Study finds more people use wireless on vacation than at home
Scanning smartphones, tablets and laptops have become as essential to vacations as brining skis to mountain or sunscreen to the beach, as much a part of vacations as slathering on sunscreen, according to a Michigan State University study.
"The results, which will appear in the forthcoming issue of Annals of Tourism Research, show that easy online access and ubiquitous personal devices have made the digital divide disappear, even for folks on holiday, writes bitsofscience.org.
"Our results show clearly how the changing nature of IT behavior in everyday life is spilling over into our vacations," said Christine Vogt, MSU professor and co-author of the study.
"Not that long ago, travelers would need to find a payphone or send postcards to brag about their vacations. Now they just log on and send photos and text," said Vogt.
The study revealed:
—People using smart phones have tripled.
—Wireless use has now become higher on vacation (40%) than at home (25%).
—People are now using the Web more to plan vacations (80%) than for work (70%).
"Travelers are using their laptops and phones more often, and not just to plan vacations," Vogt said. "Since Wi-Fi is available at most destinations, tourists are checking local weather forecasts, transportation schedules, restaurant recommendations, fishing reports, safe bicycling routes and much more."
The study’s conclusion: iPads and smartphones have become addictive, even on vacations.
By David Wilkenng
David
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