You've put enough thought into the idea that if you don't do it, you'll be regretting it five years down the road, if not sooner. Plus, you're at the point in y

You've put enough thought into the idea that if you don't do it, you'll be regretting it five years down the road, if not sooner. Plus, you're at the point in your life where you can't screw things up too badly if it doesn't work. I would, however, see if I could dedicate an intense two months to building up a bit more savings. If you can, move back home for these two months. Get two jobs at Starbucks, don't go out, and take the bus to work. Yeah, those months will suck - but it will make the fun parts last longer. I'd also +1 the idea about ditching your car - you are in the perfect situation for Greyhound/Amtrak: no money and lots of time. Get yourself a rolling suitcase with a suit container, and life out of that. It will handle your clothes nicely, and you shouldn't need any more gear for this than a point-and-shoot digital camera, a little digital voice recorder, and a netbook. You lose the advantage of having a backup hotel, but you save lots of money, and most places have shitty backpacker hostels you can crash in as a desperate measure.