We explore smartphone utilization by tourists from 24 countries visiting either Rome, Italy or Athens, Greece. By extending a standard technology acceptance model, we identify common travel uses for smartphones, which include taking photos, social networking, viewing maps, finding transportation and searching for shops and restaurants. Younger cohorts utilize their phones more than older cohorts, but there is no difference in utilization between females and males. The most important factors affecting behaviour are how often the tourist normally utilizes their smartphone when at home, and whether or not the tourist has non‐WiFi data access. We conclude with recommendations for future research. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.