Smartphones fulfil Brits wanderlust with nearly a quarter now going on holiday without pre-booked accommodation
Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) of Brits are going on holiday without confirmed accommodation and using their smartphones to book hotels that take their fancy on arrival, according to research from Hotels.com.
According to statistics in 2003 only around two million travellers would have considered travelling without pre-booked accommodation, now over six and a half million people would consider booking on the go, an increase of 68 per cent.
The survey of 2,000 Brits showed that older travellers are more likely to be impulsive and that over 55s were the most likely to go on holiday without sorting their accommodation, with nearly a third (27 per cent) booking during their trip.
Spontaneity was cited as the reason 41 per cent of 45-54 year old travellers chose to book on-the-go, a further 40 per cent of the group said mobility and the desire to see more destinations played a role in their decision making process, with many saying they preferred not to book as they didn’t know how long they would stay in one place.
Londoners were revealed as the most impulsive travellers, with 29 per cent going on holiday without sorting somewhere to stay for part, or all, of their trip.
“The advances in technology and boom in mobile devices have had a significant impact on our day-to-day lives, none more so than our leisure time. A decade ago, or even as recently as 2008, the majority of our holiday plans – from tickets to accommodation – would have been fixed in stone. However, with the rise in smartphone usage and the increase in apps, we no longer need to be tied into a set plan.
"Mobile apps make it easy to book on the go, so if you want to be spontaneous, you can be, tailoring your plans according to what you want when you’re away,” commented Laura Watts from Hotels.com.