Emotional Well-Being and Environmental Restorativeness in Slow Travel: Experiential Qualities and Motivational Possibilities

Slow travel, characterised by reduced pace, immersion, and interaction with the surroundings, is increasingly recognised as a sustainable mobility practice in the context of leisure. This paper examines emotional well-being and environmental restorativeness as experiential qualities associated with slow travel. Data were collected through a multilevel mixed methods research design combining spatial analysis with intercept surveys conducted with 19 walkers and 31 cyclists, capturing participants’ reflections during their leisure activities. Participants’ responses were analysed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in the experiential and affective qualities of walking and cycling for leisure in non-urban settings. The findings suggest that participants frequently described their slow travel experiences in terms of emotional well-being and environmental restorativeness, referring to feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and personal fulfilment during walking and cycling. Participants’ descriptions frequently referred to specific physical features, such as vegetation, water, and open landscapes, in conjunction with positive affective experiences. These patterns are interpreted as thematic co-occurrences between environmental characteristics and experiential qualities of slow travel. By highlighting how walkers and cyclists describe their experiences in relation to the environment, the study provides exploratory insights into the experiential qualities of slow travel. While the findings are context-specific, they provide a foundation for future research on the relationship between movement, environment, and well-being, highlighting the intertwined role of physical features, experiential qualities, and psychological states and pointing to possible connections between slow travel experiences, motivations related to mobility practices, and broader discussions on sustainable mobility.