Travellers obsessed with being connected
Alongside the sunscreen and city guide books, electronic devices are now firmly at the top of travellers' holiday packing lists.
A poll of 4000 people conducted by phone company Nokia revealed that nearly half are packing two or more gadgets when they travel – and that doesn't even include their smartphones.
Laptops, tablet computers, digital cameras, e-readers and MP3 players are the usual suspects, plus handheld games consoles for kids. Add to that all the associated chargers, batteries and adapters and that's a lot of excess baggage.
Nokia also estimates that more than ten million electronic products will be taken on holiday this year.
"Our research clearly indicates that the pressure to bring multiple devices on holiday is a real problem for a lot of people" says Thomas Messett, head of digital marketing and advocacy, Nokia Europe.
That pressure primarily comes from the workplace, with a quarter of those polled admitting they check their work emails more than twice a day on holiday.
And we all know the culprits who post endless poolside selfies and smug look-at-me-I'm-in-paradise Facebook statuses while they're away.
But they may feel less smug when they get home and face an unexpectedly huge phone bill. Using your phone while overseas might now be normal, but it can also be extremely expensive.
If you are taking your mobile overseas, make sure you find out what the roaming costs are.
Buying a "bundle" deal from your operator may be more economical too – where you buy a specific amount of "extra" data to use while you're away.
Outside Australia, you may be charged per minute to receive calls, receive picture messages and even listen to voicemails. Check with your provider before you go to make sure you know any possible charges like this.
Another option to avoid sky-high phone charges is to buy a local SIM card from the country you are visiting. It may seem like a hassle, but if you know you will be using your phone a lot, it will be a hassle worth accepting.
As well as saving money with your electrical devices, you may well want to save packing space too, in which case a tablet computer is the obvious multi-tasking solution.
"The benefit of travelling with a tablet is that it combines work and play easily," says Messett. "It allows the user to travel light yet have everything they need in one device."
An internet-enabled tablet allows you to browse the web, check emails and store hours of entertainment for during holiday downtime or to keep the kids occupied on flights. Load it up with films, ebooks, music and games before you go so that you don't have to worry about grappling with a pricey or intermittent Wi-Fi connection once you arrive.
Or, of course, another option is to keep yourself entertained on holiday with a good old-fashioned paper book.
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