Missing Airplay - is it because I have no compatible speakers?

I have a recently-purchased iPod touch (6th generation) 128Gbyte, iOS version 9.3.5 which I intend to use almost exclusively to play my MP3 music collection.

I am considering buying an AirPlay compatible speaker to complement the iPod touch. I would like to be able to use the two in various settings and not just whilst connected to the same home WiFi network. As far as I can ascertain this is possible.

BUT - there is no AirPlay button on my iPod touch. There is nothing in Settings which mentions AirPlay. I have searched very thoroughly.

The advice on the internet seems to be that I should reset both my iPod touch and my 'Apple TV'. I don't have the latter. I have come to the conclusion that the AirPlay feature will only trigger when there is some kind of AirPlay-enabled device (such as an Apple TV or other speakers) available to trigger it. Is this correct?

You see my dilemma - do I want to spend around £200 on an AirPlay compatible speaker without being sure that my iPod touch will interact with it? And how do I know the iPad touch even has the AirPlay feature if I have to possess such speakers in order to make it appear? Any suggestions?