Not having kids makes early retirement and an adventurous life much more practical. With enough money I suppose you could try both at the same time?
I think it could be done, especially if you're willing to relocate somewhere with reasonably low cost of living.
More realistically, I think I'll try to scale back work significantly if/when I have kids rather than fully retiring. Maybe part-time consulting.
By the time my oldest is an adult, I will be in my early 40s. That's still young enough to do whatever you want to do. I encourage people to have kids young. Honestly, we should normalize having kids in college (free daycare, etc). This would be great for young women especially. Yes, it might stretch out how long it takes them to get a degree. But if dad completes it in four years and starts working, by the time dad starts working, the child is school aged and now doesn't need daycare. Then mom can complete her degree while dad works full time, and graduate with a six year old and job prospects. Kind of jealous of all my mormon friends at BYU who did this lol. By the time their kids are grown they'll be 40 year olds with professional careers, ready to do whatever they want, with the bonus of money.
On the other hand, the first-time parents I know in their mid 30s are struggling. It's harder. You're more tired. Also, by the time you're done you're getting ready to retire.
I'm not sure this changes when parents are older. all the older parents raising kids I know also send them off to daycare workers.