This time last week I was preparing for the journey home after spending just over a week in France. We had spent ten days in the Loire valley. Usually when we are in this region we spend most of the time rushing around seeing the sites and visiting chateaus. This time was different however.

Apart from visiting the Le Mans motor museum, the remains of a Roman town, a cider museum and a couple of quaint towns we had spent most of the time relaxing at our accommodation. This was a seven acre site set among farmland and secluded from the outside world by a long driveway and plenty of mature trees. The only other features on site were a decent sized lake and two buildings. One was a barn conversion where the British landlords lived on the ground floor and we stayed on the upper floor. The second structure was a large shed about the same size as the barn conversion that the landlord used to store vehicles, including caravans for some of his neighbours to give a secondary income.

Although we were abroad we still wanted to stay in touch with the web design side of our business and be able to address any problems that might arise. So with a colleague taking redirected phone calls and a laptop equipped with Skype we were living a part of the internet dream – being able to run a business from wherever we were. Okay, perhaps we should have been on a Caribbean beach to make the dream complete, but it’s a start.

Taking a holiday gives you an opportunity to take a break from the familiar and sometimes gives you a chance to sample or observe a different lifestyle. I mentioned we were living above our hosts. I usually spent part of the day reading on the balcony and often saw them come and go. They were of early retirement age and seemed to have a fairly relaxed lifestyle. They had an estate car that they used to go into the local town, but this wasn’t their only transport. They kept more than caravans in the large shed and every couple of days they would get a different sports car out and drive off somewhere. One day it was a BMW Z3 Roadster, a few days later a sporty Fiat and the landlord later mentioned there was a Jaguar in there too.

I’m not saying I’m now dreaming of a shed full of sports cars. I owned a Lotus when I was in my twenties, so I’ve had a small taste of that. The secluded property did appeal though.

I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that it’s important to have something to aim for, especially when you hit a tough patch or procrastination threatens to set in. Sometimes getting away from your usual environment can give you an insight into what you could aspire to. Keep your eyes open and if you see something that appeals maybe you could add it to your goals.