5 Reasons I Moved 250 Miles Across the Country

I recently connected with an old school friend that I hadn’t spoken to in years.

Accepting their friend request on Facebook, I started to notice all sorts of other names I hazily remembered from my childhood.

In the space of a few days I stumbled across dozens of people I grew up with, but had long since lost contact with, and it was fascinating to see what they’d been up to.

One of the most common elements was that the vast majority of my old school friends all still lived within a few miles of where they grew up.

Many still resided in the same rural villages; some even lived in the same road in which they grew up.

What made this all the more interesting was the fact that I recently moved 250 miles away from my “home” to start a new life in a new area.

But why did I decide to buck the trend?

The Magic of Location-Specific Pricing

Whether you’re based in the USA, in Canada or further afield like me in the UK, house prices can vary considerably. And the longer the distance you’re willing to travel, the more startling the changes become.

Here in the UK many people slowly find themselves being sucked into the vortex that is London and the South East.

It’s here that there are plenty of jobs, 24 hour shops and services, regular public transport and more. As a result, this area is becoming more crowded all the time.

As you might expect in such an area, property prices are extreme.

Whilst I was lucky enough to be earning sufficient sums to rent a decent-sized property, there were two major aspects that drew me away.

Firstly, I realized just how much more I could get for my money elsewhere. It’s like a completely different country, where I could rent a four bedroom property for the same as one bedroom near London.

The second element was that having paid off all our debt and built up some savings in the last year or two, my girlfriend and I were keen to buy our first home together. And we were pretty much priced out of the market in our old area.

Or more correctly, we were priced out of the type of home we’d like to buy, and the idea of compromising in a big way whilst making the biggest purchase of my life seemed somewhat foolhardy.

By moving away, we could rent for less (thus saving more money for our deposit) and then buy something we could only dream of previously. What’s not to love?

Better Job Prospects

The main reason we moved to the London area in the first place was quite simply the wealth of employment opportunities and the decent salaries on offer.

I was able to land a succession of decent jobs, increasing my salary each time. But there was a problem: competition.

Whilst there might be lots of jobs available in the South East of England, there are also a whole load of people trying to land that very same job. This makes it a competitive job market, and as a result a frustrating one.

Moving away from this hub of commercial activity I was worried about the relative lack of jobs on offer. As it turns out, that shouldn’t have been a concern.

What I found was that there were very few qualified, experienced people in more rural areas, so competition for jobs was much less.

As a result, I was able to land a decent job reasonably quickly, and without the selection centers and multiple-stage interview process.

Improved Lifestyle

In the end, the high population density in our old area was really starting to get me down. Traffic jams and tailbacks for miles at rush hour, and parking spaces as rare as hens teeth on the weekend.

In addition, thousands of homes have been built recently to accommodate all the new arrivals, leading to a claustrophobic atmosphere.

Luckily, things are very different where we’ve moved to.

We aimed for a far more rural area, where the car parks are only half full on a Saturday, and where we can hike through the countryside for miles without seeing another human. It’s a world away from our cramped old life.

New Areas to Explore

Consider the excitement that most of us feel when we go away on vacation to somewhere new. I remember arriving in Malta for the very first time, and relishing the experience of exploring Valletta and the other historical sites.

There’s just something life-affirming about visiting somewhere new.

Sadly, when you’ve lived in the same area for years on end, there really isn’t anywhere new. You’ve been to all the places that are of interest – often multiple times.

Moving a decent distance away has therefore opened up a whole new world of experiences.

New nature reserves to explore, restaurants to try and history to learn about.

In truth, every weekend right now we’re out and about seeing something new, and it’s almost like being on vacation the whole time.

Closer to Family

Lastly, and somewhat ironically, we’re not the only couple to have made such a move.

Quite a few old friends and family members have also migrated across the country for a better lifestyle.

As a result we’re seeing cousins, aunts and uncles that we haven’t seen in years, and our social life is already just as active as before.

Conclusion

Moving long distance certainly isn’t for everyone – just as it wasn’t for my school friends. But if you’re willing to consider such a big move the pay-off can be enormous.

A cheaper cost of living, great employment opportunities and beautiful countryside are just a few of the benefits we’re enjoying right now.

Quite frankly, my only niggle is why we didn’t make the move years ago.

Have you ever made a long distance move? How did it impact your finances and quality of life? Please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below; we’d love to hear from you 🙂