Brave new Scotland
A new study by holiday price comparison site TravelSuperMarket.com examines how adventurous the British public is, and has found that Scotland may be the most adventurous region.
The study found that 14 per cent of Londoners have been to a desert, compared to 27 per cent of Scots, and that more Scots than Londoners have also tried sky-diving, bungee jumping, white-water rafting and glacier hiking.
It also found that Brits rate themselves as 5.5 out of 10 for ‘adventurousness’, and that 46 per cent of Scots rate themselves as seven out of 10 or higher in terms of being open to new experiences, compared to 33 per cent of English, 36 per cent of Welsh, and 11 per cent of Northern Irish respondents.
When it comes to the top five most adventurous cities, Wrexham came out on top with 82 per cent of respondents rating themselves six out of 10 or higher for adventurousness; with an overall average of 6.6, it was followed by Coventry (6.3), Aberdeen (6.2), Glasgow (6.04) and Norwich (six).
The UK’s five least daring cities, according to the study, are Belfast, Plymouth, Chelmsford, Portsmouth and Southampton.
In terms of age, TravelSupermarket found that 18-24 year olds consider themselves the most adventurous, while those in the 25-34 year-old age bracket consider themselves to be the least adventurous, marginally less so than those aged 55 or over.
Additionally, it found that, when it comes to seeing the world, the most popular destination outside of Europe for Brits is North America, with 51 per cent of all respondents having made a trip there. Asia was Brits’ second choice, with 30 per cent having been there, and Africa was just behind at 28 per cent. The least visited continent was found to be Antarctica, with only 0.8 per cent of Brits having been there.
“In terms of thrill-seeking, it seems the Scots really embrace adventure and show up the rest of us. A whopping 79 per cent of Brits say they don’t want to try sky-iving, bungee jumping, white-water rafting, base jumping, glacier hiking, or wing walking. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that,” commented Emma Coulthurst from TravelSupermarket. “And, unsurprisingly, most Brits list Europe as their most visited continent, with 97 per cent of Brits having been there. Travel and adventure is personal. It most definitely isn’t the number of countries which you clock up that is important. It is having the holiday that you want and where you want and with the level of adventure which is right for you!”