I understand the temptation. Would it still be boring if you only spent part of the year closer to the equator? As I get older, I must say I wouldn't mind spending three quarters of the year in a brisk northern place -- and spending that remaining coldest quarter in some non-crowded, highly civilized place where palm trees grow. Or, alternatively, a brisk southern-hemisphere place where the seasons are inverted from ours. Realistically, though, I will be making footprints in the snow in two months.