Family spirit on a business trip
Only about a quarter of European business travelers stay in touch with family while on the road. Americans, on the other hand, keep more contact with their loved ones at home.
"Dad or Mom is on a business trip": Who hasn't had to answer this to their children when their life partner is away for their employer? Longer absences can put a strain on family life. So it's all the more joyful when a message arrives at home from the road. But how often business travelers check in at home also seems to be a question of culture, as a study found out.
Europeans as "contact muffle
As the CWT Connected Traveler Study by business travel service provider Carlson Wagonlit Travel shows, business travelers from the Americas in particular stay in touch with family while on the road (50 percent). By contrast, only one-third (31 percent) of travelers from the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) and around one-quarter (27 percent) of Europeans check in with their friends and relatives during business trips. German travelers even seek contact only 23 percent of the time.
The study, conducted among more than 1,900 business travelers, also reveals that 47 percent of travelers from the Americas who keep in touch also tend to check in more than once a day - whether by phone, text, email or other channels. By comparison, only 37 percent of European travelers and 32 percent of Asian travelers check in more than once a day. "Of course, business travelers miss family life when they're on the road, but many travelers make sure they stay in touch," says Julian Walker, Head of External Communications at CWT.
On a business trip you make a phone call
The study highlights many similarities between the regions, but there are also major differences. In particular, the way and frequency with which travelers stay in touch with relatives and friends is not the same in all regions of the world. For example, European travelers make more phone calls (49 percent) than their counterparts from America (43 percent) and Asia (41 percent).
For 20 percent of American business travelers and 17 percent of travelers from Asia, text messaging is the means of choice for staying in touch, while only 13 percent of travelers from Europe favor this means of communication. Across all regions, nearly 25 percent of all travelers use Skype to reach their families, and 12 percent of German travelers email their relatives while on the road.
Video calls gain in importance
"Although technologies are constantly evolving, travelers prefer to use traditional means of communication to keep in touch with their families and friends," explains Julian Walker. "Nonetheless, video calls in particular are gaining traction, as they make travelers feel closer to their families when they're on the road." However, this requires a high-performance Internet connection. When it comes to broadband WLAN, however, not all hotels or airports are sufficiently equipped.
Source: Carlson Wagonlit Travel
