IT used to be that holidays were all about getting away from the real world and switching off – but now, it appears, they are about switching on.

Alongside the sunscreen and city guide books, electronic devices are now firmly at the top of travellers’ holiday packing lists.

A poll of 4,000 people conducted by phone company Nokia revealed that nearly half are packing two or more gadgets when they travel – and that doesn’t even include their Smartphones.

Laptops, tablet computers, digital cameras, e-readers and MP3 players are the usual suspects, plus handheld games consoles for kids – add to that all the associated chargers, batteries and adapters and that’s a lot of excess baggage.

Nokia also estimates that more than ten million electronic products will be taken on holiday this year.

‘‘Our research clearly indicates that the pressure to bring multiple devices on holiday is a real problem for a lot of people’’ says Thomas Messett, head of digital marketing and advocacy, Europe.

That pressure primarily comes from the workplace, with a quarter of those polled admitting they check their work emails more than twice a day on holiday. And we all know poeple who post endless poolside selfies and smug look-at-me-I’m-in-paradise Facebook statuses while they’re away. But they may well be feeling less smug when they get home and face an unexpectedly huge phone bill – because using your phone while abroad might now be normal, but it can also be extremely expensive.

If you are taking your mobile overseas, make sure you find out what the roaming costs are (especially outside the EU, where roaming charges are capped). Buying a bundle deal from your operator may be more economical too – where you buy a specific amount of extra data to use while you’re away.

Remember too that even within the EU, you are generally charged 7p per minute to receive calls, and outside Europe, you will probably be charged for receiving picture messages and even listening to voicemails too – check with your provider before you go to make sure you know any possible charges like this.

Another option to avoid sky-high phone charges is to buy a local SIM card from the country you are visiting.

It may seem like a hassle, but if you know you will be using your phone a lot, it will be a hassle worth accepting.

As well as saving money with your electrical devices, you may well want to save packing space too, in which case a tablet computer is the obvious multi-tasking solution.

‘‘The benefit of travelling with a tablet is that it combines work and play easily,’’ says Messett. ‘‘It allows the user to travel light yet have everything they need in one device.’’ An internet-enabled tablet allows you to browse the web, check emails and store hours of entertainment for during holiday downtime or to keep the kids occupied on flights. Load it up with films, ebooks, music and games before you go so that you don’t have to worry about grappling with a pricey or intermittent Wi-Fi connection once you arrive.

Of course, another way not to worry is to keep yourself entertained on holiday with a good book.

Better parents

THEY’RE supposed to be relaxing, but holidays can quickly become stressful when boisterous children are involved. A new survey by Skyscanner and Family Traveller magazine has revealed that the majority of UK mums and dads (86 per cent) believe their parenting skills are better when they’re on holiday. Many put this down to spending quality time with their children, while other say that being relaxed has a positive effect on their parenting.

Cheap trip to capital

TAKE advantage of new offer from Travelodge (travelodge.co.uk) and enjoy a bargain break in London this spring. The hotel group is offering 150,000 rooms for £45 or less from now until April 30 – including the Easter school holidays.