May 21st, 2181 - 3:03pm (EST)

By Dawn Thompkins

Boston, Ma (US) - Since the advent of the steamship, the notion of taking some time off after graduation has attracted the imaginations of generations of students. Previously they would finish their degree, hop on a plane and see what other countries are like before settling into a job, a marriage and a life. With the advent of teleportation, the concept of travel time has all but disappeared for the wealthy, and the recent opening of transatlantic and transpacific teleportation links has revitalized the once-moribund tourism industry.

But what if you aren't wealthy? What if you really just want to get to Point B from Point A very quickly, but can't afford the cost of teleportation? You can do what today's adventurous students are doing; you can kill yourself.

Christine Chalmers, a recent graduate of Boston University, did just that for her recent trip to Paris. She went to the North End Transition Salon and registered the Left Bank (Paris) Transition Salon as her temporary reconstitution station. She then rented a locker for the week to store her clothes, changed into a robe, and instructed her implant to preemptively terminate.

When she emerged from the cloner in Paris, she was issued some disposable clothes which she wore until she went shopping later that night. Total Cost: 10 new dollars, not counting the new, "fabulous" Parisian apparel she ended up buying. If she were to take a teleporter, she would have spent at least 1000 times that, and as she herself noted, "I didn't even have to pass through security or anything, and with the money I saved, I had a lot more fun!"

Tom Wright, of Newton, MA has a different take on it. "Using reconstitution, I can take a dinner meeting in Tokyo and be back in time for lunch here." He also noted that his company has started to provide clothing budgets for employees traveling via reconstitution technology, due to the savings in airfare and time this new method provides.

Savvy Transition Salon operators have reconfigured a number of rooms as travel rooms specifically designed to cater to this kind of discount traveler. Many have built out centers with clothing, banking and shipping services.

This new way of getting around does not appeal to all travelers. Mary Cummings of the Human League noted that there is a growing 'Body Problem'. "There are a lot of people who believe that reconstitution should only be used as a last resort, not as a cosmetic or convenience. This trend of death-travel is making long distance travel more expensive for those who are unable to afford teleportation and who find reconstitution nauseating."

Indeed the standard cross-country fare has been rising for the last 6 months, with the hyperlines blaming falling ridership and the perennially rising fuel costs.

The shares of Hyperplane operators who are already losing first class passenger traffic to teleportation, were down on the news. A number of prominent analysts have declared the age of the Hyperplane as being largely over, with the noted exception of their use in cargo operations.