I planned to move into a van and travel during retirement. At 45, I decided to stop waiting.
After losing her mother to early-onset Alzheimer's, a 45-year-old woman decided to abandon traditional retirement plans and begin living in a van to travel. The experience prompted her to prioritize immediate life goals over long-term financial stability that might never be realized.
Why it matters
This personal narrative touches on the 'YOLO' (You Only Live Once) trend and the re-evaluation of traditional retirement planning in the face of life's unpredictability.
Growing up, I always wanted to move into a van and travel the world. Cara Schrock I dreamed of traveling the US by van , but I planned to wait until I retired in my 60s. After losing my mom to early-onset Alzheimer's, I bought my first van at 45. Four years later, I'm still traveling by van, and so glad I didn't wait. My 16-year-old self had it all figured out: I wanted to live in a van and travel the US. Time did what time does, though, and practical lessons from older relatives slowly pushed those dreams to the back of my mind. Instead of saving for a Volkswagen bus, I saved for my first home , because that was considered a smart investment. Then I saved for my second house, because bigger is better.
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