You know the saying, "Find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life again". I got to thinking about how to select and design your environment so you never feel the "need" to go on a distant "vacation trip" again, whether you are "working" or not. I put the word "working" in quotes because the word means different things to different people.
A huge aspect of this for me, is to live in a place where inexpensive "getaways" are actually quite close by; anywhere from an hour away to a short or long walk or short drive away. Some thoughts for me: live in place where I can design a nature retreat in my backyard. What got me thinking about it, is visiting a friends backyard garden in the middle of a small town. He had a fancy chicken coop, compost bins, raised gardens, square foot garden, garden beds, berry bushes, a pond and waterfall he constructed, and lots of nice shaded seating, all on less than 1/8 acre. We sat out and drank mint iced tea from mint he grows. A wonderful retreat! But then if you don't enjoy the work that comes with that, it wouldn't suit.
I actually live a short walk from a gardening center that has a private large garden in the back, complete with seating in the shade by flowing water, and animals to look at. I take a friend once in a while and we just stroll around and sit and relax. A huge variety of plants. No charge.
When the kids were little, we camped out in our back yard (though our back yard where we lived before was 23 acres). They loved it!
Now I live within 20 minutes to an hour or so, from beaches where we can snorkle. A whole new world underwater.
However, I do miss the northern forests, the mountains, the vistas with no buildings or people in sight. And then again, I miss the environments in completely opposite sides of the planet sometimes. Which is why I probably will always take traveling vacations as well as mini vacations in my back yard...
I know the trend nowadays in home design, is towards outdoor spaces with huge decking, fire pits, lots of seating, grilling setups. So people can relax outdoors and never leave their home. Another trend I see, is decorating your house like a spa or fancy hotel room.
Any thoughts? What makes your home, not just your house, but your location, one that makes you not feel such a need to "get away"? By "get away", I mean traveling several hours or more.