with you all the way tonic. i think it is very easy to become complacent in whatever you do. I used to work on a tropical island, surfing nearly every day for some years and but got complacent/bored and ended up back in blighty (missed pubs/ales/roaring fires)!
Go for it!!!! Dont be like half the people I'm working with at the moment who have no life except for pushing a pen and keyboard on the 9th floor. Airline pilot/instructor or office geek: no comparison for me.