Question

What is the Rabbi’s halakhic view on trips abroad?
In the sources it is stated explicitly that there is a prohibition unless it is for three purposes (Maimonides), or for any need connected to a commandment (Tosafot), and even to go see one’s friend (Shulchan Arukh).
But some argue that our modern “trips” are not included in the prohibition at all, since it stems from neglecting the commandment of settling the Land of Israel. Is that correct, or is there a special enactment here? A trip does not contradict our residence in the Land; rather, that is simply how people normally live in a place today. In the past, even a temporary departure had the significance of uprooting oneself from one’s place, even if only temporarily. Is there a basis for this distinction in logic (in my opinion, yes) and in the sources (less clear—after all, Shiyurei Knesset HaGedolah speaks about someone who went out on a trip and then arrived during Chol HaMoed; can one distinguish between the nature of travel in the past and travel today?).
It is also still unclear to me what counts as a “need connected to a commandment” (such as seeing one’s friend). Some have mentioned “to see the wonders of the Creator”—is there any basis for that idea? (It doesn’t seem so to me.) But what about someone who finds it hard to unwind in Israel because of the atmosphere of pressure, and generally feels stifled and constrained? Full disclosure: I immigrated here from abroad, and indeed the atmosphere and a certain narrowness stifle me a bit, and in general I was used to vacationing in places where I could relax in a way that I have not managed to do in Israel…