Introduction
A fan of the red, white, and blue?
The United States triumphs over global competition in a number of fields. It maintains the largest economy, lasting cultural influence worldwide (you can find yourself in the middle of Asia listening to old American pop), and is the leading country in space technology. The United States sent someone to the moon before any country.
We take pride in our space-based accomplishments. However, while the U.S. could navigate the solar system faster than other countries, other countries have figured out how to navigate hyperlocal communities better than the United States. Have we fast-forwarded to accomplishments of grandeur before we figured out the basics?
The United States is lacking in a local convenience other countries have already implemented. Monumental attractions in the United States attract people from all over the world, but the awe-inspiring attractions they visit don’t diminish the inconveniences they experience during their time.
Visitors pack their bags to the brim and buy a ton of souvenirs. They lug around everything they own alongside everything they’ve bought until they’re able to check into their hotels.
Other countries have the solution figured out. With Exchange Zones, the U.S. can, too.
What are Exchange Zones?
Exchange Zones are secure, convenient locations that allow people to drop off and pick up items asynchronously. They’re located around cities for easy, on-demand access.
When you’re visiting a new city, you don’t spend much time in your hotel room. To attack your itinerary, you’re likely to compile a bag full of basic necessities for the day. It’s important to prepare for the day, but it’s destructive to weigh yourself down by the load of your preparation.
Whether it’s lugging a suitcase up or down a set of stairs, rolling one across a grass lawn, or balancing your bags with the coffee you’re intermittently spilling (if it’s from Starbucks, you’re spilling in dollar amounts), your vital amenities turn into your thankless burdens. Exchange Zones offer you the opportunity to free your hands and interact with the city around you.
How Do I Use an Exchange Zone?
To use Exchange Zones, follow these simple steps.
Download a Relai App: Located in any app store, search for and download the app SHIFT.
Select an Exchange Zone: Review the list of active Exchange Zone locations in your city and select the one that best accommodates your schedule for the day.
Decide on a Time Block: Discern the amount of time you need between your item drop-off and pickup.
Navigate to the Exchange Zone: Copy and paste the address of the Exchange Zone into your maps application and follow the route until you reach the Exchange Zone.
Dropping Off and Picking Up: Follow the in-app prompts to drop off and pick up your item on your own time.
Why Exchange Zones Would “Never Work” in the US
I mean, have you SEEN New York City? Have you spent a fraction of a second there? There’s vandalism, crime, people living on the streets, and not to mention ~drugs~. Do you seriously think that a quick storage option like this won’t face massive corruption and damage in such a place?
I hear you.
The unmistakable fact, though, is that New York City and all other cities are full of humans. Humans want to wreak havoc no matter where they’re from. If systems similar to Exchange Zones work in other countries, they can work in the United States, too.
They don’t only exist in other countries. They thrive.
All the Cool Countries are Doing it, We Should Too
Let’s talk about Barcelona. A city NOTORIOUS for pickpocketing. Seriously— pickpocketing takes up 48.1% of the crimes in Barcelona (Info Barcelona, 2024). If you turn your attention away from your phone for just a second in a busy area, you may never see it again. The #1 tip visitors receive when traveling to the city is to strap a fanny pack with their valuables across their chests so they can keep an eye on it at all times.
For a city whose crime rate is dominated by theft, don’t you think infrastructure that parallels Exchange Zones would face corruption the minute it’s put into place?
If you said “yes” or a variation of it, you’re wrong.
Bounce is a company devoted to self-service luggage storage around the world. It’s got secure spaces in Barcelona that travelers and locals continue to rely on. With 156 locations in a range of cities (which means a range of crime rates and types), Bounce has secured a 4.9/5 star rating from nearly 550,000 reviews.
So what are we waiting for? All the cool countries have already figured it out. At Relai, we’ve caught on and we’ll do the work for you so you can hop onto the trend, too.
Exchange Zone Safety Considerations
The system works. But the team at Relai took extra precautions to soothe your anxious mind. The safety of your belongings dictate your peace of mind, and Exchange Zone precautions are in place to support and satisfy both.
Vetted Users
To use Exchange Zones, users must pass a verification process after submitting their government-issued identification. When Exchange Zone users are vetted, they are held accountable for the space they use. People are less likely to cause a ruckus when their interaction with a service or product is no longer anonymous (see the movie “Nerve” or any information on “cyberbullying” for more details).
Surveillance
You’re getting sick of your social media advertisements reflecting the conversation you JUST had with your friends. You feel nauseous seeing McDonald’s ads at 10 am in response to your 2 am conversation about whether or not you should order it. Understandable.
If there’s something this country is already great at, it’s monitoring and surveillance. You might be sick of this, but don’t let it keep you from enjoying ways to leverage it. Exchange Zones are placed in well-lit, public areas where surveillance can maintain the peace and order in and around them. Cameras and authority figures are in place to ensure the protection of the locations and the items you store inside them.
Maintenance
Maybe you’ve seen it before.
If you’ve ever traveled on any highway, you’ve likely caught sight of some obnoxious car wrap. If you haven’t, a quick Google Search won’t hurt.
Aside from the bizarre utility of wraps, they can be used for practicality. Exchange Zones are equipped with interchangeable wraps to combat graffiti-hungry locals looking to stir the pot. Not today, angsty teens.
Alongside interchangeable wraps, Exchange Zones undergo daily maintenance for cleaning and clearing out forgotten items. The Relai team is consistently overviewing the physical structures and the technological systems that keep Exchange Zones at the top of your list of local technological conveniences.
Conclusion
The United States is built on the foundations of capitalism, a fundamentally competitive economic and political system. Games of Monopoly lead to tension-filled relationships. American rappers establish duels and American athletes establish rivalries.
For a country so intensely devoted to competition, how come we find ourselves dragging behind the convenient technological systems that already exist and function well in other countries? We need to catch up.
Download a Relai App to incorporate Exchange Zones into your domestic travels.
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