Loving where you live

Last week, I wrote about Outside magazine’s Best Places to Work feature for those searching for a workplace that values the right work-life balance. Another option is breaking out of your own home territory. If you don’t love where you live, but you can’t cut the ties to an office paycheck just yet, you might consider relocating to a place where you feel like you’re on vacation—even when you’re punching the clock.

Michele Meyer did just that. Drawn to Hawaii since her first visit as a teenager, she yearned to live there as an adult. A copy editor at Yahoo!, she figured out how she could convince her manager to let her move to Hawaii and continue working remotely. After things changed and she was faced with the choice of moving back to the home office to keep her job, or stay in Hawaii—she decided to stay put. “I found that once I left, I didn’t want to go back,” said Meyer.

Since then, she’s worked to help other folks who love the island lifestyle. Her blog, How to Live in Hawaii, gives practical tips on the local lingo, what it’s like to live in Hawaii, and where the jobs are. She’s taken her own experiences and used them to help others who consider moving to Hawaii.

Your surroundings are a big part of what makes you happy. If mountains move you, or the beach is where you’d love to live, consider making it happen. When you do ultimately make the long-term travel move, it’ll feel that much better returning to a home you love.

Posted by | Comments (3)  | April 28, 2011
Category: Lifestyle Design


3 Responses to “Loving where you live”

  1. Michele Meyer Says:

    Thanks for the link, Jill! I highly recommend moving to a place you love, if there’s a way you can make it happen. I’ve been living in Hawaii for about nine months now, and even though I still have to work, wash laundry, go grocery shopping, and do the other mundane tasks of daily life, during my free time I do feel like I’m on vacation. Last Friday, on a spur of the moment, I went with a friend for a swim at Waikiki Beach, and as we were enjoying the waves among all the tourists, I turned to him and said, “Can you believe we actually live here?” I’m still pinching myself. I also love the fact that I’m now a little bit closer to some travel destinations that are high on my list: French Polynesia, Bali, Fiji, Southeast Asia, New Zealand, and Australia.

  2. Feeling Like You’re On Vacation…At Home | How To Live In Hawaii Says:

    […] just wrote a post for Vagabonding’s travel blog (thanks for the link, Jill!) titled “Loving Where You Live,” which offers another reason for moving to Hawaii that I hadn’t really thought much […]

  3. Nicky Spur Says:

    Amazing that she was able to convince her boss of that. I do agree that environment plays a major factor in terms of one’s own happiness. All of your day is in some way impacted by your external surroundings — living somewhere like Hawaii would likely just make everything a little bit better, the highs and the lows.