A look inside an ordinary day living in Beauty — where simple routines, carefully chosen gear, good food, and changing landscapes transform a 180-square-foot Airstream into home
Published on April 20, 2024 – Narrated by Carmen
“So, what’s it like to live in an Airstream?”
Our answer to that question changes about every two weeks.
Four weeks ago the answer was, “Living in an Airstream is like living on the beach.”
Two weeks later, living in an Airstream was like living in a field of bluebonnets during an eclipse.
Today, living in an Airstream is like living in a pecan grove on a fresh water lake in April.
Living in an Airstream is similar to living in a house if the house is 180 square feet (or smaller) and on wheels.
But that’s obvious.
Perhaps inquiring minds are more interested in the nuts and bolts of how we manage the average Airstream day. Maybe they’re asking, “From moment-to-moment, what is it like to live in Beauty?”
And, that requires a “Show, don’t tell” reply.
Early in the pandemic, as we camped off-grid north of Yuma for two months, we created a video to show the progression of an average day of desert boondocking.
Since then, we’ve made some changes to Beauty’s interior.
New Video
So, here is a new documentary showing what everyday life in our full-time Airstream looks like while camped on the bayou at Sam Houston Jones State Park in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
When you look back, life’s best moments are usually around the family hearth. Our hearth and home just happens to be mobile …
… and outfitted to hunt down precious moments. Our Gear is key to making the most of every day.
It’s the small things that nurture a comforting environment suitable for play and relaxation …
recreation…
work and ongoing projects
and cooking and dining well.
Every day is miraculous, and some days are even perfect – a parade of moments each one better than the next. You can’t plan days like that. Yet, when we lighten our burden and encounter the day with a sense of wonder the bad stuff whimpers off into the sunset.
After churning through a lifetime of acquisitions we’ve finally discovered what our grandparents always knew, that cream rises and people need very little to enjoy long and happy lives. Over eight years of Living in Beauty we’ve groomed Our Gear down to the bare necessities.
The less gear we have on board increases our joy. We can set up and strike camp within minutes. We have it all, just like Bogie and Bacall. Every item of equipment we need for hiking, kayaking, cycling, dry-camping, or just chilling in Key Largo can be found in Our Gear.
We hate to shop, and we’re not trendy people. We still don’t have Starlink Satellite Internet because what we have onboard serves our needs. If an item is functional, feels good in our hands and works true, we hang on to it.
Even after 8 years we still treasure things from our old home.
When an item breaks, we repair (if it’s not too expensive), rather than replace it. Gaffer tape rules.
Our Gear may not be your gear, and we are not offended. But, please excuse us if we cluck like proud parents over our brood of stuff. After all, it is the sum total of our worldly possessions – every item in our nest. Gear gets personal when you travel full-time in an RV. Gear is the crema on the chili verde, it’s the mortadella in the muffuletta, it puts the oomp in the Oompa-Loompa.
“What’s it like to live in an Airstream?”
The short answer is, “It’s magical.”
Lately, as property values skyrocket, people have stopped asking if our lifestyle is expensive.
It strikes us odd that while the world seems preoccupied with the acquisition of property, we are here (and there), sitting pretty in Beauty, pursuing moments that add up to dreams.
And for all this, Beauty asks only that we bring our best selves along and leave the heavy baggage behind.
Deal!
Thank you for being with us.
What are some of your essential items of RV gear? Please let us know in the comment section below.
You can see our exact route on this map.
*Photos in this post, unless otherwise noted, were taken and copyrighted by Living in Beauty.
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Here’s are links to some of our gear shown in the video, listed in order of presentation.
Microwave/ Pan/Plate
A great life, we do the same now back in Europe. We met a short time, never forget! Marion & Hartmut from Germany
Marion & Harmut! Our beautiful friends from Germany! Yes, we will never forget being neighbors for a while in Texas. We are so happy you returned home safely. We hope to join you there someday. Herr Geheimrat!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Such a great video! It did a really good job of making me feel like I was visiting you. The things we both enjoy , like coffee and nature, the things we don’t share, but I admire in you, like your cooking skills and appreciation for fine dining. Only thing: it made me miss you a lot! (And doesn’t Pico have the best of all possible dog lives?). Love you both!
💕((Morgan))💕
It’s been tough for us too, being away for so long. It’s a good feeling to be turning west. I long to see you and the desert again. Are you there now? Is the bloom magnificent?
Yes, Pico has a darn good dog life. He’s our itty-bitty muse and we love him so much. He’ll always be our little Security Specialist though he’s mostly retired from that job and spends considerable time in his “office” – a luxurious doughnut bed under the dining room table. But he still loves to travel. When it’s hitching time he still jumps into the truck on cue, ready for something new. In less than a month he will be a 16 year-old.
Ah cooking. Yes I love it. There’s something about heating the oven up on a rainy day and baking something that’s worth the calories. That chocolate prune cake is my go-to favorite snack these days – especially on wet days like today.
See you in October if not sooner.
xoxo,
Carmen
Very nice. I enjoyed your video and tips. Thanks
Hey Judy!
You are very welcome ☺️ Thank you for being here.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
You are the beauty!🌞
☺️
Wonderful Video — safe travels! -Dave & Kathy
Hey you two! Thanks so much. Are you two heading to WY?
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
You guys have really made Nomad Living beautiful.
Robbi, It’s definitely easier these days for seniors to have an exciting full-filling life without being leashed to property ownership. We’re not unusual, brave or eccentric anymore. These days, with new technologies, being nomadic is simply another way to live while enjoying extensive travel – an occupation with a proud history.
Carmen Absolutely. Since you set out I’ve done much reading and dreaming…. Bob Wells and the HOWA folks…. Read the book(s), saw the films and documentaries…. *sigh. And of course, your stuff. Living well…..
xoxo Robbi!
Loved the video! Safe travels until you return to Chula Vista!!
Thanks Chris! Our bow is due west and the compass is holding steady!
xoxo,
Carmen@LIB
What a great video Jim and Carmen! Carmen closing the window on Jim and his cigar… 😂. That chocolate dessert though! Wow. Thanks for bringing us along for a day. Travel well friends!
Thank you, Neighbor! So great to hear from you! Yes, hold that position! My new iPhone has infected me with the power of cinema 😎 Be very afraid 🎥
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Great video. Well made. Lovely vistas. Would have appreciated more pix of Jim and various tankards of sour mash or moonshine!
We will be heading to Scotland and Ireland in a few weeks. Any chance you could drive over and meet us for some Shepherd’s Pie or the like?
I’ll bring you back some souvenirs and other nicknacks for you to fill your movable estate with
Jimmy (the new FIL) and Sammy (the new MIL)
FIL & MIL 💕
We have a bottle of moonshine for you … maybe two in the cellar. Other stuff too. A coonskin hat, a whittling knife, a can of chaw … you know, the usual.
Enjoy Scotland! Go to the Scottish games! Hug a Highland Cow! Eat haggis! Study the dialect! Maybe when you come back you can audition for Outlander.
Safe & Happy Travels!🏴
Carmen@LIB
What a beautiful video. We are RVers and just love it. So magical.
Hey Candace! How wonderful to hear from you!!!
We should meet up sometime! See you at the reunion.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
There’s room at the new barn for Beauty! Flat driveway!
WooHoo!!! We are heading your way, but still making changes to the itinerary. We are thinking of you and the boys and hoping this move isn’t too arduous. xoxo
Safe & Happy Moving Week!!!
Carmen & Jim
“Sharing moments that add up to dreams” – very profound!!!
You are wonderful as usual.!!!
Jim & Melinda!
See there, I could be Jim’s speech writer when he runs for mayor 🫡
You two … 💕… see you in a few months. xoxo
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
My wife and I did it for over 3 months in 2018… TX to MT via NM, CO, WY, MT, ID, OR, NV, AZ, and back again. We only came back because of obligations.
It’s liberating to get rid of all the encumbrances of a rock/mortar home and all those associated anchors.
Hey Boxite!
Yes! Freedom of movement is exhilarating! Waking up, most days, in a natural environment or a place dedicated to the preservation of nature is a perspective building experience!
Because we see RVs everyday – looked at them all our lives – we don’t take time to consider that they are the most efficient homes in most neighborhoods. Fully functional RVs are residences that partner with nature and leave no trace. They are water efficient and when solar equipped, they are power and fuel efficient.
BTW: Love your name! Bauxite is the principal ore of aluminum! And rubies – the precious gemstone – is related to aluminum 🤓
Thanks so much for being with us. Please visit often.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Living full time in ANY travel-trailer is a “tiny home” experience…. and TTs are not designed for it. Airstream even says-so in the owner’s manual.
But if you can keep it properly ventilated to avoid humidity and mold… and don’t mind the “cheap, part-time design” appliances….. I can see a certain attraction toward a “minimalist” standard of living.
Hey there again, Boxite!
Early on we had a brief episode of mold. After years of living in a desert climate it caught us by surprise. Ugh. Fortunately, we solved it quickly and cheaply and haven’t had a mold problem since. Keeping dry on the Gulf Coast can be a challenge, but we think it’s worth the extra effort.
With all due respect to the Airstream manual, I put the rule about Airstreams being unfit for long-term human habitation in the same file that says dryers are better than line drying; that lawns are better than natural landscape; that trees are an interference to sight lines; that a five bedroom house with two people living in it deserves more resources and protection than a 30′ trailer with two people living in it.
Fortunately, rules change with the times.
You mention the quality of the interior features of an Airstream and whether the infrastructure can endure full-time use. We are currently living in a 2001 30′ Excella with its original construction intact. A few damaged panels were replaced and some appliances were replaced by high quality new tech, but our rig has sustained 23 years of heavy use. We are pleased with the quality and endurance of our home.
Comparatively, consumer confidence in the construction industry has dropped to an all-time low as houses are being built shoddily with low-quality materials.
Travel trailers, RVs and manufactured homes have never been built better. Modular homes with their tight construction and superior insulation currently surpass (by far) the quality of site-built homes. Similarly, the conversation about whether travel trailers are built better, with more modern features and longevity than a site built home, is a grey area. Furthermore, most people simply cannot afford to buy a smart grid-independent site-built home, but many can well afford an RV outfitted with equivalent features.
So, yes, the “attraction of a minimalist standard of living” is widening – and it’s not entirely out of a love for a nature, but a love for a quality home while enjoying a simpler and more resilient lifestyle.
Always great to hear from you, Boxite!
Keep on shining!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Magical as well as possible! First year local weekends quickly became 20 years half year/50 states!! Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway!! Poof, it’s gone!
Hey Kristine!
We get it. How can this be our 9th year when it feels like we just started?!
It was frightening at first – breaking away from addresses, neighbors, fences, garages, trash pick-up … and experiencing the world in an entirely new way. We’re still not over it.
Wonderful to have you here, Kristine. Please, stop by often.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I really enjoyed viewing your new video. It’s lovely.
Hey Kathy!
Welcome, Kathy! We do our best to make our guests feel at home and free to talk about Airstream, RVing, the outdoors …
Please stop by as often as you like.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
What a beautiful video! 🩵
You live such a great life together:-)
Hey Christina & Ben!!!💕 It’s always great to hear from you two. Thank you for watching our video. We don’t make many of these because it makes us acutely aware of our age … 🥹
Our casa e tu casa. Come see us sometime.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
That is too funny and y’all are beautiful!
🙋🏾♂️💁🏼♀️🚐💨🩵
There’s a difference between “camping/living” while traveling in an AS (or any TT) vs staying in one location and “living” in that same TT for extended period. I can attest! We spend 4 months last 4 years, “trying” to be comfortable in our 28’AS at our property in Star Valley Ranch RV Resort in WY. Honestly, it gets “very” cramped, for us. Talked with others who feel same way. We have ended up purchasing a used 40′ Montana model 5th wheel last 3 years in a row….purchase one each year, beginning of season and selling it end of the season; except this past year, we held on to current model over the winter. Had to pay someone to clean the snow off) There is a big difference in a 5th wheel if your “living” in it vs our AS. Start with King bed, big slide out living/kitchen area, and of course, bathroom. Room to spread out if you have guests over also. We still love to travel with our AS all summer, but when camping we are always out doors and exploring the area we camp. In Star Valley, we golf and socialize mostly when we are there, so 5th wheel is nice, especially when cold and rain hits.
This year, we will be away from home for 5 months, starting June 1 living in the AS most of the time… Glacier, Teton, the International Rally, and Alumalina, been wondering if we should sell our home!
Hey there Gypsies!
Your lifestyle – living in one class of RV and traveling in another is an exciting and wise option for those who want to be house-free.
We wouldn’t mind settling down in a winter location for a spell, a place near family, maybe install a larger Airstream (probably a new 33′) in the primary location or “home base” and travel the remainder of the year in Beauty.
Unfortunately, our family lives in a county where it’s illegal to keep residence in an RV unless the area is zoned for agriculture. Sure, there are allowances for “hardship” but all it takes is one NIMBY neighbor to file a complaint and you’re packing up.
There are a few wonderful Motorcoach resorts for Class A’s, Super C’s and 5th wheels where we’d be thrilled to establish a semi-permanent winter residence, but we’re Airstream people through-and-through. If there was an Airstream park in SoCal, we’d probably sign up immediately.
Yes, there is a radical difference to living in a residential RV community and living on the road. There really is no comparison to the two different lifestyles. One is actively mobile and the other is established residential. Yet, as we age, we like the idea of having both options available.
If I am ever handicapped or afflicted with limited mobility I would prefer to live in a residential RV park rather than a house. If I were handicapped that “cramped” feeling may translate more into “the safety of a close-knit community.” Most houses are not built for community and you have to spend major dough to make them serve the needs of a frail person. RV’s are more manageable and characteristically equipped for easy access to all features throughout the structure. If I ever need RV housing to assist me, physicalIy, I would have to live in a completely different area than my family and support network because state, county and city policies are not RV or RV community friendly – which these days, with the housing crises – adds up to “not senior friendly” as RVs have a long history of serving as desirable and safe housing for the elderly.
You’ve given me a lot to think about, Gypsies! I can feel an editorial brewing 😆
Hey, enjoy your travel this year and be sure to say hey to our friends David and Kathy Titley who work seasonally with Grand Teton National Park.
They are wonderful folks and have an Airstream blog:
https://underwayshiftcolors.com
Wonderful to have you with us, Gypsies. We need to sit around a campfire and talk about how we old people can change the world 🤣
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Thanks for the sentiments and I enjoyed your webpage! I don’t know David and Kathy Titley; where do they work in GTNP? We go several times throughout the summer as we are only an hour from there in Star Valley; first of June we will spend 5 days in Grose Venture by South Entrance when our daughter and grandson fly up from TX. We try to stay there if we can…lots of moose sightings and away from the daily traffic inside the par
Hey Gypsies!
David and Kathy work at Gros Ventre Campground through Spring, Summer and early Autumn.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
My ideal retirement life. lol
Hey Quinn!
If you dream it, it will happen! We’re rooting for you!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Hi,
Have loved your blog for quite some time and appreciate all the valuable information you two so willingly provide. My husband and I share a similar lifestyle (7 or so months of the year) and seem to have many common interests too! We have an older Bambi and small dog so your “Day in Beauty” post really resonated with me. I actually have a question concerning Pico. I am so impressed with how happy and healthy he seems, for a sixteen year old dog, and wondered if you would mind sharing what his typical diet consists of. I loved that you included in the video clips of him enjoying his food along side all the yummies you two concocted. Any doggie food tips would be much appreciated.
Thanks and cheers!
Mickie
Hey Mickie!
Haha! Pico de Gallo Great Explorer of the Universe is his full name. Technically he is a Katrina rescue dog – probably born in the aftermath and lived mostly feral. My sister and I rescued him off a Mississippi back road just hours before the first winter frost which would have killed him.
The vet estimated he was 6 months old at the time, so we’re not entirely sure of his birth date. He could be older than 16, but probably not younger.
Perhaps because he started feral, Pico’s personality is controlling. He’s the best traveling dog we’ve ever had. But, you know how dogs soften up as they age, and slow down and want more lap time? Pico has finally hit that age which I love. Pico follows Miss Winnie our 20 year-old dachshund, Dumpster, our 17 year-old basenji, and Ivie, the first dog we took on together who died at 18 ½. 4 dogs in 50 years.
We’re lucky to have long-lived dogs. We never thought Pico would last this long. He picks fights with other dogs. We’ve grabbed him out of so many close ones we can’t even count. And with his size it’s a miracle he hasn’t been carried away by an eagle (our nightmare!) Like all of our other dogs, his sight is going dim and he has a little arthritis. Because of a slight kidney and liver problem, we had his teeth removed preventively because we didn’t want him to have to undergo anesthesia for annual dentals or suffer future tooth pain.
Feeding Pico has always been an unusual job. He isn’t a big eater and he’s very picky. Evidently he was living off garbage and it gave him food issues. Before his tooth extraction he ate duck and potato kibble but refuses to eat wet kibble. It’s just not proper! (He has major OCD) So, for almost a year I made his food myself. It wasn’t easy because he’s allergic to chicken, beef and turkey, and has swallow issues. Food has to be precisely the right texture or he will spit it out. While I was trying to figure all this out he kept losing weight, but at last I got it right. He was living on salmon and pork mostly with sardines, egg whites, edamame, carrot, sweet potato, miso and gelatin for extra calcium. But it was hard to do this on the road.
Last January, a friend told me about The Farmer’s Dog. I had doubts it could be better than what I was feeding him. By then, I had figured out the texture issues. But it was free to try the food, so we ordered and I’ve been feeding him The Farmer’s Dog since then. The company makes it very easy to order his personal freshly made prescription diet. It’s expensive food but I was spending quite a lot making his food myself. We are pleased with how much he likes the food (which I heat up in the egg cooker and serve in an egg-white omelette with a touch of pecorino romano) and I think his coat has improved and his weight is staying up. So, we’re sticking with The Farmer’s Dog.
https://www.thefarmersdog.com
The Farmer’s Dog keeps telling me to recommend the free trial to friends, so here it is. Let me know if you want to try it Mickie. Email me and I will be sure to give the code or whatever. I’m truly amazed at how cooperative The Farmer’s Dog is to help us manage Pico’s food deliveries in different places every month. They are a wonderful company to be so accommodating to mobile dogs.
I don’t know why our dogs live long but it may be because they were mostly hounds (I hear nose length matters), and maybe because we always have their dentals done because they sleep on our pillows and and breathe in our faces 🤣
Thanks for asking about Pico, Mickie! He’s our itty-bitty feller and we hope he is with us for years to come 🤞🏾
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
We’re full-timers, starting out in a 40′ MH with no slides, now in a 38′ TT with three slides. After we get back from Alaska next summer we’ll begin the search for an Airstream. We’re looking at 28′ and longer, 2005-2017 (approximately). We’re thinking that the 28′ is the bare minimum, with the 30′ much better and the 34′ the best. Apparently the floor plans changed a bit during those years, so we will have to start narrowing the search a bit.
Hey David!
A 28′ would be quite a downsize for you. Besides a little extra space the primary benefit to the 30′ is tank capacity for dry-camping. We like the 34′ but it needs a lot of space. Often we are utilizing every inch of our site.
Happy Airstream hunting! Even though we’re not in the market for one, I love to look at what’s available. I wouldn’t mind a 33′, but Jim isn’t pro-that (right now 🤭).
Enjoy Alaska! I hope the weather is sensational!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
We’ve upped the minimum size to 30′, as we’ve decided that the 28′ would be too small. Yes, it might work, and it certainly would force us to not carry so much stuff, but overall, it probably is too small.
There are quite a few people here at The Ranch who have a 5’er permanently parked on their lots and travel with a smaller travel trailer or MH of some sort. We’ve actually talked about that for the future. Hmmm, maybe we should go for a 34′ now, then have it as the permanently-parked trailer and travel in a 28′ one. Actually, one of the neighbors did almost exactly that. He owns a 34′ that they traveled with one year, then parked it on their lot and bought a 25′ to travel in. His wife died a few years ago and he is still traveling in the 25′. The 34′ has been passed on to a family member.
Thats kind of what we are doing….we summer in Star Valley Ranch RV Resort outside Jackson WY all summer, last 4 years. We tried just the 28′ living, which works for a week or two, but when your not moving to new camp spots, and just in one location, it gets “small”, so we have bought a late model used 5th wheel last 3 years, to stay/live in while we are there, golfing, pickleball, swimming, and socializing with everyone. Bigger bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, with slides, and socializing is much easier if we are not outside due to weather. We bought first 2 5th wheel (40′) Montana models, in June, and sold in September, first couple years- cost= mid $30’s; sold for same price end of season. This past year we decided to keep this one over this past winter. We got this Montana from our neighbor across the way. (They got a new “Park Model”) We do store our AS down the road at a storage facility, and use it to travel around to Glacier, Teton, and Yellowstone. Plus, if we have “guests” come, (kids/grandkids) we can usually rent a spot from one of our neighbors, and the 28′ becomes the guest house. Works for us.
Point is for us, staying in the AS for long periods in one location, to us, can become “small”. We talk with some folks here in Bandera Rally, full timing it for several years…crazy to us, but understand some folks are fine with it!
Hey Gypsies!
Thanks for sharing your long-term Airstream story!
Yes, indeed. We’ve experienced that smallness feeling in an RV park before too. For us, it’s about location, location, location and great big sewer tank.
The Texas park we’re in right now (Lake Arrowhead State Park) is our ideal: Large sites – spaced apart like house sites in a spacious suburb – each site surrounded by dense mature growth. Our site also features a nice concrete patio with a metal awning and it’s just walking distance from a large lake …
We’re delighted to find plenty of parks like this with plenty of space available because so many RVers require sewer on site. With our 40′ gallon sewer tank on our 30′ Airstream, we’ve adapted so we can enjoy these dreamy public parks!
Thanks for sharing! Please visit more often!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Hey David!
I don’t want to interfere, but maybe you’re overthinking it.
We’re happy with our 30′. We feel it has everything we need. If we had another Airstream – and we may, someday – it would mostly serve be as a stationary quest house and extra refrigeration and storage.
For us, a 5th wheel would be a solution in one regard: staying in a Motorcoach Resort that does not allow travel-trailers. There are a couple of spectacular resorts like that in SoCal which we’d love to visit, but alas, no motor coach – but they do allow 5th Wheels. Go figure.
Our objection to a 5th Wheel is they are too big to clean by ourselves. We enjoy cleaning every inch of our Airstream. We make it a 3-half-day event (with beer and music) 3 or 4 times a year. One day we clean the roof, Day 2 we clean the aluminum, Day 3 we polish and detail. 5th Wheels are big trailers. We don’t want to buy a bigger ladder, or clean and maintain it, or pay someone to do it. To me, it’s not worth sacrificing a day out kayaking or hiking. It takes 15 minutes to clean Beauty’s interior and I’m outta there! Life is too short to spend it cleaning.
Try the 30′ first. Park it in spacious campgrounds. Make the most of your tanks so you can enjoy minimal hook-ups. So many Airstreamers don’t value the power of that gritty underbelly.
Think: “It’s Enough” and see if that works. If it does work you will be lighter, freer, richer and have more time for outdoor fun.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I can’t imagine tolerating being that cramped for any length of time greater than a week, two at the most. I like to go camping, but living in any travel trailer would be impossible. There are reasons we all live in homes with separate rooms for lounging, sleeping, cooking, and eating.
Hey TR!
Thank you for bringing this up. It’s a fascinating topic – what people can, cannot and will not adapt to. I know that I cannot adapt to living on a marine vessel with living quarters same size as our 30′ trailer. At least, I think I can’t. Many college freshmen who were raised in spacious McMansions think they can’t adapt to a cramped dorm room and share it with a stranger. Sailors are forced to adapt to tiny bunks on ships, and millions of migrants have no choice but to share a small room with an entire family. In our culture living in a small space – such as a Prius, which many young people call home these days – is usually a unique or temporary situation. But it hasn’t always been that way.
Before the 1950’s most homes were a fraction of the size they are now. Radio and television caused houses to increase in size as the need for privacy grew – privacy, a new concept in house design – which gave us the “den” the “romp room,” the “tv room,” “guest room,” and giant suites with walk-in closets and private baths called Master Bedrooms. As more of these new large houses were built, the divorce rate went up. To save the marriage you had to get a housekeeper, then a gardener.
Then, in the 80’s technology enters and over the next few decades the need for all those rooms slowly evaporates. A set of ear buds is a lot cheaper than a private room for every member of the family. Personal computers and Ebooks eliminate the need for bookshelves, dens, and private studies. No one’s going outside anymore so you don’t need the big yard …
The feminist history of housing presents the argument that the quality of women’s mental health declined from being isolated in the suburbs in oversized houses (see The King’s Song by Jim Croce) Efficiency experts said the time and labor required to run the traditional American household in the 60’s-70’s was equivalent to running a business. So many countries are adapting away from the large single family home to other types of group housing and co-op communities. Many Americans have already adapted away from the large home and are gravitating to full-time RV travel because it’s a more time efficient way to live.
I kept big homes and gardens most of my life. I did a pretty good job and even enjoyed it sometimes. I was proud of my work. But every day of living in Beauty is a day I don’t have to clean a big house, go to Home Depot, or shop for a rug … Every day I live in Beauty I feel that I’m clawing back a day I spent dusting and vacuuming and decorating and cleaning a kitchen twice the size of my trailer. Now I’m hiking more, cycling with Jim, reading a book under the awning, playing with my dog …
No, I don’t have a house anymore and may never have one again, but the mental health benefits of my current RV lifestyle is priceless.
You never know what you can adapt to until you make the attempt.
Thanks for the riveting discussion!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Good points,
However, we never had a large home with a big yard, no need for walk-in closets, and I never thought that “house size” contributed to the increase in the divorce rate, but rather the advent of the uncontested or no fault divorce enabled it.
When you look at it realistically, you are living in an 80 square foot room that is only 7 feet high and the furniture is not comfortable. You ARE living in a dorm room, on a small boat, or in a walk-in closet. That’s OK for vacations, for camping, even spending a few weeks on a road trip, but realistically, it’s just a bedroom, a tiny multipurpose hotel room on wheels.
My wife and I love to travel by car, cruise ships, airplanes, and trains. Recently it’s been one trip to Europe every year and a long cruise each year, with occasional camping. And like camping and hotel rooms, ship cabins are for sleeping and storing clothes. We leave them in the morning and do not return (other than to change clothes and shower) until late at night.
We both also like being home – the personal privacy of other “rooms”, seeing our children and grandchildren (they still drop by every week or so), having friends over, and sitting in the back admiring our gardens over wine and cocktails. At home I have my overstuffed La-Z-Boy rocker/recliner that is soooo comfy and too big to even get through the trailer door – and I would have to remove my bed to make room for it.
I’m sure you are accustomed to living in your silver dorm room and are happy with it. But for me, all my hobbies, all my loved ones, my friends, my comfort, is at Home.
Hey TR,
You are so fortunate to have found your place in the world and have ample opportunities and resources to get out of the house and spread your wings. If life isn’t joy, then what?
Thank you for the enlightening conversation.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I love it!!! Beautiful!!
Thank you Alethea 💕
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
This is yet another time that we happen to read each other’s blogs on the same day. Kindred spirits!
Like with you both, all our belongings fit into our truck camper, which is a tad smaller than an Airstream. Favorite gear or items? Our stainless-steel nesting pots we have been cooking with for at least five years, the little “aerator” at the bottom of our sink faucet that allows the water to come out at three different speeds/volumes, our Separett toilet, solar panels, and extra water tank that allow us to boondock everywhere and extensively.
But, most importantly: Our Starlink antenna that allows us to work and stay in touch from any place in the world and listen to Spotify while driving in the most remote places. 🙂
Liesbet!
You all have been on our minds.
That’s a great list of essential items!
We totally understand how important Starlink is to you. Our needs are not as intense as yours, but we’re looking forward to the next version of Starlink which Jim hears will be smaller and works off DC without adaptors. If faster internet can save us a bit more time, we’re all for it.
Hugs to Maya 🐾💕
Safe & Happy Travels in Argentina!🇦🇷
Our 22′ Bambi is great for camping trips, and snow birding. That said, it wouldn’t be comfortable enough for all of my husband’s camera equipment and my lino cut printing station/supplies. We love seeing the USA, and then translating that beauty into art be it in photographs or in lino prints in our “studios”, the extra rooms in our houses. Living full time in the Airstream is an art in itself.
Hey DNAS! First, how fortunate you are to live in Boothbay!
Second, we would love to see your work. Can we view it online?
The full-time RV travel lifestyle certainly is not for everyone. Artists who work with physical materials need studios. We’re fortunate that our hobbies and interests can be contained quite comfortably in a small space. I am thinking of taking up embroidery again – an art form I practiced in my youth. I will begin with small scale projects and hopefully that will satisfy my need to do freeform work. When (and if) we settle down, it will be near a pottery studio – probably a community college. But there are many RV parks with pottery wheels, kilns and power tools available for a fee.
Hmm … is living this way an art form? I’ve lived in dozens of houses – probably numbering in the high 20’s. So far, the Airstream is my favorite house. Living in Beauty is like taking a nice slow stroll through a giant garden, enveloped by nature – borders break apart and disappear and one sees the whole land and the parceling of it seems fanciful. So, if full-time travel imparts insight, maybe it is an art form as well.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
So happy you love what you are doing!
Hey Cynthia 💕
I don’t know how it could get better. Win the lottery, maybe? Wake up ten years younger? Beauty learns to swim and fly …?
Love you Bella!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Great post! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Lucy Rebecca!
We are happy to have you with us.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
As always, loved the podcast episode!!!
Hey Casita Dean!
Wonderful to hear from you again. We think of you every time we see a Casita.
Wishing you a summer full of adventure!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
They are great little campers. We plan to get a new tow vehicle at the end of 2024 when we turn 62 and continuing with the Casita until the end of 2027 when we start Medicare, LOL. At that point, we will decide if we will get a slightly larger trailer (21’ to 24’). In the meantime, we still love the Casita life. Hey, but, we still enjoy looking at Airstreams!!!
What a THOROUGH, COMPLETE, BRILLIANT compilation!! Not only part of your captures in your traveling adventures, but a mini ‘encyclopedia’ helping others to ‘know where to start’ when embarking on a life of travel-living on the road in the US. The details are astounding, and very impressive. Good reading for the ‘dreamers’ also, great job Carmen and Jim!! You are doing what many ‘dream of’, but never get further than ‘the daily grind’!!
Luthar!
You were doing #vanlife 50 years before the lifestyle had a #!
Your rave review caused me to take a second look at some pages I haven’t seen in years and, HOLY COW! What a THOROUGH, COMPLETE, BRILLIANT compilation!! 😄
Thank you dear friend. You cheering us on fills our traveler’s hearts with the fuel of joy. You are with us – not as neighbors – but in the truest way humans connect, in heart. We roll with you and you with us. Thank you.
Can’t wait to meet you for pints at Shakespeare’s. See you soon.
xoxo,
Carmen@LIB
My two cents …
I’m 64, single, work full time, and have lived in my 25-ft Airstream for 5 years, and still do. I live in an RV park, my Airstream hasn’t moved since I parked it 5 years ago. I lived in a 22-ft SOB for 2 years prior.
a) 25-ft is fine for me. Would be too cramped for two. I think I could get by with a 23-ft, but no shorter.
b) I don’t have any pets.
c) Must have a seperate living area and sleeping area. My prior 22-ft was a couch, turn it into a bed. Way to much work for day to day life.
d) It’s not magical , but it’s entirely acceptable. I look forward to coming home after a day’s work.
e) I’m a bit of a hermit, so take that into consideration.
f) It works fine for me. It may not work for everyone.
g) There is a bit of a learning curve to RV life. I MUST do chores once a week. I fill propane tanks, I dump black & gray tanks. I go shopping weekly, small refrigerator. I do laundry once a week, small closets. It’s all ok, but the increased frequency of these events takes a little getting used too. It only takes once of running out of propane in the middle of a very cold night to make propane a priority.
I am planning on traveling around with minimal roots when I finally retire. And am positioning myself for that goal.
Happy Travels!
Hey Ahroc!
Thank you for the primer on what it’s like for you to live in an Airstream. Of course every Airstreamer’s story is unique but I think we can all agree that it isn’t about “living in a small space” – it’s about efficiency. I’m not an efficiency geek but I am always amused how the general public swoons about the romance of living full-time on a yacht or in a cruise ship state room but when the subject turns to RVs, suddenly, size matters 🤭.
I think it is commendable to live as you do in an RV near your place of work. I think cities should have more interest in providing beautiful places where working people can live in efficient, economical grid-independent Airstreams and RVs. Three months is the longest period of time we’ve ever parked, but we wouldn’t mind staying longer in places we like. In fact, we may soon be slowing down from two-week stays to one-month stays. One month stays would not only lower our expenses considerably, we could also focus more on our health and other projects we’ve put aside.
We still marvel at how comfortable we are in this method of travel. We do not miss living in a house at all. Those pesky jobs are more desirable to us than the aggravations associated with maintaining a property. And, as people who are independently minded, having the ability to pull out of the neighborhood whenever the mood strikes is priceless.
So far we’ve never suffered a cold night without heat, but in case of emergency we keep instant heat packs on board.
Your observations about what you can and cannot accept in terms of space is valuable information. 23′ sounds perfect for a single person waiting for that glorious day when retirement comes and you slide the key into the ignition, turn the engine and drive away into the sunset.
Wishing you all the best.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
I love going for a week or so. And a week we find is our perfect time. Then it is time to get home. We like the space of our house. My wife has her grand piano. I have my office space with my books, and an exercise room. We have a large great room area where we like to entertain. We have 14 grandchildren and love to have them all over as a family (28 in all) to play games, etc. And we don’t have a huge house. But we designed it for our lifestyle and what we enjoy doing. My wife loves it.
And then there are the friends you nurture while being in one place for an extended time. We like our friends, our church, our neighborhood, etc. Being on the road for an extended time I think would be very isolating. I suppose if you stayed put for 6 mos. it would be different.
But there are some people that living in an AS would work. Different strokes for different folks. For my wife and me it would not work at all.
Hey Daquenzer!
Absolutely! Airstreams facilitate everyone’s preferences from the one-week get-away to full-time living.
We don’t have grandchildren, but since we began traveling full-time we see our family and friends more than ever before. Sometimes it’s a short visit to meet a relative we met through 23andMe, other times it’s months of caregiving for a close family member. Because we bring our own bed, kitchen and bathroom we are always welcome and comfortable.
Over the years we’ve made many friends who live in their Airstreams, and some work as teachers, well diggers, professional climbers, nurses and medical professionals. We’ve also made friends who travel extensively but keep a part-time home.
Our old neighbors love their beautiful house on the beach, but they also love the mountains. So every summer they tow their Airstream to a campground in the Sierras and stay at their “summer home” for months. With the Airstream they can have their cake and eat it too. Another couple we know keep two houses – one in The Keys, and another in France – and travel the northern states throughout the summer in their Airstream.
Our story is unusual, that’s why we blog about it. As empty-nesters we sold our house in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in California. Yet, downsizing to a condo or cottage was outrageously expensive. So, we decided to cut loose from real estate and travel for a while. Like many retirees, our RV travel would serve as a gap retirement before we find the “real thing.” In the last 8 years, our preferences have changed. We like living on the road in our Airstream. It’s exciting, educational, safe, healthy, affordable and environmentally sound. If we ever find a house that can do all that for us, we’ll buy it. Until then, living in Beauty is The Real Thing.
Thank you for joining the conversation.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
If you are heading up to Gifford Pinchot National Forest, remember that you need a permit to pick huckleberries. The website is https://gp.fs2c.usda.gov/gp/ . You don’t want to end up in the huckleberry hoosegow.
Nick, thank you for the tip. When we get back to the Great Northwest we will check out the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Stay safe out there! Jim
Living in the trailer, and travelling in the trailer for extended periods of time are two very differnt thing lifestyles for us. We pulled our 34′ to Yuma twice, first time for 3 months and second time for 4 1/2 months. The wife still works remote part time, we travel with Molly (the cat), and spent the winter in a private lot the first year and a RV park the second year. The first year was ok, with wife’s computer set up and left on one side of the front table, and eating outside or on the dinette. The second year, after 3 months in the RV park, things were getting “tight” for space. It was then that we decided that it was time for more room. We ended up with a 40′ fifth wheel that has 4 slides and that gave us a lot more room. For us it was a good move, as now the wife has a dedicated work station that she can have both computer screens up and everything can be left in place. It is much easier to watch a TV show now, as there are far better seating arangements and far more comfortable seats in the fifth wheel. For us it was a great move, and now we enjoy our 5 months in Yuma.
We travel for a month or so at one time in the Airstream, and that is great, as we only stay in one location for a few days and then are on the move. With more things to do at new locations we are outside a lot more and don’t get the cooped up feelings we did when staying in one place. I miss my shop and tools, and working in the yard, when we are at the RV park in Yuma. Everything depends on your lifestyle. I love working on things and having my woodworking and mechanical tools to pass the time. The wife misses her sewing room and room for other crafts when staying in one location for months at a time.
Could we live in the Airstream full time? Never, at this point in our lives!
Could we live for a month or so on the road? When do we leave!!
It all depends on your lifestyle, and what you want. Everyone is different, so get out and do what you enjoy, live every day to it’s fullest, and make memories!
Hey CB Well!
Thanks for sharing your experience with long-term RV travel. Yes, there are many ways to go about it. Each to his own.
I gather you are seasonal travelers. Yuma is one of our favorite destinations. When he was a youngster in San Diego, my husband spent many weekends there riding dune buggies. Our favorite Yuma camp is on Arizona Trust land near the fishing town of Martinez Lake. We dry camped there for months during Covid. That Colorado River bend is some of the best paddling in the west and views of the Gila Mountain draws campers and sport enthusiasts from Canada and the northern states.
Our need for space is not about the inside, it’s about exterior space because that’s where we spend our time. Dry camping in spacious surroundings maximizes our experience and the Airstream enables us to access undeveloped and minimally developed areas where we can make a spacious camp away from traffic, noise and congestion.
When we want to stay in a developed site, we usually choose campgrounds that have minimal hook-ups. Currently, we are spending two weeks in a lush and pristine Texas State Park. The sites are clean, the streets are newly paved, and each site boasts a wide concrete pad, water, electricity, and a patio with an awning. The sites are all so spacious they could each support a small ranch or at least a corral. We have the campground almost entirely to ourselves. Even on weekends this beautiful park is only about ¼ occupied.
Q: Why would a gorgeous Texas campground with large private sites brimming with wildlife, on a recreational lake, be almost empty in Springtime?
A: No sewer on-site.
🙄
We are baffled by RVers who complain they can’t get reservations or find quiet campgrounds. The only thing between many RVers and that exquisite camping experience they’ve always dreamt of is learning to embrace their black and grey tanks.
Go forth, CB!
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Well Carmen, if you would “share” that location, you might….just might, attract some of us to your oasis! When you say no sewer, are you saying its like dry camping (boondocking)? Do they have a dump station? When we use to go to Borrego Springs, we could go 10 days before we had to get into town to dump. It’s nice if they have a porta potty or bathroom facilities, even without electric or water. But a dump station at minimum, makes life a bit easier when boondocking. Many National and State parks are boondock sites, but still have toilet facilities and dump stations…but I digress…”where are you”?
Just to confirm our last 5 days with the Texas/Oklahoma Airstream Region 9 Rally in Bandera TX, we met with several folks who have been full timing it for many years…really gets you thinking, taking in your comments about your living experiences. We had 134 Airstreams there, and I will say, it’s a great “education” at these rally’s meeting all sorts of folks with different lifestyles, enjoying their Airstreams…it’s a “hike” from Oaklahoma for sure to Bandera! We met an Airstreamer in his 80’s, driving an Airstream Motor Home; said he had been an Airstream Club member for 57 years, and has put over 837,000 miles on his AS trailers and MH’s over the years! These Texans are pretty tough folks!
Gypsies on the Road,
The name of the campground is Lake Arrowhead State Park near Wichita Falls, Texas
The RV sites have water and electricity, but no sewer. There is a dump station in the campground.
Carmen@LIB
Thanks; Now I understand; pretty desolate out there, as I recall, but this time of year likely not hot yet! Town not far away. For us, 275 miles away, so unfortunately, not a good timing for us. We are heading to Dallas end of next week and just got back from Bandera…the Bandera Rally would have been a great one for you to attend! 134 Airstreams from TX and OK Region 9.
These rally’s around the country typically have open arms for Airstreamers even if you don’t life in the area or belong to their club. Not sure if you have attended any? We have gone to the one in NC, Alumalina, 4 times and will attend again this year after International. Anyway, thanks for sharing!
Gypsies on the Road,
We’re here because of the campground – to appreciate its idealistic design which we feel should be under protection. It’s design is based on the principal of “spatial enclosure” a concept which is being deconstructed to save money and accommodate more campers at the expense of privacy. I plan to blog more about this campground design which features small loops of 6 spacious sites surrounded by a generous swath of open space of natural growth to create the illusion of being isolated in the wilderness (in this particular case, a meadow). Spatial Isolation Campground Design offers each camper a natural tableau where most of their sightlines are unobstructed. Even the views across the loop of other camps gives the impression of campers in a wilderness setting. This is campground Fung Shui at its finest. It’s an old concept that is rapidly dying off. This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds we have ever had the pleasure of using.
Yes, we changed our plans and gave up four days in this campground to attend Airstream’s On The Square Rally at El Dorado, Arkansas. It was a last minute thing – and worth it to see Jim dressed in drag for the M*A*S*H Corporal Klinger contest and to hang out with our friends and make new friends. Fun time.
Now we are back on schedule with kayaking, hiking and grabbing the last few days of this volatile but miraculous Springtime in Texas.
Safe & Happy Travels!
Carmen@LIB
Wow a washing machine in the RV – that’s impressive. If we were full-timers I’d be buying one of those! haha. love your set up and so glad I found yalls cozy little blog!
Whitney, it is wonderful to be able to do our own laundry in the Airstream and not go to a laundromat.