A recent survey commissioned by TNS (News - Alert) and conducted by Intel, entitled "Intel Survey: Tech Norms for Travelers," suggests that American attitudes toward travel and technology are often negative. For example, the survey found that U.S. vacationers tend to feel anxious when travelling without their mobile devices and angry when they can't find a power source to charge their devices.
Strong feelings uncovered by the survey suggest that American travelers feel an emotional bond with their mobile devices. Some even feel calmer and less stressed when they have access to this technology on vacation.
The survey found specifically that 44 percent of U.S. travelers admitted to anxiety while traveling without a mobile computing device, while a whopping 87 percent of young adults (18-29 years old) feel happier when with their devices.
Most interestingly, respondents ranked losing their mobile device when traveling as more stressful than losing their wedding ring – 77 percent compared to 55 percent.
The number one annoyance for travellers with tech, however, was found to be what was dubbed "peeping-tech" behaviors. In other words, travelers don't like people peeking at the screen of their device while almost half of respondents said they fear device theft.
"With summer travel now in full swing, we find that many people have a few common must-have items on their trip packing lists – Ultrabook, tablet and laptop. The bond between travelers and their tech devices has strengthened greatly over the past few years with the explosion of instant information, entertainment and services conveniently available on the Web," Mike Fard, Intel (News - Alert) Ambassador, said in a press release.
Many others go out of their way to stay connected while traveling, as 46 percent of respondents and 63 percent of young travellers, said they have compromised comfort and hygiene in favor of a power source to keep their device charged.
In May, Intel released a tech-related survey which found that most American adults find "digital over-sharing" to be a big problem online today.