I saved as hard as I could for 12 months, and set-off for 2 years and drove 40,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina. That trip changed my life. (http://theroadchoseme.com/expedition-overview)
I returned to a desk and saved and saved and saved for over four years, built my dream Jeep, and am right now driving all the way around Africa, probably for about 2 years and 80,000 miles through ~30 countries. (http://theroadchoseme.com/africa-expedition-overview) I am in Cameroon, and meeting all kinds of interesting people and learning so much more than I have up until now in my life (I'm 35).
I am living almost entirely on savings, though I am attempting to move into photography/writing as a "career" and currently earn a little from that.
If anyone is interested, AMA.