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Getting there my friend. :) "Unfortunately" I'm a planner, so it takes me a bit longer.  2-3 years and I'll reach financial independence, so we'll see!

I agree with you Grant about moisture worries in arid areas.  For some reason I keep mulling over ideas to stay somewhat near the East coast due to family.... or at least have the option to stay on the East coast if need be.  I certainly plan to travel to places out West, but I want a backup...

Can you link to the unit you use?  I thought most of them were like this one where it saturates a media and then passes air through it: http://www.swampy.net/

The swamp coolers do look like they work, but would you worry about mold with all that moisture? And I assume they'd be less effective in the humid East and even more prone to causing mold in a van?

Good point about humidity though. That could really change my degree of comfort. :(

Thanks for the reply. I generally don't worry about lows, as being a guy from the Northeast who has camped in a tent at -35F in the Adirondacks, I guess the cold doesn't worry me like the heat does in terms of comfort. I can always throw on more clothes when it's cold. Unfortunately being in...

Aww crud, you're correct.  No gennie at Walmart, best bet would be a truck stop then to use one I'd think.  I was thinking of having a shelf off the rear hitch to lock down the gennie if I wanted to run one, no bueno?

After reading this blog post about a way to travel the country year round with average highs around 70F (there's another for 80F as well): http://www.randalolson.com/2015/03/08/computing-the-optimal-road-trip-across-the-u-s/ ...I got to thinking about the East coast a bit.  When folks talk...

Those are some compelling reasons for a decently used minivan, but did they ever sell then without windows in the back?  I know the transit connect does (smaller than a regular transit and similarly sized to a minivan), but like you said they are relatively new and perhaps harder to find a good...

At what mileage are battery packs and transmissions starting to fail?  I thought Suanne was north of 200k and on all original?

Hi Brent, I've been plowing through your blog (and Suanne's!) these past couple of days.  Thanks for keeping such great notes.  When are you going to fire up your own Youtube Channel? ;p Anyway, as for not bothering with the A/C when stationary... are you just following great weather and don't...

1) So Basically you'd use the Cargo Van as mobile home that is stationary most of the time.  I guess if you weren't driving the van much, you could rock a used Class C as well there.  I'm not sure I want the added cost of storage or two drivetrains to service, but it's certainly a viable option...

Well the more I travel in a year the more important it will become, but truth is I don't know what my pace will be like.  I'm sure I'll be like most retirees and do a million miles in the first few years seeing it all, but then I'll level out to a slower place of sorts in time, just don't know...

Does anyone have any thoughts on my Climate Control section? That one is most important to me. I think having built in A/C with the Prius is amazing! But if it's not really feasible when stealth camping in a city, it's something I need to factor in. I don't want to be restricted by the...

That's a really good point.  I guess the category would be "cost of experimenting." :p I agree, a cargo van should have better availability. That brings up another category.... "Modifications." -> This could go either way depending on how you look at it. A Prius should be cheaper to out fit...

To me opposite ends of the spectrum would be a Prius vs. a Class A and towed vehicle, but that's just me.  They're both well suited to stealth and solo travel as well as economical so that's why I'm mulling both of them over in my head.

Just listing out some Pros and Cons and thinking out loud.  If you have additional points to consider, I'd love to hear them! Winter -> A wash? A prius is FWD so a positive there, but a cargo van is heavy with RWD.  Ground clearance doesn't play much into this as I can wait it out for big...

My biggest concern about retiring and becoming a nomad is the cost of healthcare outpacing inflation. If my medical insurance starts to take an ever increasing percentage of my budget, that'll be a big problem, and going back to work at my current salary won't be an option.

Those are exactly some of the worries I have. Thank you so much for responding. How old are you when you retired? Did I read it correctly, did you retire with a spouse? I feel like if I had a long term partner with me who is retiring early and living the nomadic lifestyle, this be so much easier.

I am a passive index investor and living a frugal life while I am in my working years. But my biggest worries are my healthcare costs as they are growing faster than inflation (please do not turn this into a political thing)  I can plan for inflationary costs like housing, gas, food, etc., but...