Study Reveals the One Thing People Won't Travel Without

Yahoo Travel Staff
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Yeah, that beach is nice, but what’s on Snapchat today? (Photo: Thinkstock)

Unplugging from your devices when you travel may be a Zen idea, but according to one survey, most people’s favorite travel companion is their smartphones.

A study by Expedia found smartphones to be the thing travelers can least do without – 60 percent of the 9,642 travelers surveyed said they wouldn’t go on vacation without a mobile device, ranking higher than a toothbrush, deodorant, and driver’s license.

Another 60 percent of those same travelers, polled from 19 countries, said they never truly unplug on leisure trips. Thirty-five percent said they actually use their devices more on vacation than at home.

“Just because a traveler can use their device to read work email and stay connected to the office, they also believe it improves the quality of their vacations,” said Aman Bhutani, president of Brand Expedia Group.

Related: Put The Cellphone Down and Back Away Slowly: Mobile Etiquette Gets Tough

The study looked at mobile-device use for both leisure and business travel. The countries where the most people called their devices an important travel companion were all in Asia: China (94 percent of respondents), Taiwan (94 percent), and Thailand (91 percent)

The countries where people were less dependent on their devices were all in Europe: Germany, Norway, and Sweden.

The study found that people have a hard time keeping work from pleasure separate: more than half of respondents admitted to checking in on work at least once a day while on vacation.

Related: Phones on a Plane: Not as Bad as You Think?

The Expedia study also asked people what annoys them the most about other people’s use of mobile devices. These faux pas get the most hate:

  • Playing music, games or videos without headphones: 58 percent of respondents

  • Making/taking calls while on speakerphone: 57 percent

  • Taking photos/videos of strangers: 48 percent

  • Making / taking voice calls while dining at a restaurant / café: 39 percent

  • Enabling notifications on the loud setting: 39 percent

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