thomas Cook Sport

Sports provide the tourism industry with a consistent series of events and spectacles for countries, cities and venues across the world to hang their hat on. Sports enthusiasts are now looking for that next evolution of their sporting fandom, whether that?s upgrading a previous experience or ticking something further afield off their sports travel bucket list.

?Is now the time to take big data seriously?? by James Blake, Hello Soda

With 2.5 quintillion bites of data being created every day, big data analytics has never been more useful for the travel industry.

?How data is amplifying the customer journey for travel brands? by Jed Mole, Acxiom

We all love a holiday. Whether you?re a winter sun escapee, a ?sausage leg selfie? taker, or simply enjoy running away from work with the family for the weekend, there?s nothing better than switching off the laptop for a getaway.