I live in the middle of an orange zone, but I make due with what I have. Despite the light pollution, I can make out the milky way on a dark night if I travel to a local park to escape the glare of porch lights. I can still pursue the Messier objects, double stars, planets, moon, etc. so I'm not missing out.

With that said, I do know what I'm missing. The best sky I ever saw was near midnight in a rural area of the Philippines (Masbate Province). Nearest "city" (of maybe 30,000 people) was a good 15 miles away and at that time of night, many people use kerosene for light. Our jeep had broken down and while it was being repaired I happened to look up...I was spell bound! I had never seen such a sky except in a planetarium!

Now that I own my little ETX-80, I'm looking forward to bringing it with me next time I go back (my wife and I get there every 2 to 3 years to visit her family).
Craig