Just approach Guild Wars 2 as one would Skyrim or Gothica. You can play those games for years w/o chasing carrots [so to speak] or play for a few months, put down and maybe return a few months later or on a weekend. No loss of personal progression in either, still lots to goof around with in-game and you are not paying out of pocket monthly for access. You bought it. You own it now, forever.
The concept is pretty reasonable as I see it.