Singapore travellers just can't unplug even while they unwind

Singapore travellers are so plugged in to their mobile devices, they have been ranked fifth worldwide as people least willing to give up their mobile devices even while holidaying. 60 per cent of Singaporeans surveyed by Hotels.com said the thought of going on a holiday without their beloved gadgets would actually make them "break into a cold sweat".According to results of the survey by Hotels.com released on Tuesday (Aug 12), 77 per cent of Singaporeans admitted to checking work e-mails while away, even though 79 per cent admitted they try to use their holiday to forget about work. However, only 23 per cent said they regret spending too much time on their mobile devices while on vacation.
The survey studied the digital holiday habits of nearly 2,500 respondents across 28 places. Thailand topped the survey with 85 per cent of travellers from there admitting to being inseparable from their devices, followed by South Korea, Japan and China.

Countries least willing to ditch devices while on holiday:

RANK

COUNTRY

% VOTES

1st - THAILAND - 85%

2nd - KOREA - 78%

3rd - JAPAN - 69%

4th - CHINA - 67%

5th - SINGAPORE - 60%

6th - TAIWAN - 53%

7th - NORWAY - 53%

8th - BRAZIL - 52%

9th - IRELAND - 51%

10th - FINLAND - 50%

No surprises then, that Singaporean respondents listed their smartphone as their second most important travel item, after their passport. 

Top ten most important travel items for Singaporeans: 1. Passport 2. Smartphone 3. Travel insurance 4. Sunscreen 6. Travel guide 5. Swimwear 7. Sunglasses 8. Deodorant 9. Razor 10. Gym kit.