A report has highlighted the growing importance British travellers place on their mobile devices, coupled with a strong anxiety of losing them while away. The research, taken from the ‘2014 Expedia® and Egencia® Mobile Index’ global study of mobile-device-related behaviour among travellers, shows that 89% of Brits take one or more mobile devices on holiday, with 69% using their mobile for the duration of their trip away.
Checking the weather more important than social media!
Even abroad though, it seems the British obsession with the weather is still prevalent, with the data showing checking the weather is more important than using social media, for both UK leisure and business travellers. 39% regularly make sure the sun will be shining versus only 33% updating their social profiles, while away.
The new normal
“We are entering a new era where people are move fluidly across desktop, phone, tablet, even wearables as they plan, book and then ultimately take their trip,” said Andy Washington, Managing Director of Expedia.co.uk “Travellers are not only researching and booking trips on mobile, but they’re also complimenting their meals, and capturing every trip detail. This is the new normal when it comes to travel. We need to be able to develop relevant products to meet these needs and to offer a consistently high level of service as customers move from one device to another.”
Data roaming charges
Despite our reliance on mobile devices abroad, it seems that UK residents are not as savvy as our global counterparts when it comes to data roaming charges. Even though the European Union has capped roaming charges, less than half of UK travellers were aware of this new legislation (44%), compared to 63% of Germans knowing about it.
So it seems this will come as welcome news for the 61% of Brits who don’t purchase an international data/roaming plan before going away, allowing them to continue staying connected at all times. 42% of Brits admit to spending more than twenty pounds on roaming during a one-week holiday within Europe. On average we spend 33% more than we consider reasonable.
Device etiquette
Alongside the recognised importance of mobile devices when travelling, UK residents fully appreciate the need for device etiquette stating noise awareness, courtesy and privacy as the most important factors. Poor mobile etiquette habits such as using a speakerphone in public places and taking photographs of strangers were shown to be the most irritating to British travellers, with 55% and 41% citing these habits as the most offensive mobile-related actions.
‘2014 Expedia® and Egencia® Mobile Index’
The 2014 Expedia Mobile Index was commissioned by Expedia.com® and Egencia®. and conducted online by Northstar, a global research and consulting firm. The study was conducted among 8,552 employed adults across 24 countries.
Top 10 UK technology-fuelled etiquette violations to avoid
- Making calls on speakerphone: 55%
- Playing music/games/videos without headphones: 49%
- Making calls while in restaurant: 43%
- Taking photos/videos of strangers: 41%
- Video calls/FaceTime/Skype: 30%
- Messaging/emailing at seated performance/activity: 29%
- Loud mobile device alerts: 25%
- Photographing food during meal: 21%
- Entertaining the kids 19%
- Using dating apps 8%
Top 10 Global technology-fuelled etiquette violations to avoid
- Making calls on speakerphone: 53%
- Playing music/games/videos without headphones: 46%
- Taking photos/videos of strangers: 41%
- Making calls while in restaurant: 39%
- Video calls/FaceTime/Skype: 26%
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