Dreaming of a Slower Life? Try a Rural Escape Before Making the Move

Do you ever find yourself thinking about moving to a slower, simpler life, perhaps in the country with a big front porch and a garden? I think many of us long for a life with fewer obligations and a slower pace.

I often think about the appeal of moving to the countryside. It would be so nice to wake up to quiet mornings, spend evenings watching the sun set, and have weekends to do whatever we please, instead of running from one place to another to complete a list of chores.

But imagining life in the countryside and actually living there can be very different. Before you make the leap to look for property to build your dream home on, why not spend a few days in the countryside to see if the life you’ve been dreaming of really is for you.

Start With a Weekend Away

A great place to start is to spend a few days in the countryside. Not just passing through a pretty town, but actually staying in the area to experience what it’s like to live there.

The easiest way to find out if you like the countryside is to book some countryside accommodation for a few days. You can experience the quiet of a country setting without the permanent commitment of moving there.

Try not to fill your time too much and instead focus on what it is you are looking to get out of moving to a slower lifestyle. Sit outside in the morning with your coffee, read a book, go for a walk and simply enjoy an afternoon of doing nothing.

You might be surprised to find you love the quiet, or you might find yourself missing the convenience of being able to pick up groceries within an hour, or the option to pop out for a coffee anytime. Either way, you’ve gained some useful insight.

Pay Attention to the Everyday Details

The first thing to realize is that you will be visiting a place, not living there. The accommodation will be cleaned, bills paid, grass mowed and everything done for you. This is very different from actually living in the place.

The things that you need to be thinking about when visiting a place are the things that will affect your daily life. Is there a grocery store within easy reach? Is there a pharmacy? What about doctors, hospitals and other health services?

How is the internet connection? If you work from home then this is something you need to find out about. You can have a beautiful view but if you can’t get on with your work because your internet keeps dropping out then that is not going to be a good thing.

The roads in the country can be very different to those in the city, especially during bad weather. A country lane looks lovely on a sunny afternoon but is a different story when it’s been raining for days.

These are the types of things that need to be considered before making the move to the country, but they don’t necessarily mean that rural life isn’t for you.

Think About What Slowing Down Really Means

But sometimes, when we say that we want a slower life, what we really mean is that we want fewer obligations. You might be able to get rid of some of the things that you don’t like about your current life by moving to the countryside, but you won’t automatically be living a slower life.

Depending on the property, there could be even more to do than you currently have on your plate. There are gardens to tend to, fences to repair, grass to mow (whether you feel like it or not) and more.

Before you start looking for properties with plenty of land for your chicken coop, first think about what parts of your current life you would like to change.

Maybe you would like more time outside, to be able to have fewer social commitments or to have a home where you can have more peace and quiet. All of these things are possible right now, you don’t have to move to the countryside to achieve them.

And if you still want to move, you’ll have a much better understanding of what you’re hoping to gain from it.

Consider the Kind of Home You Would Want

After you’ve experienced life in the country, you can start to think about what kind of home you would like to live in. Perhaps you have always imagined living in an old farmhouse with a wraparound porch. However, on seeing the amount of work required to maintain an older home, you may decide that a modern home, perhaps even a smaller home, is more suitable for you.

For the dream of building your own home, you can research custom builders in Melbourne like Yorcon, who build custom homes and do home renovations in Melbourne. There are many options for building a home to suit your lifestyle, including outdoor living areas, easy access, storage and energy efficient features.

Remember that there are many factors to consider when building a home on a rural block, including access to utilities, water, wastewater and site works, as well as the requirements of the local council.

Before getting too attached to a piece of land, find out what is allowed to be built on it and what is required to make the land suitable for a home. A beautiful block of land for the price of a small car isn’t as good as it looks when you have to pay for electricity and water to be connected to the property.

Visit During Different Seasons

The countryside can look completely different depending on the time of year. For example, a property that is surrounded by rolling green hills, full of flowers in the spring, can be very different in the winter. It can be very muddy and difficult to get to. In the summer, there can be some beautiful evenings to sit outside but it can also be very hot, there can be lots of bugs and you may even get visited by some of the local wildlife.

Spend some time there during the warmer months and again when the weather isn’t quite so pleasant. Talk to local residents about seasonal conditions, maintenance, and anything they wish they’d known before moving.

You don’t have to experience every season but it’s always good to see a place outside of its best. You don’t have to experience every possible situation before deciding, but seeing a place outside its prettiest season can help you make a more informed choice.

Don’t Forget About Family and Friends

When thinking about moving to the country, don’t forget about the family and friends that you currently have. One of the great things about the countryside is the peace and quiet. But that also means that you are further away from family and friends than you are in the city. If you need to travel several hours to visit family then that is something to consider.

How often do you want to see family and friends? If you only need to see them once a year then that is fine, but if you need to see them more often then you need to consider how far away you can live.

The other thing to consider is how you will meet people and build a social life in your new country home. Some people are more than happy to spend most of their time at home and only have occasional visits from family and friends. Others like to have neighbors, to be part of clubs and community events and to have places to go to meet other people.

Both of these are good options, you just need to work out what is best for you.

Give Yourself Time Before Making the Decision

There is no rush to decide on a countryside home. Before you make a decision on whether to move to the countryside, take the time to visit as many different areas as possible and to look into the many different aspects of rural living. This will help you to decide whether you want a rural home with lots of land, a small town with more convenience, or simply to visit the countryside on a regular basis.

You could even decide that what you really need is an occasional countryside getaway rather than a permanent move. I love the thought of sitting on a porch watching birds. I love the thought of quiet mornings with coffee and no list of things to do. But I also love being able to run to the store for a gallon of milk when I realize I forgot it for dinner.

That is why I think it is best to try the lifestyle first before deciding to live in the countryside full-time. You get to enjoy all of the things you love about the countryside lifestyle and then decide if you want to experience them on a daily basis or only on occasion.

And if you do eventually make the move, you’ll be doing it because you know the lifestyle suits you, not just because the pictures looked pretty.