who's paying for this?

If it were someone else, then hands down, Hawaii. But only if DH would be coming too. (I hate cold weather, and simply love macadamia nut sticky buns and kona coffee.)

If I had to choose an alternate universe, but still work to pay the bills, then I would probably stay put and with family and friends.

Montana: hunky cowboys, snow, the stars, moose, wide open spaces, the quiet, snow, snow boots, winter clothes, horses...

Ok, my daffodils are about to bloom and I'm bummed! We have not had any winter this year. It's a serious mid-life- gardening- weather crisis that has been going on for the past 4 years.

Assume you'd still have to support yourself, though not necessarily your current lifestyle--or at least that is what we were discussing at work today.

I have a friend that travels extensively around the world. I have no desire to do that but it made me wonder if I had no family and friends, would I stay here? My first thought was I'd move to Ireland because I'm facinated with the countryside, but I'd want to live in the US. Sooo... I'm not sure of a specific state but it would need to be in the country with four different seasons or be more cold vs. warm/hot.

Definitely thinking about this, as I have one collaborator on our project who is moving to Vancouver and another to Hawaii, both for their DH's jobs. Definitely makes me think what the heck are we doing here. We have no kids, but we probably could not leave MIL here by herself.

I have started over new twice. I moved away 500 miles from my hometown for grad school not knowing a soul, and then I moved from there to be with DH here not knowing anyone else but him and MIL.

I would love to live in NYC, San Francisco or else Sydney, Australia. I actually did apply for some jobs in Australia after I went there 10 years ago. I even had a phone interview. I was just working on study abroad options for our students, and I have not given up the Australian dream.

I don't think I could ever move away from where I have lived my whole life and leave friends, family, although I would love to live somewhere colder.

That's easy. I'd kick the Bush's out of their Maine compound and move there. lol. I look at their home a lot on google earth.

I would head to NZ in a heartbeat.

I'm definitely a small-town, country kind of gal. We love where we are and most of our families are here in the area. No one is further than a couple of hours away and I love that.

HOWEVER, if we were to leave here there is a small town near Charleston, SC that my husband and I loved. I cannot remember the name of the city, will have to look it up. Very laid back and has the away from it all feeling but within an hour of Charleston and the islands in that area.

Love our climate here although we do get pretty hot in the summer but have such mild winters. Love that we have much of the year for outside activities. Like Shee, I would be staying in the US of A!

There is a pond on the family farm that I grew up on. I learned to swim in that pond. The farm is still in our family and is out in the middle of nowhere. Absolutely beautiful near the Shawnee National forest.

I would build a small cabin on the water with tons of windows and spend the rest of my life reading, drinking good coffee, and learning how to bird watch.

I love all four seasons, so I'd head back to where I grew up, Michigan. I have a lot of siblings and family still there. I love the tall shade trees, the greeness of it all, and the beautiful Great Lakes. I'd buy a small cottage on Lake Huron or Lake St. Clair . . . or like my little sis has, a home on my own big private pond
Lynn

A place with height to the land and lakes or rivers but with a city and all the amenities no more than twenty minutes away! I think I would be very happy with a small 2nd home near Ashville N.C. Other than that I love Italy, the people, the food and would like to explore other areas there. Australia would be interesting to see, I have never been there. As far as my first home, we would stay in Florida, but I really long for the "old" Florida. You can still find these little nooks here and there but they are few and far between. I would be in my element if I lived in a small older style cbs surrounded by native foliage in a little cove on the water. Most all these little homes have sadly been replaced by McMansions. I wouldn't mind learning to fish as long as someone else cleaned the guts out. As far as a place to run too on a daily basis I would love a little art studio in the back of my property. It would be designed like a little English style cottage with pretty flowers all around, lots of windows and a top of the line sound system. In a perfect world my studio would back up to a horse ranch and I would get weekly deliveries of carrots and apples to feed the horses lol.

When I was daydreaming about winning the big lottery jackpot I came up with Barcelona as the place I would run away to. Never been there before, but it appeals to me. I would take intensive language classes, paint and stroll the city.

Oh, I'd have to have a job? Well, that changes everything. Okay, here's what I'd do. DH would be a travel photographer and I'd be a travel writer. We'd live in a great condo in Boston (near where we live now, because I can't leave family and friends). But we'd be traveling all the time -- Europe, tropical islands, national parks in the US... Maybe home 4 weeks, away 2 weeks, home 4 weeks, etc. This would have to wait until our youngest goes to college, though, I guess.

However, whenever I hear one of those stories about a couple or family ditching everything and moving to a tropical island, I find that really appealing! Sometimes I think I'd like to run a small inn, but I can see how that could get old after a while.

an unspoiled (if there is one) South Pacific island, like Fiji maybe, warm, sunny, and peaceful, with soft breezes...

Let's see:

A bit of Total Fantasy Travel ideas for Supreme Running Away Dreams:

a)London: including the Chelsea Physic Garden; Treadwells bookstore and the British Museum; as well hanging about in Harrods Food Hall and Fortnum & Mason ....

b)Scotland -- take the Royal Scotsman train

c)France/Belgium/Holland/Italy -- travel the antique markets ...and the food places of course! :)

d)USA -- visit food festivals! :)

e)USA -- visit wine regions across the nation!:)

f)USA -- slowly travel up highway 1 .... and visit lots of antique markets and festivals ....

LOL! :)

Anywhere -- take me away, Calgon!

Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, London or Paris...I'd love to try any of those for a while.

My go to saying is " Let's sell everything, buy a boat, and head south" It's risky, vague, and full of wanderlust all at the same time. No end point- just running away.

I've been fixated on New Mexico lately. I lived there as a kid and loved it. I've been in the South so long I might miss the "green", but I'd never miss the humidity. DH's retirement income will start in a couple years and we'll be free to go where we want then. I'm seriously considering it!

After the day I had today? I'm ready to run off to the Hampton Inn down the street. :)

I actually did!

I lived in Los Angeles until I was 52. It was a beautiful area...nice people...family...friends and I just hated it! I wanted to live somewhere that had four seasons....not one.

I had to choose somewhere that made it possible for me to get back to LA in one day in case of an emergency with my dad so I was a bit limited. I wanted a quaint town, but not too far from a bigger city. Since I knew Portland, OR fairly well because I visited friends there about 6 times a year, I chose Lake Oswego, OR which is a quaint city just minutes from downtown Portland.

Everyone thought I was nuts to just up and leave (I made the decision in one week and had completed my move in 30 days) and there were bets as to how soon I'd be back. They all lost their bets :-)

Here I am, 12 years later, never regretting my decision.

I would go to NZ in a heartbeat if I weren't too old to be let in at this point. Ten years ago, we found a house on a lake with acreage and no neighbors. We had a lawyer and agent, but DH wasn't ready. I am still irritated! So, now it will be the southwest area of France. Closer and I could do it on my own staying there part-time. Thinking seriously about that! :)

I love Pacific Grove, CA and the idea of getting in an RV and seeing the country is also appealing.

Bumblebeez said: "Ok, my daffodils are about to bloom and I'm bummed! We have not had any winter this year."

OK, I don't know where you live but let's trade houses! I love love love spring and daffodils but I'm sitting here in WI and the temp is currently 6 below zero and it's pitch black outside. If I wanted to watch the news, I'm sure I could find a weather guy on tv this morning who does the trite old trick of going outside with a bucket of water and throwing it into the air -- where the water instantly vaporizes and floats away.

Listen, I'm just going to go pack my bags now. You'd better get a darn-good parka on your way to WI! See you soon! :P

Gosh, this is something I have thought about but have never come up with an answer. Of course, if I have to support myself, that really limits my options. I would have to choose by process of elimination. I don't like the cold or dealing with ice and snow, so that cuts out a bunch of places. I also would like to get away from humidity but I could not stand the heat and dryness of the desert. I want to be near culture, good food and interesting shopping. So where is this magical place? My brother lives near San Diego and that seems to tick most of the boxes, but it costs a fortune to live there which means it is mostly rich people and I really, really enjoy a diversity of people.

I don't know. Maybe I'll just throw a dart at a map.

I ran away to martha's vineyard. I love it here and am fortunate to have a full-time year-round job and a nice (if small) year-round apartment and it is definitely a lifestyle choice. It's annoying when I can't get my car off-island last minute or the winds are so high that the ferry I DID have a reservation on gets canceled. It's annoying when the tourists are clogging everything up but the island is more alive and vibrant in season too so you just grit your teeth and have more patience getting from point A to point B. It is very expensive to live here too and I don't know if I will ever own property again, but the place is kind of magical and a really great place to raise children with excellent schools, an amazing newish YMCA and tons of support everywhere you look. It's the kind of place I always dreamed about living in and I am fortunate to be able to support myself as a single mother here at all (in a place where there is mostly a tourist industry) but sometimes I wish things were easier...

So now I fantasize about moving even further away from everyone I know... maybe Greenville, SC. I visited there last year for work and it was really a beautiful city - with a great, vibrant downtown. Property is inexpensive and I could probably live on my own quite nicely and start over fresh. Even living on an island with no bridge feels too close to "back home" sometimes and as much as I like it here, I have a feeling of not belonging sometimes as well.

When I was younger I spent a summer in france and used to fantasize endlessly about living there full time. I stayed in a little town in central france called Bourges (there is a cathedral there so it's not teeny tiny) and I would love to live in a place like that and start completely over - but I have my 4 year old to consider. Maybe once he is grown I will indulge that fantasy, although he is giggling at something right now making me wish he never grows up :-/.

If I didn't have the kid who knows where I'd be. Maybe here, maybe somewhere else.

Too funny, kgw, as that's my hometown. I was so happy to get out when I left at age 30.
It's an hour away now and I do shop there once a month or so, but am I ever so glad when I'm heading back home that I don't live there!

Kgwlisa, a couple of years in France would be wonderful for your son! So good to grow up bilingual. Just think how cute it would be for him to chatter in French!

My husband and I retired a few years ago, with three children still in elementary school. We had been living in a close suburb of NYC. The thought was also that if we didn't need to commute into NYC everyday anymore, we didn't need to live in such an expensive area.

For the year or so before i left my profession I thought a lot about where we might go. I looked at all the "Best Places to Live" lists. I had fun looking at real estate listings. I studied school districts.

My favorite idea was to live in different parts of the world a year or so at a time. I gave it up as far too costly, since we might need to put the 3 kids in private international schools (100k a year) and since we would of course want to live in a nice place (cha ching) and we could not imagine not still owning a home in the US to go to. All a little to much when coupled with our goal of living off investment income.

We then looked in the US. First warm places (Coral Springs --- friends called the schools 'abysmal", So. Cal --- afraid of quakes, Austin, TX --- but we are Yankees!). Then places famed for healthy, family lifestyles. Portland, Orgeon --- too rainy and not so great schools. Boulder, CO --- too far from family. Asheville, NC --- but we are Yankees! Next it was college towns. Williamstown, MA ---- brrr. Charlottesville, VA --- too horsey etc etc etc

The big attraction was that in most of these places houses don't cost anywhere near as much as suburban NYC, but, after a while, you find yourself saying "so what"? No one ever moved to the middle of a cornfield just because they could get 1000 more sq ft

I finally realized that it is hard to leave the region where you grew up, unless it was really duddsville. I like all four seasons, I like old buildings, I like well funded schools, I like liberal politics, and I like being able to go into NYC. My family is in PA and DH's in is MA.
We "decided" to stay put.

Then of course we randomly fell in love with this house we are in now, when we were not looking. A little over an hour from our old house, but in many ways, the same --- still a NE suburb in the orbit of NYC culture. Half way between our families.More country than urban, but not exactly like deciding to move to Dubai! And get this, partly due to the acreage and the total reno, partly CT prices vs No NJ, we ended up spending a multiple of what we sold for (oops).

As an added bonus, I have been able to do some consulting in my field which I am so happy for. That opportunity would be far less likely for me in Timbuktu.

I just don't think I am a "run away to" person. Maybe for vacations!

PS Go to France! It will be great with one 4 yo! He could probably even attend local schools! Go go. Of course, MV is to die for anyway...

duplicate post removed... sorry!

This post was edited by mtnrdredux on Mon, Jan 21, 13 at 14:36

Sedona, Arizona. I want an adobe casa butted up to the hillsides and lizards in my front courtyard. I want to hunt rocks and artifacts and bake with the warmth down to my bones. I want to write poetry about Joshua Trees and clouds and dust.
I want to 'sleep in the desert tonight, with a billion stars all around', and I want to build cairns along desert trails and wear turquoise and flowing skirts and sandals.

I live in probably the most beautiful place in the US...Northwest Oregon is breathtaking, but I'm DONE with 3 seasons and cloudy, gray days. I love the forests and the coast and the mountains, but I really just want to live in the desert where it's wide open and surrounded by windswept mountainscapes. And where it's WARM and DRY! (says she after living the last two weeks in below freezing, damp weather)

Kgwlisa, the first thing I would look at in Greenville SC is the school system. Even the best district there is likely not as good as those in your current home. Greenville is a great town and the revitalization of the downtown has been a wonderful boon to the area, but you would probably be looking at private schools, and even then they might not meet your expectations in terms of diversity. To be fair, I would say that is probably true of most medium sized towns in the deep south. I live in a southern state and education is always the challenge.

If I were running away I think I would look for a small, lovely river town where I could have a darling, small house in town within walking distance of everything, and to use a bike for the library, grocery, etc. I would have a nice sized, manageable garden and bright interiors that are easy to keep with a minimum of effort. And of course I would take Mr. Fluffy, my Llhasa Apso and the one "possession" I could never leave behind.

Pesky, we vacationed in Sedona this past Spring and loved it! But, coming from the high desert mountains of New Mexico, I wanted cool and green in Sedona. We rented a condo just north of town on the river in the gorgeous Oak Creek Canyon. Sedona is a fun town, though and I can't wait to go back again soon.
Do you think you'll ever be able to move there?

Oooh, we're going to Sedona in June for the first time! (As the first stop -- just 2 nights -- of a trip to Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion.) Can't wait -- we have never been out that way but the photos look amazing.

Sue, let me know if you'd like any suggestions as to what to do or where to eat or stay in Sedona. We really enjoyed our time there. We're hoping to get back there this Spring if we can possibly arrange it around DD's Spring Break from college and DH's physicians asst's baby, due around then, too.

Well we are getting there late one day and leaving two days later, so we really have only one full day in Sedona. If you have a couple of "don't miss" things I'd love to hear them. We're staying at the Enchantment Resort, which looks great. Anything we do will be super casual, no fancy meals because this is a shorts and t-shirts trip!

Sue, the Oak Creek Brewery & Grill for lunch in the gorgeous Tlaquepaque (Ta-La-kay-Pa-kay or Ta-La-key-pa-key, depending on what store owner you ask) Arts & Crafts Village is very casual and the food and beer are wonderful! The restaurant is on the second floor with huge windows and very comfortable booths overlooking Tlaquepaque. Their burgers are drop-dead delicious. We would never take another trip to Sedona without eating there at least twice. It's that good.

Dinner at Silver Saddle at the Cowboy Club, right on the main drag through town (North SR 89). You need to make reservations for this place, but the food is excellent and the atmosphere and staff wonderful. We're very picky about the quality of food where we eat and we loved everything. This is a restaurant inside another, more casual and much more crowded restaurant. This is another place we will always go back to when vacationing in Sedona.

Sedona hi-jack, sorry. Enchantment Resort is fabulous!!! Loved having meals there but is not super casual. I opted for Pink Jeep tour rather than shopping during 1st visit. Like Pesky said, having a casa nestled against the red mountains, FP in rooms, etc is superb.

Answering the original question is much more difficult and one that I am currently contemplating - anywhere from Pacific Islands, NW US, Caribbean or Europe. Love reading all the responses.