outdoors

Good for you. I'm glad you can afford it at 65. Try 70, 80, 85 and that would be me, and I have already been to a few of those places.

I can't imagine being able to live in or even being willing to live in a small van. Maybe a larger van conversion, but not one of those that is pictured in the article.

Excellent and right on article by Doug Smith on capturing the lure of RVing especially touring in a Class B camper van. We are in our 8th year traveling the country and our experiences parallel the McIntyre's. "You're dumb to keep working." Was John McIntyre joking? Maybe not. I got behind the wheel of our Class B RV and before I got out of the driveway for our first road trip of the year, realizing my vacation time for the year would be over in May, I turned to my wife and said I was going to retire - two years before I had planned. It was that alluring.

If you look at our ancestors (little house on the prairie) their homes were not much bigger than these vans. Space is relative. If your a homebody this is not the life for you. These vans are luxurious and fun, you feel like a kid again with a "loaded" tree house. The wife appreciates a big home where she can have her "space", but she also loves the coziness of the all-inclusive van that can fit in a garage. My son and I drive down to Key west for most of his school spring breaks and "park/camp/sleep" on a quiet residential street. We make no plans and just go wherever or do whatever we feel like that day. It is freedom and adventure to the N-th degree. We have snorkeled 6 of the florida keys, hiked minnesota's north shore and canoe'd the boundary waters, explored the black hills and yellowstone, all with only the added expense of gas. Sure we love staying at nice motels and resorts, and we do, but that is not cost effective in the long run. You also don't have the expense, hassle or tied down feel of a 5th wheel trailer (unless your goal is to stay in one area for a longer period).

Good for you! Doing what you like to do and enjoying it! Nicely done!

That would be nice if you didn't have a mortgage payment.

Small point, but after a year of exploration, I don't think these good folk qualify as "newbees" anymore. :) One thing people sometimes don't make clear, is that after you arrive in your spot, you can vastly expand your living space with screened in porches, awnings and the like which are no hardship. In fact, living in open space is a little bit of heaven when the weather is temperate and the bugs don't bite. When it isn't, or they do, you can always shift your plans, spend a day reading at a local library or whatever. Someone mentioned the Florida Keys... no wonder you camped out on the streets, those campsites are like platinum, and are reserved for many months in advance.

Yep, that's why I've been working for the past 30 years. So I can retire early and cut costs by sleeping in Wal-Mart parking lots. Perhaps I should practice sleeping on park benches to prepare for it.

Hold on to that dream cause gasoline and gas taxes are gonna go up!

Pretty neat. I've been looking at the tiny house movement and vintage trailers, but this would make more sense for retirement. A condo and one of these rigs. They depreciate pretty fast, you can get a used one at steep discount.