Opinion poll
Not without my phone! How the smartphone shapes our vacation
Most people can hardly imagine a holiday without a smartphone.
© Alejandro Ruhl / Getty Images
Life without a smartphone is difficult for most people to imagine. According to a recent survey, we don’t even do without our mobile phones when we’re on vacation. This also has negative consequences.
Actually, almost all of us know better – and yet many people spend a lot of time on their smartphones instead of throwing themselves into “real life”. Even when on holiday, most Germans should not be without their mobile phone, as a representative survey by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of HolidayCheck shows. Around 2000 people were interviewed for the survey.
According to this, 48 percent of those surveyed are convinced that they can only really relax without a smartphone. However, only one percent of the participants want to do without their cell phones when traveling – six percent even use their cell phones for four to five hours a day while they are on vacation.
Most of the respondents (30 percent) try to reduce smartphone use to under an hour a day when they travel. 25 percent scroll through their smartphone for one to two hours a day and 14 percent use it for two to three hours a day. At least eight percent of the participants state that they have their cell phones in their hands for three to four hours a day.
Why we pick up our cell phones on vacation
But why do we use our smartphones when we actually travel to discover the world? Respondents name contact with friends and family and photography as the main reasons. Seven percent stated in the survey that they also use their smartphones on vacation to do something for work.
The problem with smartphone use: Those who pay attention to the screen usually don’t notice much of the outside world. This can quickly lead to conflicts, especially on vacation. For example, 41 percent of those surveyed stated that there had been an argument while on vacation because a fellow traveler could not be reached – because of the mobile phone. 37 percent are bothered when the smartphone ensures that people only perceive the holiday passively.
Digital detox on vacation
Rules can help avoid conflicts over smartphone use. The rule not to use the mobile phone when sitting together at the table is particularly popular. 17 percent of the participants introduced this successfully. Anyone who discovers the new places mainly through the smartphone camera instead of actually experiencing them should also think about simply leaving the cell phone at the accommodation. Not only can this make you more aware of your surroundings, it can also significantly reduce your stress level – and holidays are actually the perfect time for that, isn’t it?
source: HolidayCheck