• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, January 13, 2016

Google Maps will soon have the ability to analyze a user's driving habits, recent history, current location and other data to predict where the person might drive to next. In a nutshell, Driving Mode, an update to Google Maps for Android, will volunteer information as the person drives.

The latest version also introduces traffic updates, estimated times of arrival, and an audio toggle to quickly shut off turn-by-turn notifications, according to one report. 

Driving Mode isn’t available to all Google Maps users. The feature in English rolls out in the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

The smartphone has become an indispensable tool for travelers -- not only to search for directions, but to find hotels, restaurants, and places to purchase forgotten articles of clothing for those last-minute packers who rush out the door to catch a plane.  

Travelers now consider their smartphone the single most indispensable item they carry with them when they travel, ahead of their toothbrush, deodorant and driver’s license, according to an Expedia study released Wednesday.

The results of the global study of mobile-device-related behavior and preferences among travelers conducted online across North America, Europe, South America and Asia Pacific was commissioned by Expedia and conducted by Northstar. The Expedia and Egencia Mobile Index analyzes sentiment from 9,642 travelers across 19 countries.

The relevance of mobile devices is tied to how the device improves the quality of travel, per the findings. Mobile devices are used for navigation, photography, and staying connected to friends and family through social media. Some 94% of people in China put the highest premium on mobile devices as a travel companion compared with 94% in Taiwan, and 91% in Thailand.

Some 84% of travelers worldwide want consistent access with information from anywhere while traveling, with more than half of respondents saying they would be lost without a mobile device on vacation. In fact, 60% of travelers say they agree they never truly unplug on leisure trips, and 35% claim to use their mobile device more on vacation than they do at home.

About 60% of travelers globally say they won't go on vacation without a mobile device. Some 63% sleep with the device alongside their bed while on vacation, and 28% carry a rechargeable pack or spare battery. The heavy reliance on mobile devices is not true in every country. Overall, travelers from Germany, Norway and Sweden are less reliant on their devices compared to other countries.