An approach based on today's technology please.
Creating faster-than-light travel seems like awful hard work. And for reasons cleverer comentards than me have outlined, relies on technology that probably isn't actually possible, let alone reasonable to achieve (Tame black hole, energy levels equal to a supernova, etc)
We could still travel to other stars. Two major developments would be needed, both of them possible in our lifetime. A reactionless drive, be it the Cannae/Em drive or lightsails or whatever - that can get a spaceship up to a reasonable % of lightspeed. Let's say 10%.
Then we need to "tinker" a bit with human DNA. We could try to do two things: Make humans that can survive being frozen. Or. Massively prolong the human lifespan. Suddenly the cruel speed-limit of the universe seems more reasonable. There are obvious other issues to do with free hydrogen and a hundred more, but I think the major problem is really that humans just don't live long enough. So you need to travel quicker than is possible. Let's look at the low-hanging fruit first?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
