Being passionate about the mobile while travelling

People interpret the availability of their mobile phone similar to their personal (social) relationships (friends, family, and pets). Hence, mobile phones are appliances that provide continuous functional and emotional support. Also, in the field of tourism, the integrated use of mobile phones is indicated by words such as ‘catalyst’ and ‘travel buddies’, enhancing tourists’ experiences. This study goes one step further by incorporating the concept of passion and affective outcomes of using the mobile phone while travelling. Perceived socialness of the mobile phone significantly effects passionate behaviour and affective outcomes. For practitioners aiming for digital innovation in the field of tourism, these findings provide insight into the development of tailor-made travel-related applications. Furthermore, affective feelings derived from mobile phone usage will be enhanced by effective travel-related applications encouraging the modern tourists while travelling.