Having kids is the primary thing. With no kids, sure you can live however you want. I'd probably work through covid, given there's not a whole lot else to do ri

Having kids is the primary thing. With no kids, sure you can live however you want. I'd probably work through covid, given there's not a whole lot else to do right now. But certainly don't feel bad about taking a year or two off to do whatever (but do it on a budget--you want to err on the side of caution when starting out, and set that as your precedent), then see how you feel. I spent three years variously traveling, working low-wage jobs, taking classes, spending about 10K/yr (which was less than what I was making on my investments). I'm back in software now and maybe a bit behind my peers who stayed in, but happy I did what I did. I anticipate most people who "retire" in their 30's end up coming back to work at some point. Not for money necessarily, but because we find ourselves missing the feeling of being productive.