Skift Take

A more comprehensive study is needed for an accurate view of British holidaymakers’ Internet use -- focusing, perhaps, on online travel reviews or mobile apps.

A survey in the World Travel Market‘s 2012 industry report exemplifies how our addiction to technology follows us not just out of the office, but often through customs and airport security checks as well.

In a survey of 1,001 British travelers, 60 percent admitted to using the Internet while on vacation. The majority of respondents (56 percent) reported using email for less than 30 minutes and only 13 percent reported staying online for over an hour.

Their time was most often spent checking personal emails, checking up on news at home, connecting with friends through social media, or using social media to upload photos. Only 15 percent of respondents used that time to check work email.

These numbers reflect the respondents’ time spent online, but does not differentiate whether it is on a laptop or mobile devices. The percentage of travelers using Internet actually seems a little low considering the rise of mobile apps and sites as travel guides. It would also be interesting to find how British travelers’ responses compared to those of other nationalities.

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Tags: email, surveys, uk, vacations

Photo credit: A tourist checks email while on vacation in the Maldives. Giorgio Montersino / Flickr.com

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