Tag Archives: full time airstream living

The Small Life: Dre’s Free-Spirited Airstream

The Small Life: Dre's Free-spirited AirstreamHey ya’ll! Today I’m excited to share the Airstream of my friend, Dre. Dre is an incredibly talented artist whose work I have long admired. She lives and works out of her 1975 Airstream Sovereign! Take it away, Dre!

Please introduce yourself (name, occupation, current location, etc.)
Hi!  I’m Dre!  I’m an artist with a day job (the day job is visual merchandising).  I have been actively working towards being a full time artist for about 3 years.  I work with textiles; making quilts, tapestries, embellished re-purposed clothing, and other things!  I currently live in West Virginia.  I grew up in WV, and moved away to Savannah, GA for college when I was 18.  I was there for 4 years then I moved to Los Angeles where I lived for 5 years and I returned to WV about 2 and a half years ago. Continue reading

Living in an Airstream: An Interview with The More We Explore

It’s  video-mania! Yesterday we took a tour of our Airstream and today we’re interviewed by a cute couple, Steve and Tess, also know as The More We Explore. They are interested in living in an Airstream and reached out to us to chat. In this video we’ll talk about how we minimized, our daily life and the best and worst parts of living in an Airstream.

You can read more about Steve and Tess on their website, The More We Explore and see more of their videos on their Youtube page.

Do you like these videos? Should we do more? Talk to me in the comments!

love,
melanie

What does “living small” mean?

What does living small mean?

I often talk about living small, but I don’t think I’ve ever defined it. I know many people talk about tiny living and the tiny house movement, but I don’t think that phrase is all-encompassing. It also seems that no one can agree on what constitutes “tiny.” I’ve seen measurements as small as 90 square feet up to 1,000 square feet. Living small, to me, is much less about the measurements and more about the lifestyle. Here’s what living small means to me:

Living below your means
Living small is first and foremost about living below your means. It’s looking at your budget and consciously renting or buying less than you can afford. It’s knowing that by sacrificing some physical room you open up other financial possibilities for yourself. It’s about more freedom.

Living with less stuff
Logistically, by living in a smaller house, you’ll have to live with less stuff. It’s physics or something! But it’s also about being aware of the things that you own. It’s knowing that things are just that… things. It’s knowing that the important things in life aren’t really things. The important things are people, experiences and happiness.

Make do and mend
Living small is also about making do with what you have. People who live small aren’t tempted by the biggest, shiniest new toy. They see potential in their old toys. They have a D.I.Y. attitude, and an entrepreneurial spirit. They know that they can put in the hard work and it will pay off.

Prioritizing your life
Living small is making intentional choices about what is important in your life. People who live small know that if they don’t prioritize their life, someone will prioritize it for them. By making a big, flashy house a priority, you intentionally or unintentionally give up some of your other priorities.

Living more life
People who live small know that by sacrificing space and things, they make more room in their life for life. With less mortgage payments, they can take that vacation they’ve always dreamed of. With less house maintenance, they can spend more time on beloved hobbies. And with more money they can work less and spend more time with family and friends.

Do you agree with my definition of “living small?” Do you live a small life? Would you like to share your house and story? Shoot me an email to be featured in a future blog post!

love,
melanie

Ask Melanie: How Do I Install a Permanent Toilet in an Airstream?

Permanent toilet in an Airstream

In today’s episode of “Ask Melanie” we’ve got a reader who wants to know how to install a permanent toilet in an Airstream. Take it away friendly reader!

Hi Melanie,

First, congratulations on your beautiful Airstream renovation!!!!!! I love the bookshelves and all of your pillows/quilting/cushion covers. 

I found your blog while I was searching the internet for converting an Airstream to permanent living. My boyfriend and I started our Airstreaming experiment in 2010, we have a 1969 25-foot Tradewind Landyacht which we use for traveling and a 1963 Bambi which up until this year we have also used for traveling. We are now planning to place our Bambi permanently and are in the process of doing all our research on utilities and anchoring. 

I’ve got most things squared away, just haven’t been able to find a reliable source on the toilet plumbing.  What did you guys do? Keep the blackwater tank and bypass it for a direct sewer hook up or go the macerator route and pull the valve when the tank is full OR something even better?

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
-Anonymous 

Continue reading

The Small Life: Travis and Jenna of The Eco Travelers

The Eco Travelers, Travis and JennaFor the next installment in The Small Life, we’ve got Travis and Jenna of The Eco Travelers. Travis and Jenna bought and moved into their Airstream in July 2014. They aren’t traveling yet, but they leave for Minnesota on November 28th and will be on the road for at least a year. I’m so excited to follow their journey. Take it away, Travis and Jenna…

Airstream Santa Barbara 2We owned a house for three years and loved making it our own. But we didn’t like the ongoing battle of what appliance will break next or who’s going to mow this jungle we call a yard. So we decided to sell and go tiny. We sold all of our furniture, got rid of the majority of our belongings, and bought a 1967 Airstream Globetrotter.

The Eco Traveler's AirstreamWe went small because there was less stress, more time, and way more freedom. We are taking our Airstream, Luna on the road to see the country and experience all she has to offer.

Airstream BuffaloLiving small for us is about living with intention. When we buy things they have a real purpose, or many purposes. We called ourselves The Eco Travelers because we live it: we buy organic and local food, we shop consignment, and we live in less than 125 square feet.

Luna interiorThanks, Eco Travelers! If you want to hear more about Travis and Jenna’s adventures, you can follow them through a host of services:

Instagram: The EcoTravelers (Instagram)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theecotravelers 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheEcoTravelers
Website: