Nine in ten Britons cannot switch off on holiday Commenting on the findings, Mark Maddock, Managing Director of lastminute.com UK and Ireland, said: "Whether it's a good distraction or not, the reality is our customers are now always connected - and they want this to continue seamlessly when they are abroad. We have connected travel with technology since 1998 but would be the first to say to customers - don't forget to switch off when you are on holiday and open your eyes to where you are in the world. The lastminute.com research, based on a survey of 2,000 Britons, is in line with a number of surveys that have highlighted the increasing amount of time Britons spend using their technical gadgets while on holiday - and indeed chimes with what most of us can observe with our own eyes. Maddock's concerns about the trend echo those of Professor Cary Cooper, a psychologist based at Lancaster University, who, in a recent article by Telegraph journalist Glenda Cooper, said that people are spending so much time taking photographs, posting them online and commenting on them while on holiday that they can't relax and disconnect from everyday life. Professor Cooper said that there can be a competitive edge to this sharing - particularly when it comes to holiday snaps. "It's about telling other people where you are and using it to show off," he was quoted as saying. Another recent survey of some 2,000 holidaymakers conducted by the Post Office revealed that more than one in three people admit that they stage holiday photos for social networking websites to try to appear as happy as possible. Happy or not, at least these activities appear to be connected with the idea of having fun while on holiday. Other recent research has suggested that a growing number of Britons are using their smartphones, tablets or laptops on holiday to keep up with work emails. This particular trend has spawned a whole new industry of "digital detox" holidays in which those going away are supposed to refrain from contact with all digital appliances for the whole time they are away. We seem to have gone too far down the technological highway for that, however. In yet another survey this month it was revealed that an astonishing 70 per cent of all British holidaymakers felt they needed to keep in touch with work while they were away. Furthermore, of those that wanted to break the link, a third confessed they were unable not to check their work emails. Happy sun, sea and internet surfing.