My longtime friends Sharon and Mel are preparing to spend a month this fall in a rented villa in Lucca, Italy, the town in Tuscany from which my Italian ancestors come. And, candidly, I am just plain jealous. We have not been there since 2011, which is far too long. Our life here at home in America is busy, and our time and resources — both financial and energetic — are consumed by work and family, leaving nothing leftover for travel.

Please don't read me wrong. My husband, Dan, and I remark almost daily how lucky we are to live where we live — with views of the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands from our windows. Capitalizing on this location and converting the two rooms in the small guesthouse in our backyard into vacation rentals has not only afforded us the chance to work from home, it allows us the flexibility to better care for our family and friends.