So confused! Where on earth do we live?

NomadAmber

yanda wrote: »

if it was me I wouldn't be considering settling down in the UK, but instead make the most of your lack of ties to an area/children and look to live/travel abroad for a while.

I've worked via my laptop in Australia, Asia and South America and plenty of my friends are still doing it in their mid-thirties (more living in one area for 3 months or so rather than moving every couple of weeks) - it sounds like you need more of a break from work than a particular area - moving to the peak district isn't going to be worth it if you're working too much to appreciate it. Make the most of your freedom!

I think I do feel like I need a six month break. I'm so stressed, exhausted and fed up - and so is my husband. We have a very successful business and are the victims of our own success. We're tired of seven day work weeks, long hours and stressing over bills.

Equally, I don't want to go back into full-time work and neither does my hubby. Both of us are totally confused as to where we want to live.

Oddly enough, we only have one client that would mind us going off and travelling. And I'm fed up with them anyway, so I'd be tempted to just get rid. Lucky position to be in - picking and choosing clients.. but we've been doing this for a long time and we're very established so it's not a problem.

I would LOVE to see more of the world. The thought of 'settling down' and accepting 'that's it' terrifies me. We don't want the 'suburban life' of housing estate living. We don't want to carry on working stupid hours and not enjoying where we live.

I'm going to talk to my husband again because I actually think we need a break. Even if it's just a month or two - we could still run our business, we'd just need to use more freelancers to support us.

Hmmm.. thanks for shaking up my perspective again and making me realise where my heart truly lies. :T

Niv

I have not read every response so sorry if my thoughts are just repeats.

Some ideas:

You said you are from the North-West, have you considered Cheshire, it is within easy distance of Liverpool and Manc land, with the added benefit that it is within easy distance to your family but far enough away to mean that you dont have to 'pop' in for a cuppa when you really just want to go home!

I believe you also mentioned bristol as being a city you like. You could move to south Wales, there is lots of nice countryside in easy distance of the M5, with the bonus of Cardiff being close also.

Niv

lincroft1710

NomadAmber wrote: »

. Never thought about Oxford or Cambridge. Are they nice places? Vibrant? Got lots going on?

Both places are full of students, bicycles, tourists, river activity, bookshops, upmarket shops and a lot of historic buildings. Downside is that property is expensive.

Niv

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Both places are full of students, bicycles, tourists, river activity, bookshops, upmarket shops and a lot of historic buildings. Downside is that property is expensive.

Other downsides in addition to the property prices are: students, bicycles and tourists imo.

Niv

Somerset70

Bristol has a lot to recommend it. If you tell me your budget and how close you want to be to the city I could recommend some areas.

It's also got an airport if you want to get away abroad. And if you ever want to recruit anyone to help ease the workload there are lots of digital types working there.

pinkteapot

My parents lived in Derbyshire (Chesterfield) for several years when my dad's job was moved to Sheffield and my mum absolutely loved it. She was gutted when his job moved back to London. One of the many things going for the area is it's so central in the country. Within a 2-3 hour travel radius you can reach much of the country. I live in East Anglia and I feel really out on a limb. We spend most of our holidays in the Lake District and Scotland and it takes ages to get there.

I don't like the South either. I love how friendly people are in the North. I grew up in the South and I was freaked out the first time I went to Liverpool and a random stranger started chatting to me in a shop.