5 Things I Would Miss if I Moved Somewhere Remote

14th November 2016

I often think how much I would love to move to the countryside – to a beautiful place in the middle of nowehere, where we have loads of land and get to enjoy the peace and beautiful surroundings, as well as have loads of space for my children to play and enjoy the great outdoors.

THINGS I WOULD MISS

But I know, realistically that there are so many things I would really miss and struggle to be without. Even just going away to the family house we have in Whitby where there is no wifi and it is very hard to even get a 3G signal, I struggle to be without it for a few days! We’re so used to being able to use our phones and access the internet almost whenever we like, that it’s so hard to get used to not having it there, and being cut off from people you are used to talking to every day!

Flogas recently spoke to 910 Brits and found that 85% of people have, at some point, considered moving away from the city to live “off-grid.” I think it’s a very appealing thought; to have lots of your own space, fresh air, beautiful surroundings, and to not be easily influenced or affected by the online world, and be away from all the daily stressors we have, living in or near cities.

The findings from the survey found that:

Most people prioritise running water, electricity and gas for cooking and heating as top priorities, but around 8% don’t see them as a priority at all in a remote area.
80% of respondents think that living in a remote area would suit them, and 25% of millennials often want to get away from society.
Almost half of respondents would miss their smartphone within a week.
Running water was voted as the most important service, followed closely by gas and electricity.
Men were found to have more of an urge to break away from society than women (34% of men vs. 28% of women).
An impressive 77% of people are confident of their abilities to change a gas canister. (I wouldn’t have a clue!)
25% of people are confident of their ability to self-sustain, ranking a local shop as a low priority when living in isolation.

5 Things I Would Miss

I thought I would share 5 things I think I would miss the most if I moved to a remote area…

Internet! Like a mentioned before I find it so hard when I go away to have a much more limited access to internet than usual. I went away to Cornwall for a week a few years ago and there was no signal at all in our beautiful little cottage – it was horrible! Even just to have a quick look where something is, or what time it opens is impossible, and it’s so hard getting used to that! I love the internet and I’m always on it, and I’d hate to be without it! I wouldn’t even be able to be a blogger if there was terrible internet! Even sharing things on Twitter or Instagram and having to wait to be able to share it is massively frustrating!
Whatsapp! This obviously follows on from the previous one, but I chat to lots of different friends on Whatsapp every day – I would find it so hard to be without that. I love chatting to them and they are always there for me, and I try to be there for them. I would hate to lose that.
Family. I would find it really hard to not live near at least some of my family and friends who we see all the time. I do quite want to move abroad one day, and I would feel the same then, but I know I would miss the people in my life so much if I moved somewhere much more remote that wasn’t a quick drive to see them.
Mains gas supply – I can’t imagine not having instant gas and electricity always available. I know we’re very lucky to always have this available to us, but I know I would find it hard to live without a constant gas supply.
Supermarkets close by. Not having a very local shop nearby wouldn’t bother me much – I don’t go to the local shop very often anyway. But not having a nearby supermarket to nip and get whatever I need from would be really hard. I could do online shops which I often do anyway, but not if I didn’t have the internet! The more I think about not having the internet, the more scared I get! Yes, I’m addicted.

What would you miss the most if you moved somewhere off-grid?

This is a collaborative post.