{"id":50691,"date":"2016-06-21T03:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-06-21T10:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=50691"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:55:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T16:55:37","slug":"unplugging-survey-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/security-news\/unplugging-survey-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Survey: More Than Half of Travelers Couldn\u2019t Unplug on Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everybody knows it, everybody admits it, and everybody seems to accept it. We\u2019re addicted to our mobile phones. While over-attachment to smartphones sometimes makes us miss out on immediate experiences, it can also pose a security problem \u2014 especially on summer trips when we\u2019re unable, or unwilling, to unplug.<\/p>\n

We at McAfee wanted to better understand the struggle to unplug before vacation season goes into full swing. We asked almost 14,000 people globally, from the ages of twenty-one to fifty-four, about how they go about unplugging from their devices. The results: 55 percent of people who wanted to disconnect from digital devices while traveling reported being unsuccessful\u2014while 65 percent of those who did said it helped them enjoy their vacation more.<\/p>\n

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This isn\u2019t so shocking. How many conversations have you had with friends about being addicted to your phone? It\u2019s an innocuous joke that reveals a deep truth. A difference exists between being<\/em> in the moment and communicating about<\/em> the moment. When we take a photo of a scene for social media, message a friend about where we are, or flip through the news instead of observing our surroundings, we\u2019re often denying ourselves the opportunity to fully absorb the moment. As a result, the refreshing and stimulating effect of vacations can become diminished.<\/p>\n

At some level, these findings shouldn\u2019t be surprising to us. We live in a culture where cell-phone rehab<\/a> is a very real thing. But from a cybersecurity perspective, there\u2019s even more to the story: these mobile habits can wear down our security posture.<\/p>\n

For example, pickpockets and thieves tend to congregate near groups of travelers and big crowds; having your phone out could make you a target. The data we share on our whereabouts in a foreign country, too, could give crooks opportunities to pull off their ploys while we\u2019re away. And it\u2019s not just threats to our physical security. Cybercriminals are more active in some countries than others, specifically preying on tourists to steal data\u2014think phony Wi-Fi networks and ATM skimmers.<\/p>\n

These risks are compounded by the fact that, according to our study, 57 percent of people aren\u2019t willing to leave their smartphone at home when going on vacation.<\/p>\n

But why? If traveling is supposed to give us a temporary break from our day-to-day routines, staying connected could seem counter-intuitive. Our research found that there are many reasons why people rely on their phones, including planning, entertainment, and communication. The overall top five reasons were: being reachable by family, navigation and trip planning, playing music, finding it impossible to disconnect, and using social media.<\/p>\n

While many of these reasons are understandable, they\u2019re not all necessary. And even if phones are helpful while away, they can still be overused. In the words of Pico Iyer<\/a>, \u201cwe travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves.\u201d We can only have that experience when we\u2019re attentive and safe with our tech on vacation\u2014should you struggle to unplug at all.<\/p>\n

Having difficulty with those hard-to-break habits? Here are some tips to get started:<\/p>\n