In an increasingly connected world, most of us carry our mobile phones with us at all times. 75% of us even admit to using our phones while using the toilet. Mobile phones are, for better or worse, part of most people’s everyday lives; even on vacation.
But what are the “unwritten rules” for using your phone while you’re away from home? What habits are most likely to frustrate other travellers, drawing withering glances from world-weary tourists?
That’s exactly what a new study from Expedia aims to reveal. It asked almost 10,000 travellers about their own mobile phone use while on vacation, together with their bugbears about how others use their phones.
The results paint a fascinating picture of the unwritten rules that we all expect of others. If you’re wondering whether your own mobile phone habits might be annoying other vacationers then read on to discover the full list.
Topping the chart of the most offensive violations of mobile phone etiquette come playing music, games or videos without the use of headphones. Almost as unpopular are people that make or receive phone calls while on speakerphone.
It seems the primary complaint we have is quite simply that we simply don’t want to be forced to listen to someone else’s noise, especially when we’re on vacation. It is interesting to note that these factors saw a 10% increase in prominence in comparison to 2014. Whether that indicates an increasing number of people behaving in such a manner, or our declining patience with such behaviour isn’t made clear.
The third greatest mobile faux pas is taking photos or videos of strangers with your smart phone closely followed by chatting on the phone while in a restaurant or café. This was closely followed by people whose notifications alert them loudly to any new message or status update.
Far less offensive, with less than a third of people finding them annoying are less intrusive activities such as taking photos with a tablet, photographing food while in a restaurant or posting regularly on social media.
The message from Expedia’s study is clear; if you want to avoid infuriating other travellers while you’re jetting off across the world try to consider how your phone use could negatively impact others – especially in terms of noise. Wherever possible try to keep noise to a minimum, using headphones wherever possible and turning off ringtones and message notifications.
Oh, and if in doubt you’ll be less likely to offend people by taking a photo of your dinner and posting it on social media than you would be to describe it to them in great details and at excessive volume in that civilized restaurant.
The post Are You Infuriating Fellow Travellers With Your Mobile Etiquette? appeared first on Expat Health Insurance.