F.A.Q.s

Airstream Front View copy

So maybe Airstream Week has ended up being Airstream two weeks. Or week and a half. Oh well. Ya’ll aren’t sick of it yet, are you? I got a lot of questions about the Airstream and our life and I wanted to answer some of them here. So here goes.

1. Do you really live in the Airstream… like all the time?
Yep! We live in the Airstream in the stifling heat of summer and the bone chilling cold of winter. In case of an emergency (like a hurricane), we’ll go to a relative’s house nearby. But other than that, we’re in it the whole time!

2. Are you parked or do you travel?
Right now we are parked in order to save money. We would love to travel with the Airstream one day.

3. Where are you parked?
We are parked on land owned by my husband’s family. It is a beautiful farmed and wooded plot. We stay on the land in exchange for chores.

4. Where do you do laundry?
We have very gracious relatives who let us do laundry at their house in exchange for chores around the house.

5. How much did your Airstream cost?
Our Airstream was $5,000 and we spent about $1,000 on fixing her up. Read more about our buying story here.

6. How long did it take you to fix up the Airstream?
It took about 2 months of intense work.

7. How can I live this life?
This life isn’t for the faint of heart. It isn’t easy, but it is rewarding. 90 percent of living this way is deciding that you want it and sticking with it.

What questions have you been dying to ask? Ask me in the comments!

love,
melanie

13 thoughts on “F.A.Q.s”

    1. melanie Post author

      We pump it directly into a septic tank. That tank was on the property from when a trailer sat in the same spot 25 years ago.

  2. Tricia

    Did you have any alternate small living plans if you didn’t have this land available to you? My family of three is dying to live small. We have no land available to us, so I am looking for other inexpensive alternatives while still providing for our daughter.

    1. melanie Post author

      Tricia, I’ve seen where people rent land at a campground or at a farm. Obviously you still have to pay something but it’s cheaper than regular housing rent. In some places it’s also legal to live in the backyard of someone’s house as long as the structure is on wheels. Many people do that in the tiny house movement. Depending on the price of gas and how much you move around, it could also be cheaper to be transitory (live for a month at this campground, then go to the next, etc.)

  3. Erika

    I think living in a travel trailer would be a wonderful experience, especially if transitory. A wonderful way to explore! My question is, when you were looking to downsize your life, was it specifically an Airstream you were wanting or was it just what became available? I’m wondering if there’s some reason an Airstream was the preferable choice.
    I’ve enjoyed these posts. 🙂

    1. melanie Post author

      Erika, the Airstream was a conscious choice. We were already thinking of living in a trailer because it’s so much cheaper than traditional housing. But I figured if I had to live in a trailer, it might as well be an Airstream! Another type of housing (like a camper or a double wide) probably would have been easier to find, but it didn’t have the same appeal.

  4. Natalie

    I love this blog!! 🙂 My husband and I bought an airstream a couple years ago intending to renovate it and then live it, but the timing was bad and we had to sell it.

    Anyway, I have two questions. What do you guys do, if anything, about security? We weren’t sure where we would be parking our airstream so we were worried about the flimsy windows and easily-ripped-open door if ALL of our belongings were in there.

    How do you guys heat and cool the trailer? Do you just use the typical rooftop unit? I’m assuming y’all are in the south – how well does that AC unit work?

    Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

    1. melanie Post author

      Natalie, thank you.We do have AC. It’s a rooftop unit. It actually just broke and we had to get a temporary floor unit– it isn’t as efficient so we’re going to eventually fix the rooftop unit. The rooftop unit worked well. It’ll never be like central air, but it is reasonably cool.

  5. jordan moureau

    I have a question…. or three. How often do you have to empty the septic tank? What do you do about internet? How did you put in the toilet? Did you have to have any professional help with the remodel?

    1. melanie Post author

      Hey Jordan, our septic tank is in-ground. We don’t have to empty it. For Internet, we use wi-fi hot spots from our phones. I’m not 100% sure what you mean about putting in the toilet, we installed it like you would a normal toilet, but hooked it up to the existing RV plumbing. We had no professional help with the remodel. We used our wits and Googled when necessary!

  6. Pingback: Ask Melanie: Should I buy a move-in ready trailer or should I buy a trailer to renovate? – a small life

  7. Alyssa J Palumbos

    Woah, this is amazing! I’ve actually been thinking about doing this since I was a teen and discovered the Tiny House Movement. However, I honestly thought I was the only person “crazy” enough to consider this a good idea! Lol SO glad I stumbled on your blog!! Three questions for you: 1. How did you go about asking your “landlord” (I know it’s really your husbands family) if you could plop your trailer down? 2. Do you think this living arrangement could work for a single person and an XL breed dog. So long as the dog has enough time to exercise? 3. I imagine you guys downsized; what was your process for eliminating the extra?

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