Travel survey by Opera and Wudstay delves into travelers’ likes and dislikes
Travel has become an intrinsic part of young Indians’ lives. To most people, travel means “vacation”, a temporary break from reality, often to some place warm and exotic. While traditionally this has been a time to disconnect and recharge, a new survey by Opera and Wudstay reveals that lack of mobile connectivity is the biggest fear of Indian travelers today.
Smartphones rule the lives of people when traveling
Smartphones have become a must have, especially when travelling. Some 34.5% of people most dread the lack of their mobile network while traveling. Another 6.9% fear high roaming bills making a hole in their pockets, while 7.8% are concerned about losing their smartphones while traveling.
More than 30% of people fear overspending while staying in exorbitant hotels, eating at over-priced restaurants and taking taxis. More than 10% of people fear theft while traveling as it is easier for the thieves to spot travelers and trap them.
With smartphone cameras becoming more compelling, people across different age groups love taking good pictures with their smartphones. Not surprisingly, 9.5% of people fear taking bad photos.
Travelers are smitten by the social-media bug
The survey showed that 32.8% people use their mobile data for social media posts. People are equally inquisitive, hence 28.4% use their mobile data to look up information about the places they are visiting. Around 16.4% of people use their mobile data to stay connected with their family and friends, whereas 17.2% of people spend their data using GPS while traveling.
Travelers will give up a lot for a good internet connection
In all, 33.6% of people reported they are willing to sacrifice drinking for an evening to have a good internet connection. Another 28.4% will not use a restroom for 6 hours to have a good internet connection. Then, there are another 13.8% who will go without eating for an entire day for a lag-free internet connection. Interestingly, 14.7% will give up on showering during their entire vacation to enjoy a great internet connection. Clearly, Indians want to be connected on vacation too!
“Technology drives the experience of the modern traveler. Be it making mobile bookings, sharing updates on social media or exploring a new city, WudStay believes in offering the best services to its consumers, and this survey has helped us identify what is essential for our customers. We are extremely excited to share these interesting insights”, says Prafulla Mathur, Founder and CEO, WudStay.
“As one can see from the findings, internet connectivity is an important prerequisite for travellers. People prefer being connected to the internet in order to share updates when on the move. With the compression technology on Opera Mini & Opera Max, Opera enables users to seamlessly browse through the internet, even in areas with limited connectivity”, adds Sunil Kamath, Vice President, South Asia & Southeast Asia at Opera.
More findings from the survey…
Men prefer traveling with their guy friends
While men can be loyal to their girlfriends and committed to their families, when it comes to traveling, their lost and forgotten male friends suddenly come into picture. They certainly want to chill with their best buds and not anyone else while traveling. Around 50% of men prefer traveling with their guy friends instead of their family. On the other hand, 37% of people like to travel with their family. Women are more home-oriented, with as more than 76% of them preferring to travel only with their families.
Littering is the most dreaded habit of Indian travelers
People travel to enjoy natural beauty and rejuvenate. Hence, 37.8% Indians detest the habit of littering while traveling. Then there are people who love to drink while flying because drinks are free. Around 13.8% hate people who drink too much on flights. Some 10.3% of people abhor fellow travelers who break queues and try to barge in. The worst thing one can come across while traveling is people ogling women wearing short clothes. More than 22% hate this habit in their fellow travelers.
About WudStay
Founded in April 2015 by Prafulla Mathur, WudStay is a lifespan accommodation company that allows users to find standardized short and long term stay options across categories including hotels, homestays, hostels and retirement homes. WudStay hotels are available at leisure destinations such as Kashmir, Manali, and Goa and business destinations such as Bangalore, Mumbai, and Gurgaon. The company has a strong Hostel/PG presence in big education markets including Kota and Business Destination such as Gurgaon and Bangalore and has helped consumers find a convenient and comfortable way to stay. Users can choose a WudStay property from 650+ hotels across 60 cities, 2000+ homestays in 20 cities, and 350 hostels/PGs across 5 cities.
Wudstay had raised a USD 3 Million funding from Mangrove Capital Partners and Vikas Saxena of Nimbuzz last year. Users can book accommodation using their mobile application which is available across Android, iOS and Windows Phone.