New Study Reveals Over Half of UK Citizens Overall Health Affected by Travel Restrictions

Almost two in three British adults (64%) say their wellbeing, mental health and work productivity has been seriously impacted by not being able to travel abroad

Almost two in three British adults (64%) say their wellbeing, mental health and work productivity has been seriously impacted by not being able to travel abroad for the last two years, according to a new study.

The AllClear study asked a nationally representative sample of 2,083 adults what, if any, consequences they had experienced from not being able to travel abroad for nearly two years. Two thirds of respondents cited negative impacts and these included:

Health impact:

The deterioration of people’s mental health. A quarter (25%) of respondents said that not being able to have a decent holiday had seriously affected their mental health and wellbeing in the last 24 months. The impact of not being able to go abroad also extended to people’s physical health – with 18% of people saying that being stuck indoors during the holiday season had resulted in them piling on the pounds.

Work impact:

Not being able to enjoy holidays also impacted the world of work. More than one in five people (22%) said the lack of overseas holidays meant it was more difficult for them to have a good work-life balance and be able to switch off. A further 13% said they felt demotivated and were conscious their performance at work had slipped as a result of not going on holiday.

Social impact:

The study also found that, for many people, not being able to have an overseas holiday adversely affected their social development. Around one in seven people (15%) said they had been unable to visit family members that lived overseas – and 21% felt their social skills had taken a back seat because they had been unable to visit new places and meet new people for a long time.

Regionally, people in London (79%) felt the hardest hit by not being able to holiday abroad. For the many that live in flats or who lack gardens, the periods of lockdown have been especially testing. From the study, 21% of Londoners said their mental health had suffered and 20% said they hadn’t taken a single break from work as there was nowhere for them to go. Elsewhere, people in Wales were most likely to say the lack of holidays had resulted in them becoming more reclusive in outlook (26%), whilst people in Yorkshire were most likely to say they had piled on the pounds (21%) as a result of not being able to travel abroad for holidays.

Data provided by AllClear. For the full study, please visit www.allcleartravel.co.uk

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