In this day and age, the city can be an extremely busy and stressful place to be. Even if you live fairly close to the city center, busy roads and poor public transport networks can make what should be a short commute turn into a very stressful and drawn-out journey. Even walking through the city can be highly stressful as there are so many people crowding the streets. Not only that, though, but the price of rent and other living costs in the middle of a large city are now extortionate. The price of life in the city has been rising steadily over the past decade or so, and it doesn’t look like it will slow down anytime soon.
Sick of your busy life in the city? If so, why not think about relocating to the country. Even though living in the country and working in the city could extend your commute even further, there are now many people will to make the move just so they can enjoy plenty of peace and quiet when they are at home. It also puts nature right on their doorstep and it’s ever so easy to be active on the weekends without inhaling all the smog that you might do while wandering around the city!
So, think a life out in the countryside could be just the tonic that you and your family have been waiting for? Here are some great tips that can help your big move go as smoothly as possible.

Remember The Changing Seasons
If you regularly visit places out in the country, you will most likely visit them when the weather is good. For instance, lots of people head out to the countryside in April and May when all the pretty spring flowers are out in bloom. Similarly, families enjoy days out in the middle of summer to make the most of the good weather and gorgeous scenery. But you need to remember that you are seeing the countryside at its best. Don’t forget that the weather isn’t always great in rural areas and that the scenery can drastically change from season to season. So, it’s worth visiting the countryside on a day of bad weather so that you can get a feel for it when it isn’t at its best. Otherwise, you might be sorely disappointed when you finally move to a rural location and find that it rains right through autumn and winter!

Pick Your Location Well
There will be lots of different possible locations you could move to when you do decide to relocate out to the countryside. And this location could make or break your move. To ensure you choose the best destination for your new life out in the country, you need to ask yourself the following questions.
- Do you still want easy access to the city?
You need to consider how important it is for you and your family to be able to get back to the city. If you are cutting your ties with the city and aren’t expecting to return too often, such as for work or your kids’ school, then easy access to the city shouldn’t be such a big priority for you. However, if you are going to continue working in the city and your kids will still be going to school in the center, then you need to find a location that isn’t too far away. It either needs good roads into the city centre or efficient public transport links. There might be some rural villages that have school buses servicing them, which will be one less thing to worry about for you.
- Would you prefer to live in a village?
So, how rural do you want to be? Would you want to be as rural as one of the villages mentioned on home.bt.com? Many people love life in a village as it gives them the chance to be part of a tight-knit community as it will be ever so easy to get to know everyone who lives near you. However, some people aren’t always happy about this – it might feel like everyone in the village knows everyone else’s business! Thankfully, if you don’t think life in a little village is the best option for you and your family, there are some other options. For instance, you might want to move to a tiny hamlet or simply find a house that is on its own in the middle of the country.

- How important is it to be close to amenities?
You should also consider how important it is for you and your family to be close to amenities. These include things like supermarkets, schools, a doctors practice, and other shops. If you want to try and be self-sufficient when you have your own place in the country. But, if you don’t fancy driving miles to do your weekly grocery shop, then you might want to try and find a house that is close to a village store. However, don’t forget that most supermarkets now deliver even to the most rural of locations!
- Are you bothered about having neighbors?
One of the main things that many people enjoy about getting away from the city is that they don’t have to deal with so many neighbors. After all, if you live in an apartment, you will have neighbors above and below you as well as to one side. That’s a lot of people to deal with, so there is no wonder that so many who live in urban areas simply ignore their next door neighbors. If this sounds like you, then you will certainly enjoy living in the middle of nowhere without another house in sight! However, if you do want to live somewhere where you can get to know your neighbors, then a quiet little village is definitely the best option for you.

Consider Working For Yourself
Don’t fancy the long commute back into the city for your job? Well, why not think about working for yourself? Lots of people are using the big move into the country as an excuse to set up their own community or to start a new lease of life as a freelancer. In fact, lots of people consider opening their very own farm when they do move out to the countryside. This isn’t actually as difficult as you might think it would be, even if you don’t have any farming experience. Obviously, the easiest way to go about this is to find a farm that is for sale. If you can’t find one that fits your budget, you could always adapt your new home using some of the products and services from fsconstructionservices.com to create all the necessary barns and other outbuildings that you might need. You should then decide whether you want to farm crops or livestock. It can be very expensive setting yourself up as a livestock farmer as animals can be very expensive to buy. However, you have the best chance of making a lot of money very quickly when you start trading in meat and or livestock. But most new farmers tend to stick to crops as the startup costs aren’t too much.

Get Online
It’s really important that you get a good internet connection when you move out to the sticks. You might be amazed at how much of a lifeline the internet will be to you once you live in the countryside! If you do live quite far from the nearest supermarket, for instance, you will be able to do your weekly grocery shops online. Thankfully, most of the big supermarkets now deliver to most locations around the country. Being online will also be useful if you don’t live near any health services as there are quite a few doctors that now offer online consultations using tools like Skype. Plus, being online makes it ever so easy to stay in touch with all your relatives and friends who you’ve left behind in the city!

Get Involved With The Local Community
When you first move to your new home, you probably won’t know anyone. There’s one very easy way around that – you just need to get involved with the local community! Most villages will have various things going on, such as seasonal festivals, a local council, and various committees and clubs. It’s really a good idea to get involved as soon as you move so that you can meet all of your fellow villagers and make some friends. Plus, it gives you something to do with all your spare time! Just remember that you shouldn’t try and barge your way onto any councils or committees boards – the locals might not like a newcomer doing that and it could be an easy way to ruffle some feathers! Join in a junior position and be ready to work your way up until people start to trust you.
If you follow all the above steps, you should be able to make country life a big success for you and your family!