Planned to move into a van and travel during retirement. At 45, I decided to stop waiting.

At 45, the author says she stopped waiting to realize her plan to live in a van and travel the U.S., after years of saving for a more conventional path. She originally expected to buy a Volkswagen bus, but instead prioritized a first home and then a second, influenced by what her parents modeled. A turning point came when her mother, diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, retired early and required extensive care. After her mother died at 44, the author calculated that traveling might not be possible later, and bought the van about 20 years ahead of schedule while working full-time. She began with short trips, then traveled full-time once her son left for college.