Abstract
This study focuses on the impact of technology and on the planning of a trip by a Portuguese tourist. From the literature review, studies done at the European level, the technology inherent to tourism is provided to the entire age range, and fundamentally to the planning of accommodation, transport and tourist packs. The absorption of information is always highlighted by the easy and fast access to the Internet increasingly accessible to anyone, promoting behavioral changes in tourism planning. Thus, an online survey (with 180 valid answers) was carried out, which focused mainly on university students, and was restricted to Portuguese citizens. The survey determined that online platforms are most used for accommodation (87.2%), transportation (87,2%) and the demand for information (68.8%) to the detriment of catering (7.3%), and these are mainly being used because of their speed (79.4%) and simplicity (80.7%). To conclude, our study confirms the bibliographic review, and it was determined that practically all respondents assume the influence of digital platforms in the planning of their trips (99.1%), with 89% going further and affirming that in the future all planning will be carried out in an exclusive way online.

Abstract
The aim of this article is to show how autoethnography is a useful and revealing research methodology that should be encouraged in academia, especially in higher education. With objectivity, autoethnography, which is a relatively new approach, may be a path toward deeper cultural discussions that are so important in everyday life. Moreover, autoethnography leads to important reflexive and critical observations made by students. Autoethnography is a readily accessible, low-cost methodology and thus very appealing to students and younger researchers. With this article, the author exemplifies autoethnographic accounts and narrates three different stories that occurred while trekking with three different trekking guides in Patagonia (El Chalten), Argentina. Argentinian culture, in South America, is the focus. Researchers need to be careful of misleading statements in the literature, such as that in Argentina modesty is apparently not tolerated. We found that two of our guides and leaders - Mariano and Liz - both had modest (and pleasant) demeanors. Hence, we conclude that it is important to maintain an open mind and resist categorizing people. This is a vital point of cultural studies that is often not taken seriously. Cultures are made up of individuals and thus many differences can be found in the midst of an attempted standardization, and the desire to put everyone in the same "basket".

Abstract
In this age of technology, information, innovation, and so many other features that could be associated with it, it becomes necessary to review the benefits and risks associated with this change. The question that guides this article is: Does the easiness granted to us, through the many online mechanisms, affect our ability to perceive at the moment of making a purchase decision? Rather, from a financial perspective, is the quick and easy way that the internet allows the consumer to make a payment influencing the consumers' buying act? Through the analysis of various mobile applications available for the aforementioned purpose, as well as a survey, that featured 137 answers from various age groups and occupations, we will present a brief conclusion about this theme, aiming to contribute to a better and broader understanding of the benefits, risks, advantages and disadvantages of these so well-known banking applications that increasingly stand out in the daily lives of the Portuguese. The results of this exploratory study reveal the importance of a greater and better instruction when using these innovative tools, so the user can stop being merely a hostage to their risks and begin to fully enjoy the benefits.

Abstract
As life expectancy grows and the population requirements for satisfactory health and wellness levels increases, there is a clear opportunity for the incorporation of alternative techniques and tools for promoting health and preventing disease. One of these tools, is the use of thermal water-based treatments, commonly known as thermalism, as tools to trigger patients’ overall wellness. Despite the collective assumption of the effects of thermalism, there is little to no scientific evidence of these treatments, thus impairing the potential of this activity to become more widespread in society. Thus, with this paper, we present a conceptual model for a non-invasive sensing system based on wearables that can monitor a set of patients’ biomarkers which will serve as the basis for the validation of the effects of thermalism. This system will also serve as a management and operation control tool for thermal SPA managers and technical directors. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
This article serves to show how things are changing when it comes to business and social networking. Nowadays, it is hard to find a business that does not have an account on any social network, and we can safely say that social media is a crucial aspect for any business enterprise - to sell their products, to be seen and, obviously, to make more money. We talk about the possibility to mix innovation, business strategy and social media. To complement this research, we focused our work on a Portuguese start-up - Strain - that intends to prove marketing is changing and that it actually welcomes the change, with social networks at the base of their business. They intend to use online influencers to promote the image of a brand, free of charge, and earn discounts on it. It is, indeed, a win-win situation, where each of the three parts (the company itself, clients and Strain) is a winner one way or the other. © 2019 AISTI.

Abstract
With the increasing use of smartphones in people's daily lives, mobile accessibility has become a key factor for them. Tourism is one of the sectors that has benefited the most from this growth but has not yet reached its full potential as accessibility has not yet been fully exploited. The main goal of this study is to assess accessibility in mobile applications for the tourism sector. Thus, 14 mobile applications were analyzed, using a manual and automatic methodology through the proposal of an evaluation model divided by quantitative and qualitative requirements, as well as the use of features such as VoiceOver and TalkBack. The results show a high overall number of errors in most quantitative requirements as well as non-compliance with most qualitative requirements. On iPhone 4, "Viseu - Guia da Cidade" was the application with the highest rating, while on Wiko GOA, it was the "JiTT.Travel Funchal" application. In turn, on iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone XR, Nokia 5.1 and OnePlus 6 devices, the best results were achieved by the "Viseu - Guia da Cidade," "JiTT.Travel Funchal" and "TUR4all" applications. Regarding the accessibility of mobile applications on different versions of the same mobile operating system, it was concluded that there are no differences in their accessibility on both operating systems (iOS and Android). Finally, regarding the accessibility of applications on smartphones with different screen sizes, there are also no differences in their accessibility.