What's the most annoying mobile phone habit?

File photo / Thinkstock

Making calls on speaker-phone is the most annoying use of mobile phones, according to research on Kiwi travellers' phone habits.

Travel organisations Expedia and Egencia have studied mobile device behaviours and preferences among travellers.

Nearly 60 per cent of New Zealand travellers said their smartphones were very important or critical to their daily lives and 23 per cent said they used their smartphones more when they were travelling than when they were at home.

Kiwi travellers placed a strong importance on phone etiquette in public places, the study revealed.

Almost two thirds of New Zealanders found people making calls on speaker-phone in a public place an offensive behaviour.

More than half, 55 per cent, found playing music, games or videos without using head-phones offensive.

Taking photos or videos of people they don't know was considered inappropriate behaviour for 45 per cent of New Zealanders.

A third of Kiwis said they had a work-paid phone, tablet or laptop and 60 per cent admitted to taking their work-paid device with them when on holiday.

New Zealanders are increasingly taking tablets away with them for leisure, with 27 per cent saying they did -- not far behind the global average of 33 per cent.

"We are entering a new era where people are moving fluidly across desktop, phone and tablet as they dream, plan, book and then ultimately take their trip," said Expedia president and chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi.

"Travellers are not only researching and booking trips on mobile, but they're also complimenting their meals, complaining to providers and capturing every trip detail. This is the new normal when it comes to travel."

"For business trips, mobile devices are already a requirement for most travellers, and mobile usage trends are still increasing as these devices and enabling-apps make corporate travel smoother and more productive," said Rob Greyber, president of Egencia.

The study was conducted among 8856 employed adults aged 18 years and older across 25 countries.