That is vital. I know people have careers, and work to get somewhere, but you cant be forever chasing a dream outcome, or visiting a paradise location.
I made a decision to retire early, with limited finances. I have never been happier, since leaving the job and the big city. Rural life in .au is slow znd peaceful… but there is a problem of distance… we have to travel for high level medical support, or to see family, and everything we buy has a freight component.
2 Likes
Oh, I wish I could! Living on a farm is possibly one of the best life a person could have. I spent a few summers (age 13 thru 17) on my grandparents farm in the hills of West Virginia. Those were the best memories of my youth.
2 Likes
I agree.
I too visited my uncle’s farm when young.
It made a lasting impression.
I was fortunate to find a job that took me out of the city visiting sheep farms … it kept me sane.
Retiring to a farm was like paradise… with hard work as an extra.
There is travel and travel . I like to go somewhere, live and work there for a few months , and experience life there. I dont like to be always on the move … paying 5 minute visits to numerous locations.
I think what @jimofadel is referring to is the mass of unnecessary moving around that constitutes the daily lives of most of our population in urban environments, and the ‘staged’ events like festivals, conferences, major sporting matches, motor racing, olympics and so on. In the future we may be forced to be more conservative about such travel. The irony of these climate change conferences that generate more climate destroying air travel is obvious to everyone except the organisers. We have to find other ways to do business.
3 Likes
What about
Travel broadens the mind
experiencing new places, cultures, and perspectives increases understanding and reduces prejudice
2 Likes
Yes , but you have to live in one place long enough to experience things like cultures and perspectives.
Books broaden the mind too. So does learning a language. So does helping people.
3 Likes
I must be very good as I was running English language courses in France to help others for free
Better still teaching in the real Yorkshire accent proper English
4 Likes
Helping others is the ultimate sacrifice. “It is in giving that we receive”
2 Likes
Wife and have only gone on one 2 week tour and saw a lot but as you said always on the move. We like going to a place and staying for a while. Get the feel of the place, eat at the local restaurants, take our time visiting the sites, go on our schedule instead of being shuttle place to place.
3 Likes
I hear you – I’m retired and live in a medium sized city in California; that same trade-off is common here. I don’t need to travel much but on the other hand, I can always hear the rush of traffic in the distance. I tell myself it’s the same sound that Niagara Falls makes. The sirens, and the way other people drive – I’m still working on improving my attitude. My back yard is surrounded by trees, so I don’t have to look at a “cityscape” all the time, but the trees impose yard work on me. Trade-offs! Bottom line: I’m here, and today’s the day! 
1 Like
That sounds like a traditional decent sized backyard. I could exist there with space and things to do outdoors.
I often wonder what our society would be like if we spread out a bit … ie all lived in single storey separate houses with maybe an acre of land. I imagine it would be like the medieval world before the industrial revolution … ie quiet and measured.
1 Like