Smartphones top poll of most essential travel tech

The smartphone was voted the most essential item to take on holiday by a third of people in a British Airways poll – beating books, e-readers, music players and tablets.

The smartphone was voted the most essential item to take on holiday by a third of people in a British Airways poll – beating books, e-readers, music players and tablets.

Weather apps were the most-used on smartphones, while camera apps came in as the second-most used apps on holiday (29%) thanks to the popularity of the ‘selfie’, with more than a quarter of women (27%) using social media to share pictures and updates from their holiday with friends. Meanwhile, men are more likely to use map and news apps, according to the study of 2,000 consumers.

The top apps used on holiday are:

  • Weather app (32%)
  • Camera app (29%)
  • Map app (23%)
  • Social media app to share updates (21%)
  • News app (16%)
  • Social media app to find out what’s going on (14%)
  • Translator app (12%)
  • Local travel guide app (11%)

The airline’s social media expert Nick Jones said: “It’s no surprise that the smartphone is the one item many people can’t travel without.

“We know that our customers like to stay in touch with us while they’re travelling.

“We use Facebook, Twitter and other platforms to keep in touch with our 4.5 million cumulative followers whether they are at home or abroad.”

The airline’s 4.5 million cumulative followers on its social media channels include Facebook (over 1 million likes), Twitter UK (325,000 followers), Twitter USA (347,000) Pintrest (760 pins), Instagram (23,000 followers), YouTube (26,000 subscribers), Google+ (2.5 million followers) and Sina Webo (162,608).