I just got back from a very enjoyable vacation, and I would be curious to hear from those of you who have moved permanently to a much beloved vacation destination.
Part of being on a wonderful vacation is that you have a break from the everyday cares of life.
Have you found that it’s possible to maintain that “vacation happiness” while living day to day in a special place?
The dynamics can change quite a bit. We bought a home and it seems like we spend half our time making repairs or purchasing items to make the home comfortable. Because of distance, we know we won’t get down there that often at this point in our lives, so we try to get as much done as possible. With time, we hope it will become more relaxing.
My parents moved from Chicago North Shore to San Diego for early retirement. They said they felt like they were in vacation nirvana ever after.Couldn’t understand why their kids didn’t follow them: “Everyone ends up in San Diego eventually. Don’t you just LOVE it?”
Parents are long gone, but wouldn’t you know, D18 ended up at University of San Diego. And here I am, still slogging through Chicago winters…
We live in a vacation destination, moved here after our kids were out of high school.
For the most part we love it here and I didn’t think I would. I’ve changed a lot since we moved. I’ve embraced the lifestyle here, hiking, biking, golf and winter sports. We are planning on making this our retirement home.
Things that have had some adjustments. It’s a small town. No Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or malls. We have a couple of grocery stores and a Home Depot. I shop on the internet mostly now.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for was that many of the local residents are very poor, there aren’t that many college graduates that I’ve met. I’ve met some really great people that I wouldn’t have met in the upper middle class suburbs that I’ve lived in before. I think it’s a good thing, I have a bigger idea of the world.
People are politically conservative and church going.
I know someone who moved to an upscale golfing community that’s in a very small resort town. They found out that their community is lively in the summer but isolating in the winter. After 5 years, they bought a winter home near their grandchildren and still summer in the golfing community but I think they might move to their other home full time at some point.
The big downside but this is just my family. No one wants to come and visit here. They don’t share our enthusiasm for our spot! My kids don’t have any friends here. And as I say, my place is not on its way to anywhere. So you don’t come here on your way to another place. Many of my neighbors do have frequent visitors but we don’t. My family wants to vacation elsewhere
Maine’s nickname is “Vacationland.” It has pluses and minuses. The Portland waterfront is jammed during the summer. I cringe if I have to drive down there on business! But it’s a beautiful state and I love living here. We do get a fair number of visitors from Texas during the summer. Sometimes it’s hard on them, though, because we don’t have air conditioning. We don’t mind putting up with a few days of warm temperatures, but they’re not used to going without AC!
DH was military and his first tour of duty was then-West Germany. We spent three years there. It was a combination of stunning experiences and laundry. 
IME it’s a total NO. I lived overseas in a very popular vacation destination; one that I’d actually vacationed in two time previously. When I vacationed there, I ate out all the time, stayed in hotels where someone else made the bed, and just did enjoyable things. In addition, no one went to work, or the bank, or post office, or set up internet, or had to sit around waiting for the furnace repairman, etc, etc. Not only did I have to do all that while I was living there, I had to do it in a different language that I was desperately trying to learn as fast as possible. While there were days that were great and I was amazed I was living there, there were many, many days that were super stressful.
We had family that lived overseas in a very popular tourist destination who felt the same way as @My3Kiddos. Having to do regular tasks with a language barrier was very problematic. Throw in health issues and it was a disaster. They HATED it and couldn’t wait to come back to the US.
Echoing others’ comments that to me it isn’t the same. Laundry, cleaning, paying bills, making beds, home maintenance, grocery shopping, yard care are all real life intrusions that take away from the vacation vibe.
My in-laws moved from PA to the beach in NC. They absolutely feel like they’re on vacation year round. That said, like mentioned above, they live in a tiny beach town with little shopping or amenities outside the beach. My family only goes down about once a year because it’s just kind of boring to us. My in-laws have their community and friends events and like to do things like bingo. For us and our two teens there is the beach and… well, not much. There isn’t even a library, which is a deal killer in this family.
Another problem that I found is that there is a lack of jobs other than the service industry. My husband transferred here with another 15 years before retirement. So he’s still working but there aren’t many job opportunities for me. Many people here work low pay, low benefits jobs.
I have many retired friends who go somewhere else in the winter or shoulder months to get away from what sometimes feels like unending winter. I would think that summer in Florida might feel the same. I have a friend who retired very early. They spend October to May in Florida and the summer here in Northern Michigan. They easily found seasonal jobs in Florida, but don’t work here.
But we’ve found a good life here and it is wonderful. I would have to pay bills, do laundry and housework any place we live. But the pluses outweigh the negatives
I’ve always loved mountains but for most of my life mountains were a long flight away. Then we totally unexpectedly moved to Colorado. I’m not retired and naturally still have everyday cares, but I’m still amazed and grateful that I can go hiking just a few blocks away, or go to a national park as a day trip. I see the mountains ever day as I drive to work, and 15 years later I’m still not tired of the view.
My son worked and lived in Manhattan and then moved to one of the LA beach cities. He had “big jobs” in both places. It was a little hard in that the unemployed in NYC are in the gutter (metaphorically speaking) while the unemployed in Hermosa Beach are, well, on the beach. It’s not vacation. Or at least it’s someone elses’ vacation.
I’ve always lived in vacation areas, so I don’t know any differently I suppose, but for us it’s different “on vacation” because we don’t have a working schedule. We do what we want, when we want, even if we work while on vacation - it’s still hours set as we want them.
Otherwise, one can get more deadened to the sights around them when one sees them every day. It takes me by surprise sometimes when tourists are around oohing and ahhing over things we see often. I remind myself that we do it too when we travel elsewhere.
Only people I know that enjoy a vacation home own something like a condo where maintenance is pretty well taken care of and they can lock a door and leave.
I know two couples who have moved permanently to homes in vacation spots but while the area is beautiful they really aren’t conducive to daily living —too far from grocery store,shopping, doctors etc. I know I wouldn’t do it. Plus in remoter areas it’s harder to get hired work done if you need it.
Personally I already love where I am so always feel like I’m on vacation. Except for laundry of course! I’d rather just travel different places each year and stay in a hotel.
Wouldn’t that depend upon where your home is currently (asked by someone who’s made it through most of the Least Desirable Places to Live list and got stuck on the bottom.
I always wonder about that. We are in the midwest and I love the ocean/water. Our short term plan is to move 1-3 hrs from the beach and live near a lake.
This month is 20 years since we moved from Boston to AZ. For most of those years, DH traveled constantly and did not want to do anything but enjoy our home and the local area when he was not on the road. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was get on another plane, sleep in another hotel, eat out one more time. So, we bought a house in Scottsdale and built a backyard oasis (pool, putting green, huge grill island, outdoor misters/speakers, resort landscaping, umbrellas, water features, etc.). And I left the workforce for a few years until our son was almost through first grade. It did feel like vacation for us every day. Because DH was only home on weekends for so many years, my routine was to get all work (shopping, cleaning, laundry) done by Thursday night because, when he walked through the door, cocktails and appetizers were ready, music was playing, the grill was going, and we did nothing but swim, play, and lounge all weekend long. Our son grew up thinking this was normal.
We’re retired now. We sold that house a few years ago and moved into a post-card golf/resort community that feels even more like vacation every day. Starting next year, after our son has graduated and is out on his own, we’ll be shutting the house down in the summers and traveling to cooler places, but home is still our vacation spot.
We bought our eventual retirement home in the place we love, about ten years ago. We still can’t retire yet, so we drive about two and a half hours most weekends, and much of the summer to be here. Even though there are mundane chores here (I just spent two hours getting car serviced), I still love being here. It’s not “on vacation” but it’s still “I am so glad I am here!” It’s near the ocean, which I love. As others have said, shops are sparse, and I don’t share the worldview of most of the people here (though I have a coterie of good friends). But these aren’t huge issues.
The great selling point is that my kids love coming here! Spend some holidays, random weekends, and more in the summer. Can’t wait to have my granddaughter hang out on the bay beach, perfect for little ones. This is where we spent many family vacations; my kids will always visit a lot. And we get a steady influx of friends visiting too. The area is a fairly easy drive for most people, so that works in our favor.
We had friends move to NYC as it was their favorite place. Well, NYC on an expense account is a whole lot different than living there and having to pay for everything yourself. After a year, they moved back to their old life.