Others expressed a desire to move but felt trapped because of relatives living nearby. They will live their lives out with 40 miles of where they were born.
I have thought about this one a lot. I have had to deal with some guilt for moving away from my parents when it is obvious they won't be around much longer, but then I realize the following:
1 - My own parents were the only ones to move away from their families. Dad left Iowa for the Korean War, then went to college in Tennessee and seminary in Texas. Mom left North Carolina for college in Tennessee, met dad, married, moved with him to Texas. My brother and I were born here.
Every other year or so we would take vacation and go see relatives, usually just one side of the family, so either Iowa or North Carolina. Our aunts and uncles and grandparents occasionally visited Texas as well. But we were mostly separated from our extended families for our entire lives.
Unlike our parents, my brother and I have mostly stayed close. Only after a half a century are my wife and I moving away. We've given them a lot more time being close to us than they did their own parents, so it's hard to feel guilty about that.
2 - Even when we lived close, we mostly got together for birthdays and holidays. We didn't see each other every day or week. Most communication was by phone or email. Going forward only the in-person visit frequency will change. We also tested Facebook video chat. Seems to be the easiest technology that everyone understands.
3 - My brother is nearby for any sort of emergency, but we will be only a 2.5 hour flight away. Currently we live a 2.75 hour drive away. That doesn't seem like too much of a difference.
I can't help but think life retirement is much the same. I see it as an adventure.
So few will take a chance.. and I think it is a pity.
Anyone else relocate to a better life Care to chime in?
Although we are newly officially retired, we have spent a few years outside of our home area. It is most *definitely* an adventure! We love almost all the locals, and at least half the transplants.
We also plan on yearly travel, probably 90-180 days at a time, depending on the budget. Less in the first couple of years, more later.
Several years ago I created a Google Earth map with icons for all the places I wanted to visit, with something I felt would be interesting to see, something that would be worth the effort vs. just reading about it or looking at pictures/videos. We have seen most of those places in the U.S., now it's time to work on the rest of the Western Hemisphere, then Europe, then
