
Thailand crowned world's third most fun nation
This impressive ranking falls under the 'Adventure' category of their 'best countries' report. Based on a global survey of 17,000 people (from business leaders to influencers and the general public) conducted between March and May 2024, Thailand scored a whopping 91.3 in the 'fun' subcategory. What's more, it was the only Asian country to crack the top 10. With its legendary full moon parties, epic street food and endless postcard-perfect beaches, it's not hard to see why.
Whether you're a first-timer or a seasoned Thailand explorer, the kingdom's magic truly lies in its captivating contrasts. Picture this: ancient temples just steps from pulsing all-night clubs (Khaosan Road, we're looking at you!), classical dance performances sharing the stage with modern Thai remixes, and street vendors grilling up fresh squid right next to stalls selling traditional herbal elixirs.
But here's the kicker: Thailand's idea of fun isn't static anymore – it's evolving fast, and Gen Z is leading the charge. Take Bangkok, for instance. Today's youth are transforming the capital into a playground for creative expression. We're talking Gen Z-only club nights popping up in Thonglor, emerging talents showcasing their skills in Siam Square, and the Red Building Vintage Market becoming a Sunday ritual for thrift lovers and DIY stylists hunting for that perfect Y2K fit.
Further south, Ko Phangan's Full Moon Party still reigns supreme with its barefoot dancing, glow-in-the-dark body paint and dazzling fire shows lighting up the shore. But the next generation is adding their own spin, remixing the experience with eco-conscious raves and wellness retreats that come with a side of sustainability.
Up in Chiang Mai, the vibe is a little more laid-back but no less dynamic. Digital natives and creatives are flocking to craft cafes that double as zine libraries, joining hands-on art workshops and exploring the hill towns by motorbike. And over on the Andaman coast, it's not just about lounging beachside anymore. Young Thais are now kayaking through ancient mangrove forests, diving into coral conservation projects, and documenting every thrilling moment for their Instagram and YouTube followers.
The country's rising status also reflects a shift in how younger generations define fun. While the party scene is alive and well, there's also a growing emphasis on lifestyle and self-expression. This is especially true among Gen Z Thais – many of whom grew up in smaller towns before moving to cities like Big Mango to study or work. For them, fun means freedom, discovery and belonging, not escapism. It's about wearing what you want, dancing how you feel, and finding spaces that feel like home, even if just for one night.

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Telegraph
7 hours ago
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Escape the hordes at Greece's last great off-the-radar glories
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Here's our selection of the loveliest off-the-radar spots which the tourist hordes haven't yet discovered, and where the hazy, dreamy Greece of yesteryear lives on. Skopelos Before hosting the Mamma Mia nuptials, this small island in the Cyclades was barely on the tourist trail. Now, however, you'll find more tours in its tiny hilltop Agios Ioannis church than olives in a Greek restaurant. Yes, it's pretty as a picture, but so are the other 360 or so chapels and churches dotted around the island. Go beyond this popular spot, however, and you'll soon find Skopelos – 80 per cent of which is covered by pine forest – retains much of its traditional charm. This is helped by the fact that the island has no airport (just frequent ferries from neighbouring Skiathos), meaning it gets a fraction of the tourists it otherwise might. 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The island's network of old footpaths appeals to both hikers and those keen to seek out isolated beaches, the walk made all the lovelier by the wild Skyros' ponies, one of the rarest equines in the world, who roam the mountains. Patmos Known variously as the Jerusalem of the Aegean, the Holy Island or the Island of the Apocalypse, Patmos is famous for its religious legacy. A day trip here will likely include a visit to the Monastery of St John and the Cave of the Apocalypse, where you will see such treasures as the skull of doubting apostle St Thomas. The museum houses the late 5th century Gospel According to Mark, one of the sources for the text of the New Testament, and in the Cave of Revelations you can touch the crevices in the wall where St John steadied himself while receiving the heavenly revelations. Perhaps not a huge draw for everyone, but of special importance for many. 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Daily Mirror
12 hours ago
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Expert names vital holiday items Brits always pack wrong when going abroad
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The Guardian
18 hours ago
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Are young women finally being spared the unique cruelty of male literary opinions?
Gen X, millennial and gen Z men are reading less than boomers and older generations in Australia, and there's only one good thing about it. Thirsty, bookish young women might now be spared the niche heterofatalist torture of a sexual objective frustrated by the obstacle of male literary opinion. Oh, what a second-by-second social negotiation it was; if she hadn't read the enthused-about text, would her desired object find her vapid and shallow? If she had read it, she was in even more trouble: would his interest be piqued or levelled dare she confess she found Stranger in a Strange Land a meandering journey? Would she argue Fight Club beat you around the head with its message? Would the young woman really have to listen to him read out bits from And the Ass Saw the Angel before his pants removal? I'm grateful, at least, that the latest generation of girls who bear the heterosexual burden are unlikely to experience the unique cruelty of collective, instant male disinterest after blurting out 'Goldberry is a completely unnecessary character!' amid casual Lord of the Rings chat at the pub. But I am sad that, if figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and discussed by the ABC last week are to be believed, the steps of this complex, sometimes ugly, sometimes exhilarating dance may be becoming the stuff of anthropological archives rather than an ongoing scene of potential frisson. The ABS data does exclude reading for study or any online reading – including news – so it's possible younger men are indulging in the written word in other areas. Oh, boys; with the passage of time, have your forsaken your Goldberry … or have you forgotten her entirely? It's even sadder news that reading is down across the board. Among Australian senior school students, according to Australia Reads, 29% of them did not reportedly read a physical book last year. It's not an Australian problem. In the 1970s, 60% of American year 12 students read daily. By 2016, it was 16%. Obviously, screens, the internet, binge TV replacing long-form narrative consumption habits and the – yes, again – handheld doom machines are accessories to their cultural decline. Johann Hari's excellent book Stolen Focus explains in detail how technology has 'hacked' our attention spans for short-form, immediate interruption, with the result of rewiring our brains against the concentration required to immerse in a book. In case you can't find the time, energy or quietude to read it, Hari also explains that overwork, chronic stress, ultra-processed foods, poor sleep and environmental stressors are compounding the problem. Neuroscientists agree: Prof Maryanne Wolf has warned that reduced practice in sustained reading may not only weaken the brain's capacity to manage complex texts, but might also denude critical thinking, empathy and cognitive depth. This is where the gendered division of the world's remaining novel readers may be most painfully felt. Anna Burkey, from the book industry initiative Australia Reads, told the ABC that studies have shown parents read less to their male children than female ones, reinforcing an unconscious pattern that puts crucial developmental tools further away from boys who need them. As educators, male literary identity Brandon Jack and the Tough Guy book club movement strategise how to reverse the damage of gender-holing literary curiosity and get books back into boys' hands, the rest of us must grapple with the emotional world the present reading divide has contributed to creating. It's a gendered empathy deficit. Not only does it facilitate social carelessness and cruelty, but it is socially isolating. And it is leaving men and boys lonely and socially isolated at disproportional rates compared with women and girls. Nearly 43% of Australian men report loneliness, a recent survey shows, with 16% experiencing severe loneliness. I can't help but recall advice my mother gave me growing up as an only child with working parents: 'You'll never feel alone if you make friends with books.' I didn't, because I did. Humans invented storytelling in order to provide lessons in survival: we faced this, we dealt with it this way, this is the result, for good or ill. Sure, we can get stories from screens, but as that market has widened it's also flattened; a 'new literalism' of storytelling on screens has emerged of such comprehensive over-explication that there are few imaginative demands placed on viewers at all. It's from the imaginative, interpretative effort of reading stories from text that our brains wire a broader, personally felt social understanding, which provide us strategies for forming connections, maintaining relationships, overcoming restrictive and uncomfortable social roles, and being able to negotiate systems of help and of care. The same social psychologist who tracked the decline in reading among American teenagers published data from her 40-year longitudinal study identifying a maturity regression among today's western young people. They're having less sex, fewer dates, less civic participation and drinking less, meaning that 18-year-olds are more like how 15-year-olds used to be 40 years ago. Other scholars confirm; the rising generations have become more risk-averse. I've argued that the omnipresent social surveillance of mobile phone technology may be a reason … but one wonders if it's partially because they're consuming less vicarious experience from books to construct informed risk matrices around what they're likely to encounter. There are always social and emotional risks in the dance of sexual attraction. But sometimes, ah – mutual book-learnin' left boys and girls with some stories to tell. Van Badham is a Guardian Australia columnist.