FOR YEARS, the concept of holidaying at home has been an opportunity to get out and explore the great outdoors on the doorstep.
And with so many great places on our doorstep, including Prospect Park, Dinton Pastures, Forbury Gardens, several museums and the Harris Gardens, who needs to go anywhere else?
It turns out that the Ding is the thing for Gen Z folk looking for a staycation. Perhaps it’s the £2 bus fare that does it?
And not only do Reading the fifth most popular place for a break, according to new research from student discount app Student Beans, it is also a holiday people are happy to undertake by themselves.
The company says it is predicting a rise in young people opting for solo stays this year, with 63% currently looking for ways to budget on their summer vacation due to the cost of living crisis.
And their research found that almost twice as many Gen Zs have already solo travelled in the UK than abroad (43% have done so in the UK vs 26% abroad), with this gap is likely to widen further as young people opt for more budget-friendly and accessible ways to accomplish their solo travel ambitions.
Student Beans ranked the UK’s top town and cities, ordering them on the number of relaxing factors per square kilometre.
It says it curated the index in a bid to help young Brits access solo travel on a budget, after its recent survey found financial strains to be the biggest barrier for Gen Z’s with an interest in independent holidays.
Reading performed particularly well in the Relaxing index due to its air quality, and number of spas and wellness centres, as well as nature and parks.
Heading up the list was Perth, then Inverness, Southend, Glasgow and then Reading.
Underneath the town is Southampton, Norwich, Edinburgh, Dundee and Newcastle.
If you do enjoy a staycation in the town, don’t forget to visit But Is It Art? in Queen Victoria Street to get your souvenirs and Reading postcards.
To see the full research, log on to: https://www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/onederlust-index/
