Being able to walk outside, feel the sun, the air or the rain on your face, touching grass, trees or rocks - that would be a huge difference for me.

Exile might sometimes give people an opportunity to create a new life for themselves, even if it wouldn't have been their own choice. Especially if exile is to a semi-free society, as opposed to exile to a prison colony or an internal gulag. Some people may even thrive as a result. There is no comparison with an lengthy period of imprisonment, with no freedoms at all