News

So Long Gap Year, It's All About Festi-Railing

• 8th Sep 2010

It was once a vital part of any ex-student’s life before launching into a career – but now the uncertain economic times and doubts over international travel mean gap years are being ditched in place of frequent train journeys based around the UK’s massive festival industry.

New research commissioned by 16-25 Railcard and carried out by global trends firm Fitch reveals that late teens and 20-somethings have adopted a post-recession mindset of spending ‘little and often’ when it comes to travel – and are ‘festi-railing’ as they look to spend their free time within easy travelling distance.

‘Festi-railing’ adopts a similar culture to ‘inter-railing’ which became popular in the 1980’s and saw young backpackers travelling around Europe via the train. The difference now is there is more of an appeal to stay in the UK during the summer season due to the increasingly popular festival industry and good value rail travel.

Social networking technology, such as Facebook and Twitter, also means one big international trip is being replaced by lots of shorter travel experiences thanks to ease of organising with friends, booking online and using Railcards to make great savings. Over the last 10 years, the number of 16-25 Railcards sold has gone up by 43% and there are now over 1.3m 16-25 Railcard holders in Britain.

The findings also reveal:
– The number of 16-24 year olds who travelled overseas in 2009 is 12.7%3 down on the previous 12 months
– One in five Brits have been deterred from flying in 2010 due to volcanic ash4
– The total distance travelled within Great Britain has increased by 90%5 since the 1980s
– The amount of trips arranged via social networks like Facebook has almost doubled since 2008 amongst young travelers6

Fitch Travel Trends Expert, Alex Tibbenham, comments: “Twenty years ago, a gap year was the norm for any self-respecting college leaver before he or she settled down into a career – but a number of economic, social and technological factors are changing all that.

“Concerns about the planet, carbon footprints, volcanic ash, international terrorism and financial pressures mean there is now much less incentive for young people to travel the world.

“At the same time, the huge explosion of festivals – which contributed over £130m to the economy last year – has provided the perfect framework for young people looking for a sense of community to which to belong. And the meteoric rise of social media in the last few years has also helped strengthen the appeal of festivals considerably.

“In the same way that inter-railing was born out of post-recession behaviour in the 1980s, festi-railing – travelling frequently and often around Britain on trains – looks set to rise in popularity this summer and over the next few years.”

Andrew Robertson Head of Marketing for the 16-25 Railcard said: “Train companies understand how many younger people will be feeling the pinch at the moment.

“Railcards offer real savings, particularly when combined with booking ahead to get some great value fares, and train companies now sell 800,000 cheap Advance tickets every week.

“These findings show that younger people are becoming increasingly savvy at getting out and about to enjoy themselves at Britain’s growing number of festivals at a fraction of the price of foreign travel.”

The 16-25 Railcard costs just £26 and is available to anyone between the ages of 16 to 25. The Railcard allows the holder to save a third off of all standard adult fares for a whole year. For more information or to purchase a 16-25 Railcard, visit link