Chris McGinnis
Cesar Millan
Sam Lowe
Jason Fogelson
Bryson Forbes
Amy Graff
Smartphones and Travel
August 29 2012 by Bryson Forbes
Comments (2)
I was laughing to myself this morning. I drove by a fairly busy corner and there were five people waiting for the light to change all of them fully distracted by their smartphone or mobile device. The thing that really struck me was the diversity of this sample. The range was from a blue haired punk rocker teen to an elderly woman with her poodle. The scene got me thinking about how much our devices have changed our lives and I decided to research the impact it's had on travel.
Here are some cool stats I think you'll find interesting from a research company called Lab42, see if these resonate with you and any changes you have made with mobile and social sites:
29% of travellers have used mobile apps to find flight deals
30% have used mobile apps to find hotel deals
77% read online peer reviews for hotels prior to booking
48% read online restaurant reviews to help make decisions on the road
52% have "liked" something on Facebook related to an upcoming vacation
59% have posted a Facebook status update while on vacation
Top 5 uses of a smartphone when travelling domestically:
1) Take Photos
2) Use map features
3) Search for restaurants
4) Search activities and attractions
5) Check in prior to a flight
While on the road:
o 72% post vacation photos on a social site while still on vacation
o 46% check in to a social site (like Facebook or foursquare) while still on vacation
o 85% of international leisure travellers use their smartphone while abroad
After travelling:
o 46% post hotel reviews
o 40% post activity/attraction reviews
o 40% post restaurant reviews
I can relate to all of these trends and definitely have a check mark beside everything on this list. I have also "tweeted" while travelling, used Linked In and my wife is very religious on foursquare. I use "Best Western to go" and Air Canada's app pre-, during and post-trip and my Facebook use seems to go in fits and starts but not surprisingly kicks up while travelling especially for leisure.
How about you? How has your smartphone or mobile device changed the way you travel?
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