A recent survey-based study on a population from the United Kingdom found that restrictions on travel outside of one's immediate neighbourhood are related to worse self-reported health. Travelers, on the other hand, frequently report feeling healthier than those who stay at home.One explanation could be the fact that loneliness may increase when a person is unable to travel and has less social connections.

The study concentrates on the North of England, a region with worse health outcomes than the rest of England and scant transportation options outside of major urban regions.

The study defined leaving one's immediate vicinity as a distance of 15 miles (or 24 kilometres) or more from home.

The authors of the study examined responses from 2,747 people who live in the North of England regarding their health and the travel challenges they encounter.

The study found that this region of England has the lowest health results in the country and that many of its districts lack suitable transportation infrastructure.

Five questions, each of which focused on a distinct travel constraint, were presented to the survey participants, asking them to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement:

✓I don't venture outside of my neighbourhood as frequently as I would like to. - a cap on how frequently you can travel.

✓I don't get to travel as much as I'd like to, for example, to cities or towns outside of my neighbourhood. - a restriction on the number of places visited.

✓I frequent locations that are closer to me than I would like to. — a cap on trip distance.

✓"I take public transportation to locations I'd prefer to go by vehicle" — a restriction on driving a car".

✓I drive to locations I'd prefer to go by public transportation." – a barrier to using public transit.

According to the survey replies, the authors came to the conclusion that people who could travel at least 15 miles from home, who could travel frequently, and who could visit more sites were more likely to report being in better condition.

In responders 55 and older, the relationships between travel and health were more substantial.

The absence of opportunities for social connection when people's travel options were constrained was discovered to be directly related to worse health.

On the other hand, limited travel frequency had a less drastic negative impact on health. Travel issues, in other words, "are highly associated to social involvement, and social participation is significantly related to self-reported health," he said.

Traveling can also have a direct impact on health quality because it may give people access to more and possibly better healthcare options than may be accessible locally.