Last-minute packing a symptom of our increasingly digital lives

Before every week-long holiday, the standard traveller buys 13 new songs, two new e-books, one new film and a new TV episode ... all of which eats into valuable packing time. Photo / 123RF

There's a reason we procrastinate before filling our suitcases ... and those under the age of 35 are likely to be the worst offenders.

Are you the kind of person who always leaves packing until the last minute? Do you spend hours sorting out your music playlists, and downloading TV shows and books, and finding all the best travel apps?

According to a new travel survey, you're not alone. Commissioned by audiobook retailer Audible in the UK, the data shows that the average traveller now spends four hours and 16 minutes working on their "digital suitcase", and just two hours and 30 minutes actually packing.

What's more, 42 per cent of people start organising their digital entertainment well before their suitcase even crosses their mind.

According to Audible's Tracey Markham, creating a perfect holiday multimedia list has become an important packing habit.

"Perhaps because it only takes a few minutes to download digital entertainment," she said.

Tech-savvy travel is a booming business. Before every week-long holiday, the standard traveller buys 13 new songs, two new e-books, one new film and a new TV episode.

The trend highlights the burgeoning divide between travellers of different generations. For example, those under 35 are almost twice as likely to invest in a "digital suitcase" than those over 55.

Millennials are also far more likely to travel abroad than their parents, and they're spending more on travel than any other generation in history.

In fact, Westpac's latest Travel Finance Report shows Australia's Gen Y have shelled-out a whopping A$11.3 billion (NZ$12 billion) on travel over the past 12 months, at an average cost of A$3461 (NZ$3661) per trip.

Ashley Gray, Westpac's head of youth and millennial markets, said while many young people were good at saving, researching their destination would help their dollars stretch further.

"Create a daily budget that takes into account current exchange rates and the cost of food and drinks, transport and sightseeing," he advised.

He also said to avoid carrying big wads of cash, adding that resisting impulse buys and booking in advance can help stretch your travel budget even further.

It's probably worth adding your bank's app to your download list, while you're at it.