Summer is here – although you wouldn’t guess it judging by the recent bad weather! – and many of us are currently busy planning a getaway with friends or family.

Holidays used to be a time when people escaped from everyday life and everyday belongings and craved some peace and quiet.

Advances in technology, though, mean that consumers now have several gadgets that they ‘need’ to take with them anywhere and everywhere they go – including on holiday.

This has been reinforced in research released recently by Intel Corporation that reveals some interesting statistics into the obsession that people have with their laptops, tablets or other mobile computing devices.

The study of 2,500 adults in America showed:

1. Nearly half (44%) of people feel anxious when travelling without their mobile computing device.

2. Just under a third (30%) don’t think they need to power off their devices when they fly.

3. Nearly two thirds (62%) would pay more for a mobile computing device with a longer battery life for when they travel.

4. A staggering 75% of people take their mobile computing device with them on their travels in order to keep in contact with friends and family.

5. Nearly two thirds (64%) rank their mobile computing device as a style accessory.

These are just a selection of the survey snippets and it’s well worth reading all the stats here.

Speaking about the findings, Mike Fard, Intel Ambassador, said: “With summer travel now in full swing, we find that many people have a few common must-have items on their trip packing lists – Ultrabook, tablet and laptop.

“The bond between travelers and their tech devices has strengthened greatly over the past few years with the explosion of instant information, entertainment and services conveniently available on the Web.

“Gone are the days of travel as simple escape of ‘daily life’ as more people seek to enhance and share vacation experiences in real-time and use technology to truly make travel more fun and more memorable.”

What gadgets can you not live without on holiday?