[Image] I always wonder why...

I want to travel, as in not just vacation around the world as anyone would, I mean I'd like to live for a half a year in one place or another, decide how much I like it, and consider staying longer or coming back after another place.

However, in defense of 'townies', of which I am certainly not, there are down sides to packing up and moving to a completely new place to start a life there.

Being 100% new in a new place, without knowing anyone is really, really harsh in the beginning. Especially depending on the personality type. I'm by no means shy, and it's still hard for me at first. Additionally, packing up and leaving means saying goodbye to everyone you know and at best, coming back to visit a few times a year. But a few times a year doesn't keep you in touch with everyone, at least in terms of feeling like you still really know each other. Packing up and leaving too many times can really wear a person down, especially if you wind up in places where a lot of people have known each other their whole lives. I've only lived in one big city, and I'd say big cities, right downtown, or in a trendy neighborhood, are the best sort of places for the people who do pack up and start anew in another place more than a couple of times. Where I'm at now, I enjoy, and it's basically only manageable because everyone else in my neighborhood is a transplant from another place, some grad students at a very nice university, but mostly mid level professionals who just have moved around as I have.

Not trying to discourage anyone, I think travel and experiencing new cultures is very important, especially if you feel any mild discontent with the culture you've been brought up around, but there's so much fuss around moving to whole new places, and it's so romanticized, that I feel like I ought to stress that there are nice things about setting down roots when you feel content with where you are, and who you're surrounded by.

tldr: moving place to place can be rough if you depend on long term friends and relationships. Otherwise, I highly suggest it.

/r/GetMotivated Thread Link - i.imgur.com