We plan to do the moving away thing but as you say it can be fraught with problems if not properly thought out, particulary with no exit strategy in mind. I have seen it work well and also seen it fail. In fact some friends of ours retired, bought a house on Hawaii and moved there 6 years ago. While they have no regrets and have enjoyed their tropical adventure they have missed the social interaction with friends and family and are now planning on moving back.
DW and I have moved quite a bit through our marriage and have always managed to make friends wherever we've lived. Joining a gym, refereeing soccer, doing evening classes always works for us. We always like to find a regular place to go to for breakfast on a Sunday morning and usually make casual friendships that may or may not develop into something outside of Sunday mornings.
