Posted 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 about living in Beauty 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.
If you want to see our exact route, click here.
*photos in this post (unless otherwise noted) were taken and copyrighted by Living In Beauty.
Here’s are links to some of our gear shown in the video, listed in order of presentation.
We have a blog post about making fantastic coffee in an RV.
We have a blog post about water filtering and conservation.
