Many people have a place they’ve “always wanted to live.” Perhaps it is a location you once visited that still enchants you, or it may simply be an indescribable feeling that you should be in that area. If you are a 20-something without family obligations, by all means make the move—if it doesn’t work out, you’re young enough to bounce back. Plus, this challenge will serve as a learning experience.

If you’re older, though, or have responsibilities, you are well advised to look candidly at the reasons for leaving your current environment. Do you feel lost in a big city, and yearn for a more human scale? Do you dream of bigger and better design projects that you feel are only available in a larger market? Maybe there are personal issues you hope to leave behind by creating a physical distance. Or perhaps you are simply bored and long for a change of pace. By looking honestly at the reasons for a potential relocation, you’ll be better able to determine if the move is likely to meet your objectives.

Here are eight questions to consider as you evaluate the idea of “movin’ on.”

How much do you know?
If you fall into the “I’ve never been there before, but I’m sure I’d love it” group, I would strongly advise you to make a pilgrimage to your dream locale as an initial step. Many people have uprooted everything and gone to a new location, only to find that their perceptions of the destination did not match reality. Do your homework: Read, ask others, do research, and don’t overlook the value of an in-person site visit. Is this really a place where you can make a life?

What’s the attraction?
Do you yearn for a particular destination because of geographic factors such as weather or proximity to recreational areas, or is it the design community or the job market that is luring you? Whatever your reasons, can your needs be met in yet another market? For example, if you’re looking at Southern California for the weather, are you limiting yourself by ruling out Florida or Arizona? If you think you’re going to be uprooting no matter what, be sure the locale you’ve selected is the optimum one based on your personal criteria.

What’s your time frame?
Is the itch to move something you need to address immediately, or is it a course of action you have time to plan? If you go now, will you sacrifice a possible year-end bonus from your current employer? If you wait, will you miss a season or period of time in the new location that you might benefit from? The adage “timing is everything” is particularly appropriate when considering a major relocation.

Are there options other than a permanent move?
Is it possible, for example, to ask your current employer for a sabbatical or unpaid leave of absence to allow you a chance to explore your thoughts and evaluate your needs without the pressure of day-today distractions? Armed with a fresh perspective on your present situation, you might find that your desire for a change of scenery was a fleeting one, and that an extended vacation was all that was needed.

Are you moving toward … or away from?
Would a move represent a step in the direction of a new goal or interest, or are you trying to leave something behind? If the former, that goal can possibly be reached where you are now. If the latter, is the issue you’re trying to leave behind essentially going to follow you? Or, similarly, will the same dilemma eventually arise in the new location?

Would this move simply be part of a pattern?
Some people seem to have a habit of not staying in one place for very long. While not necessarily a negative thing, such a pattern may be signaling an issue you might want to address (pun intended). See if you can identify any sort of predictability to your moves, whether they are major geographic changes or just employer-switching. If you’re coming up on a time when you might typically expect to feel wanderlust, ask yourself what the real concerns are that are driving your need for change.

Does this move “feel” right?
As creative professionals, we tend to have highly developed senses, including the sixth sense that some call intuition. Certain people make happy and successful life transformations based on little more than gut feeling. If you’ve had past experience trusting a hunch—or if whatever is currently driving you is inexplicably strong—you might want to follow your impulses. Just be prepared to have a hard time explaining your actions to those who neither trust nor value their own instincts!

Don’t forget the values of balance and moderation: Even the highly intuitive need to temper their impulses with rational analysis from time to time.

What are the trade-offs?
Remember that every location has advantages and disadvantages, be they as simple as the weather or as complicated as the culture. If you’re looking to leave an environment where you’ve spent your entire life, you’re probably in for an unparalleled adventure. But keep this in mind: You may also be leaving behind an important support network you won’t be able to duplicate, at least not in the short term. Likewise, a change in geography might mean a career or salary boost, but it could come at the cost of losing a beloved outdoor diversion, hobby, or association that gives you joy and would be missed.

Depending on your stage in life, family obligations, and the differences between the job markets you are moving from and to, a geographic move can be a small event or a major life transaction. By asking yourself the right questions now, you can save a lot of heartache and “adventurer’s remorse” later on.

Recommended resources
Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life: A Practical Guide to Career Change and Personal Renewal, by Bob Griffiths, $13.95, Random House Publishing

The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career For a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success, by Nicholas Lore, $16, Simon & Schuster

Life’s a Bitch and Then You Change Careers, by Andrea Kay et al, Stewart, $15.95, Tabori & Chang, www.hnabooks.com

Smart Moves: Your Guide Through the Emotional Maze of Relocation, by Audrey McCollum, $16.95, Smith and Kraus Publishers

The Complete Relocation Kit, by Reginald Honeychurch and Howard Battles, $17.95, Dearborn Financial Publishing, www.allbookstores.com

The Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas, by Jean Marc Hachey, $49.95, ISSI Publishers, www.amazon.com

Making the Big Move, by Cathy Goodwin, $24.95 (e-book), New Harbinger Publications, www.cathygoodwin.com/bigmove.html

Your Next Move, by Dan Finnigan and Marc Karasu, $9.95, Sterling Publishing

Relocation 101: Making the Most of Your Move, by Beverly D. Roman, $14.95, BR Anchor Publishing