71% of UK people don't expect roaming charges while on holiday, but they should

You live in the UK and have just packed your bags for your holiday to the Old Continent. But did you activate roaming on your phone before your road trip? A new study by iD Mobile shows that only 49% of Brits have an active roaming option or bundle when traveling abroad, and the other 51% don't even have such a service in their mobile contracts (via Tech Digest).

This is pretty normal, since not everyone travels abroad, but the thing is that 71% of Brits don't even expect roaming charges while on holiday, according to said study. A quarter of the participants — 27% —, have received unexpected roaming charges averaging £262. Even if you are loaded with cash, £262 in roaming charges is just insane. Furthermore, only 21% — or one-fifth — of Brits consider roaming charges when selecting a new mobile contract.

The study also shows that adults under 44 spend an average of 8 hours every day on their phones while on vacation. According to the report, Brits use their phones primarily for taking photos and videos (49%), talking with their loved ones (40%), searching for activities and attractions (36%), for navigation (36%), and finding places like restaurants and bars (35%). So, yeah, it's not a bad idea to consider those nasty roaming charges the next time you are looking for a new mobile plan.

If you need a new mobile plan with included roaming and want to buy a new phone in the process, feel free to check our picks: