Every time Laurie DeRiu visited her father-in-law in Sardinia, she left enamored by the Italian island's beauty and relaxed atmosphere. "It's a totally different quality of life there," DeRiu, 60, told Business Insider. "It's not at all the hustle and bustle that happens, especially in the northeast."

Though she fantasized about someday moving to Sardinia with her husband, DeRiu wasn't quite ready to leave western Connecticut. As a regional director for a health services company, she frequently travels around the US for work. Plus, her children and grandchildren are stateside.