The concept of traveling into the future is indeed a fascinating aspect of the theory of relativity. According to the theory, time dilation occurs as an object's velocity approaches the speed of light. This means that time passes more slowly for a moving object relative to a stationary observer.
If a person were to travel at a significant fraction of the speed of light, for example in a spacecraft, and then return to their starting point, they would experience less elapsed time compared to those who remained stationary. This is known as the "Twin Paradox" in relativity.
To illustrate this, let's consider a scenario where one twin stays on Earth while the other twin embarks on a space journey traveling close to the speed of light. When the traveling twin returns to Earth, they would have experienced less time compared to the twin who remained on Earth. As a result, the traveling twin would effectively have "traveled into the future" relative to their sibling.
However, it's important to note that this form of time travel to the future is unidirectional. It does not allow for arbitrary control over time or the ability to go backward in time. Additionally, the energy requirements to approach the speed of light are enormous and currently beyond our technological capabilities.
The time dilation effects become more pronounced as the speed approaches the speed of light, so even a small fraction of light speed would result in noticeable differences in elapsed time. However, reaching the speed of light itself would require infinite energy according to current physics theories, making it impossible for massive objects with rest mass.
So while traveling at near light speed can allow for relative time dilation and experiencing less elapsed time compared to stationary observers, it is important to understand that it does not provide a means for instantaneous or arbitrary time travel.