According to TripIt’s survey, 26% of significant others said staying connected with a partner on the road is difficult, compared to just 17% of travellers. In addition, 33% of significant others said saying goodbye is “very stressful,” compared to just 8% of travellers.
While apart, phone calls are still the number one way for travellers and their partners to stay connected; although, the vast majority of significant others use it over other options. Travellers are more likely to include visual forms of communication like video calls, email, and text messages in their repertoire.
|
|
Phone calls |
Video calls |
Text messages |
Email |
|
Travellers
|
88%
|
47%
|
85%
|
72%
|
|
Significant
others
|
95%
|
37%
|
78%
|
45%
|
Most travelers (50%) and significant others (52%) said they stay in touch anywhere between two and four times in a typical day.
"Today’s technology provides more options and transparency for travellers to stay in touch with loved ones, even while crossing time zones or continents,” says Barry Padgett, Executive Vice President of TripIt and Concur Traveller Services. “I give my wife access to all my TripIt itineraries so she knows when I land and when I have meetings scheduled, so it’s easier to coordinate time to talk with my kids.”
To make it easier to stay connected while traveling, TripIt recommends these tips:
- Share your itinerary with your partner, so they know the best time to reach you
- Sync travel plans with a web-based calendar that’s accessible by family members
- Schedule time for a daily video chat and add it to your calendar
- For international travel, use your smartphone’s world clock to avoid calling or texting loved ones in the middle of the night
- Send photos and video of interesting sights back home throughout the trip.
