Adapting to the mobile world: A model of smartphone use

•The factors driving the use of smartphones have different effects.•The use of smartphones for travel is associated with tourists’ everyday lives.•The use of smartphones for travel transforms the tourist experience.•The study enriches the discussion regarding the dichotomy of tourism and daily life.•The proposed model can inform future studies on the en-route decision making process.

Mobile systems have become important tools enabling tourists to navigate an uncertain world. A critical examination of the literature suggests that work is needed to develop a holistic understanding on the smartphone use for travel. The results of this study confirms that the use of smartphones for travel is shaped by complex interactions between contextual factors, cognitive beliefs, previous experiences and everyday use, and that smartphone use has the potential to substantially transform the tourist experience. A framework is proposed that integrates the mechanisms shaping the adoption, use and impact of smartphones in travel. This framework provides a broad foundation for understanding how mobile systems shape tourist experience while providing directions for future research in the area of mobile computing.