Do you take your mobile phone on holiday with you?
As a blogger, technology, is clearly an essential part of everyday life. The truth about blogging is that only a small percentage of running a successful blog, is actually writing it. The rest is social media, editing media and site maintenance. For a great deal of us bloggers, there is NO such thing as a tech-free holiday. I mean how relaxing would it really be if you couldn’t check your emails, Instagram the weather or Tweet the name of your hotel?! Not to mention Pinning photos of cocktails, YouTubing your mates doing silly things on stage and checking your mum in on Foursquare at her first ever foam party! We are in the age of sharing, and being abroad doesn’t stop our smartphones from working!
So I really wasn’t surprised to learn that the average person checks their phone 4.5 times whilst they are on holiday and a third of people couldn’t handle a digital detox. In fact, 72% of us now book our holidays online to begin with! And then there’s probably currency, travel insurance and of the course that all important new itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polkadot-bikini, which are more than likely, also bought online!
A holiday survey, conducted by James Villa Holidays, shows the differences in holidaymaker preferences between now and 1984. (That’s two years before I was born!)
Is it possible that all these changes are influenced by technology?
The first mobile phone was only invented in 1973 and very few people had them until the late nineties. I got my first mobile phone in the year 2000, which was the very same year that TripAdvisor was invented. Not that mobile phones had internet then. The late nineties also seemed to be the era where everyone started buying PC’s and getting online (good old dial-up… ding ding ding, brrrrrrrr, twang, dong buzzzzzz… wait ten minutes – “ooh I’m online”)! Facebook wasn’t founded until 2004 and even now, in 2014, brand new social media platforms are popping up left, right and centre. In my opinion, technology and the internet have made travelling abroad more accessible and more desirable. Reading other peoples travel reviews or seeing their photos and statuses about their recent holidays, makes other people want to book a holiday. It shows you where is good to go and where to avoid. It allows you to book online and check-in for flights online and compare prices, to get the best deals. It’s these things that are most likely responsible for the changing habits of most popular destinations and the number of people who now travel abroad.
In 1984 books were regarded as the number one holiday essential by 48% of people. This figure is still high at 39% but I ask you this… how many of those 39% read their books on their phone, kindle, or tablet? I mean this is one area where I still like to stick to the good old fashioned paperbacks, because a) they hurt less when they land on your face as you drift off to sleep and b) they survive a soaking from the swimming pool. But the truth is, many people have ditched the print for an electronic device. That’s probably why 41% of you factor in WiFi, when choosing a holiday!
It wasn’t until I saw this infographic, that I realised just how much of an impact that technology influences our lives. Right down to travel choices. And now it’s got me thinking back to my childhood, all I can think about is just how many things have changed as a result of technology. Some good, some bad, but there’s no going back now!
So what do you think? Do you take your phone on holiday? If you could only fit one more item in your suitcase, would it be your hair straighteners or your iPad?
James Villa Holidays – 30 Years of Travel Infographic
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