I've been trying to find a middle ground myself, but haven't yet... I dare to dream. At least in the US, 100km doesn't generally get you a ton of meaningful savings from urban areas especially like SF or NY where their suburbs/sprawl extends for probably twice that range. Where it really gets me is on those days where you somehow just work late and lose track of time, it's 11:00 p.m. and there's literally nothing open not even a grocery store. Or you need something, but it's over three hours of driving one-way or a week via an online retailer (prime, for example, is only two days in dense urban areas).
I also live in a pretty progressive bubble here in the states that makes me particular hard to re-home somewhere. I won't live places where my tax dollars fund unfettered fuckery (like that going on in Arizona, Texas, Florida, etc).
I've been thinking maybe there are some small/mid-sized cities with somewhat busy regional airports so cheap flights in/out are possible. Long drives just wear one down after a while and start to change how one behaves, it's weird and subtle. Flights are almost always easier/faster than driving and give you some time back since you can, if you want to, do something on the plane.
Maybe other folks don't feel it as much, but all those subtle things that slow you down really add up over time. With covid altering our lives for the foreseeable future, perhaps isolation seems more reasonable or acceptable now (making it easier to just focus)... I'd say give it a try, and if you figure out a good process for it, please let me know :)
I also live in a pretty progressive bubble here in the states that makes me particular hard to re-home somewhere. I won't live places where my tax dollars fund unfettered fuckery (like that going on in Arizona, Texas, Florida, etc).
I've been thinking maybe there are some small/mid-sized cities with somewhat busy regional airports so cheap flights in/out are possible. Long drives just wear one down after a while and start to change how one behaves, it's weird and subtle. Flights are almost always easier/faster than driving and give you some time back since you can, if you want to, do something on the plane.
Maybe other folks don't feel it as much, but all those subtle things that slow you down really add up over time. With covid altering our lives for the foreseeable future, perhaps isolation seems more reasonable or acceptable now (making it easier to just focus)... I'd say give it a try, and if you figure out a good process for it, please let me know :)