Anyone relocated 2 and a half/3 hours away from where your from ? And how did you find it ?

[Lardlizard]

I’m close to my family, dh isn’t
So I would miss family and friends
That’s really the only thing holding us back

I relocated 2.5 hours away 12 years ago. I much prefer living where I do now. I have a much better quality of life. Both my parents were alive when I moved. My Dad died 8 years ago and my Mom now has dementia. I try to stay with her every 2-3 weekends. I'm an only child and she's living independently with carers supporting her. It's hard but I much prefer living near the coast to being in the Midlands.

2.5-3h is a little far but still easy for a weekend so I’d go for it if you really like the new area otherwise.

barberousbarbara What area are you in now ?
Do you do visit your mum 2 out of every three weekends

It once every 2 or three weeks
Do you stay with her when you visit ?

@Lardlizard I'm in South Wales. It's an easy drive to the Midlands.

I go every two or three weeks and stay with her for a couple of nights. I also use it as a chance to catch up with family and friends.

After 12 years the Midlands no longer feels like home. I would never move back. My DP is from another part of England and we might move there some day. If/when Mom needs to move to a care home the plan is to move her near to us.

barberousbarbara How long did it take for it to feel
Like home ? I suppose two and a half hours really isn’t all that bad
One of my American fiends who has recently gone back to america
Has such a different attitude towards distance
Like she will post wow can’t believe that in hour hours we can be at such and such
Like 2 hours is nothing

Fun tilt enjoys me n dh we’re talking only yesterday about taking a trip to wales sometime
We thought maybe Swansea for a night then a couple of nights at Tenby or somewhere

Funnily enough

I am 2.5 hours from where all my family live. My husband's family are 2.5 hours in the other direction.
I see my family 2 or 3 times a year, he sees his more often. We rarely go together as we have various animals to care for and the teenagers would rather stay and do their weekend activities.
I moved 22 years ago and would never move back. Where I am now is the longest I have been anywhere and is most definitely home.

I missed my family for about the first 6 months but I was on my own. It would have been easier if it wasn't just me.

Nice twin any particular advice you could give me ?

Sometimes
I think just do it

The world is a small place these days with phones and video calls and easy transport. Moving away from home was the best thing I did - and I love my family! I find it odd now when I meet adults who live and work in the town they grew up in - there's so much more out there to see!

I also moved away (met my DH that way who had done the same).
It's fine and you get to live your own life. We see each family maybe 3-4 times a year as our lives are where we live now. I'd say if you do move you do need to spend most of your time there rather than spending every weekend visiting family/ old friends, otherwise it'll be much harder to make new ones or settle in to where you move to!

I moved, much further away. 2-3 hours obviously means you cant pop over every day but for a once a month or every couple of weeks it's not too bad a drive. I do a 4 hour round trip to a big supermarket once a month (north highlands down to Inverness!) With things like WhatsApp and facetime it makes it a lot easier, I do zoom calls with them to catch up.

We moved 4 hours away from both sides of our family. We love it where we live now, but we don't see family nearly as often- we probably see my parents 3 or 4 times a year.

Moved over time numerous times. Furthest was probably to north Suffolk from south coast. It took a few weeks adjustment but was fine.
Slightly harder moving back to a different part of south coast as it was to a smaller house with bills.
We visited family and friends. They visited us but inevitably over time you make more local friends and the number of old friends visiting reduces.

What one saying to myself tonight is that it’s not like it’s an irreversible Decision and sometimes you just gotta go for it

Yep, moved for work - I was 20 minutes away from my parents but 2.5 hours from DH's. We moved to somewhere that was 2.5 hours from my family and 2 hours from DH's.

Being away from family didn't bother me - we still spoke regularly and they/we would drive to visit. The bit I found harder was being entirely reliant on DH for company and vice versa. I made friends through work after a while, but it was when I was in my 20s so no kids and people did socialise through work. If I did it now I might meet people at the school gate, but otherwise I'd have to put myself out there and join lots of things to meet new people, and not sure that's me.

As it turned out, work moved us back (ish) and so we had to start again in somewhere we knew nothing about. But I think I'm at a point in my life where I'm happy to just potter with family, and the odd drink with school mums is a bonus. I probably wouldn't have felt that way 10 years ago though - so that's the bit I would consider rather than proximity to family - you'll see them regardless.

Yep. 2.5 hours from family. Moved about 13 years ago. Lots of friends here, very settled, kids happy.
I really hate it. Would move back in a heartbeat if I could. Hate not being part of their everyday life, hate the fact that they're gonna get older and possibly need support and I'm not gonna be nearby.

Mrs s, have you always felt that way? And why did you make the move?

Book very interesting way to look at it, I’d not thought about it like that

If I had stayed in the rural backwater I grew up in I would have remained poor. That made it an easy decision for me. I live 4 hours from where I grew up and DH lives 3 hours. See relatives a couple of times a year.

@Lardlizard It felt like home pretty much straight away. I have family in Wales so we used to regularly visit.

Where I grew up no longer feels like home and I'm someone who never thought they would move away. It's easy to adapt to an area once you familiarise yourself.

Thanks so much for the benefit of your experience
Very kind of you to share