DIGITAL DETOX ON VACATION

We began the study by asking a question we knew the majority of respondents would contradict. Travel is traditionally associated with three core values coded into our genetics; the desire to explore, be around people close to us and escape our programmed routine lives. According to Condor Ferries, 66% of millenials actually book their trip using a smartphone and 74% used it to research their trip. The integration of addictive technology, specifically smartphones, makes it almost impossible to disconnect from the popular impulse-driven triggers they make available.

Conflicted sightseers around the world admit they are reluctant to go abroad without their smartphone, with over 92.5% of respondents claiming they are compelled even though 85% wanted to ‘get away from it all’. Apple users indexed the highest in this survey question, with 94% of iPhone owners voting their phone as a vital travel accessory, compared with 91% of Android users.

Despite 85% of respondents wanting to get away and 57% wanting to spend quality time with someone they care about, still almost half of our vacationers pleaded guilty to spending too much time on their phones. Once again iPhone users marginally over-index at 49%, followed by 45% of Android owners.

In our previous study, we found the average smartphone user checks their phone 2.93 times an hour. It seems vacations are not that much of a distraction, with this latest data suggesting it’s much harder to disconnect, with the average iPhone user checking their phone 5.73 times an hour, compared with 5.68 for Android users.

Tourists desire to maintain an uninterrupted or strong internet connection is astounding! With 41.5% of travelers checking for Wi-Fi passwords in hotels, bars, and restaurants, it seems this password request might be a phrase you should learn in the native language. A substantial 48% of iPhone users agreed with the statement, whereas the data suggests this is much less of a necessity for 65% of Android owners who are not chasing Wi-Fi.

Despite a large majority of international airlines having a requirement for your phone to be switched off or in flight mode, 1 in 4 of travelers admits to ignoring the request. The cellular signal interference with the plane is insignificant, it’s more of a safety precaution so these objects aren’t flying around the cabin during sudden differences in trajectory and speed – but most people don’t know that!

This is likely to change dramatically in the future, with domestic flights you can now still get Wi-Fi connectivity from the transmission towers for about 50 miles air-to-ground, however, new Ka-band satellite technology enables satellites to transmit signals into aircraft providing signal similar to home broadband according to Stratos.

On flights where phone use is permitted, travelers revealed just how much they dislike the environment it creates. 89% of respondents agree that enduring another passenger’s phone conversations and interactions is an irritation. Android users voted highest at 91% compared to the 87% of Apple users.

From checking into places to uploading endless streams of photos, it’s clear to see from this data that social media is heavily integrated into a traveler’s vacation. An average of 71.5% of tourists agreed they frequently interact with social media on holiday, which is not far from the 85% of people that surveyed saying they wanted to ‘get away from it all’

Tourists are using their phones to take photos, browse social, text and play music more than doing some ‘on the ground’ research to maximize their trip experience. 93% of tourists taking smartphone photos significantly outweighed the other results, whereas iPhone users were found to be much more likely to do personal and work emails (42%) compared with Android users (31%).

Social media show-offs are taking their accounts into consideration when choosing travel destinations and trips. Almost half the respondents admitted they consider ‘what could look good on social media’ when planning their vacations, with Android users voting highest at 47% compared with Apple’s 42%.

The travel industry is worth $1.2 trillion, so people are spending big on holidays with 57% of people wanting to spend more quality time with someone away, it’s not a surprise that 54.5% of the people surveyed found the smartphone use of their friends, family or spouse, a frustrating distraction from their plans.

With 48% of tourists wanting to enjoy their travel experience, some degree of frustration is coming from their travel partners smartphone use. 1 in 3 vacationers are fed up with their companion taking photos of food, attractions and a million selfies! 23.5% of travelers find social media a problem and 17% messaging, is it an implied insult on their present company not being good enough?

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Some employers will expect you to respond when hailed on vacation, how many tourists feel compelled to reply to work emails while they’re off work? 41.5% of vacationers felt obligated to respond, with 45% of iPhone and 38% of Android users unable to embrace ‘getting away from it all’ fully with their email inbox filling up.

Out of all the vacationers surveyed, over 81.5% longed to become unreachable while they were on holiday and potentially get back to a mountain of emails. The craving was higher among Apple users, with 84% wanting to disappear from their job completely, compared with 79% Android.