During the two years of data collection, the number of people using smartphones while on vacation tripled, Kelly MacKay, professor in the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University and director of the Ted Rogers Institute for Tourism and Hospitality Research at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, said.

“Originally we thought there would be more disconnect than there was,” MacKay said.

“People try to stay in touch with things that provide them with comfort and reassurance, and technology does that,” she said.

MacKay was the principal investigator in the study and secured the funding for it.

One-third of the travelers questioned clearly stated their experience was made better by using technology on vacation, and another 50 to 54 percent implied in their notes that their trips were better with the addition of technology, results from the study concluded.

“We were interested in what extent travelers take technology with them on vacation and whether staying online enhances or detracts from their vacation experience,” Christine Vogt, professor in community agriculture, recreation and resource studies and collaborator in the study, said in an email. “Are people even stepping away from routine and putting the computer and online tools away? This research was conducted when Wi-Fi was just becoming popular and more people had laptops.”

Alumna Catherine Andary said she finds the results of the study to be true in her own vacation experiences, but said technology makes her vacation worse rather than better.

“There is Facebook and stuff (to) put photos up to show what you’re doing. I miss my friends,” Andary said.

“You are on the computer and not living in the moment. You can sit at home and do the
same thing.”