the long & winding intro, family jumping into FTing

[~flutterbee~]

Our decision to buy an airstream and call it “home” is a culmination of several of our dreams.

1) to TRAVEL!!
2) To live in a portable home
3) To reduce our possessions
4) To become “sustainable”

I know that it’s so romanticized in our visions, but it really does make the most sense for our family at this time.

My husband & I are in our early 30s & we’ve got one daughter, turning 3 in August. We’re in my husband’s hometown, it’s very small & conservative. Without mentioning religion or politics , there's no way to say it's not where we want to raise our child. It has it's positive attributes, but I'm not altogether happy here.

I’m from the west coast of Florida. I traveled around the country (mostly west) for a while in my dodge caravan, then for a few months in a VW Westfalia. I’ve never felt so alive. I went back to FL to work for one of their seasons & save up for another stint & that’s when I met my husband… 4 years later & with the addition of a new little adventurer… I have to make it back out west to see what’s there. It’s just an indescribable urge… must…. Travel!

My hometown is host to one of Airstream’s big rallies & I’ve always had a fascination with them, and other RVs, even semi-truck cabs. I worked at an International dealer & the shop guys would show me some of the more creative setups… they can do so much w/cubic space! We have a little Aliner popup that’s about to be taken up by the insurance co. for salvage, it was totaled by a spring hail storm, tho it’s still fully functional (been out the past 3 weekends J). We’ve had many great times in it, but ready to close this door & open the next to an AIRSTREAM!! They are just so beautiful! No other trailer will do. I get chills when I spot one.

Right now, we’re in a great big, beautiful suburban home. It’s not what I would’ve chosen for our little family, but my parents-coming from coastal FL, could not believe housing costs & thought we should get the biggest thing our $ could buy. With their help, we’re sitting in 2400 sq.ft. and ½ an acre in town. It has it’s niceties… but it’s HUGE! And with time, it’s accumulated STUUUUUUFF. Lots of things to clean & maintain. Lots of lawn to mow. Lots of floors to vacuum, on & on. It’s overwhelming… and I think back to my days of traveling around the west… I had so few possessions but I felt so freed by it. At that time I put my inherited kent-coffey furniture & few other things in storage and left w/my clothes, music, books & kitchen stuff. After hauling that stuff across country & back… I felt even they were an encumbrance… that I could’ve done it w/a duffle bag of stuff and my cooking utensils.

We’re working on becoming ecologically sustainable… but it’s nearly an impossibility where we are. We started to look into land & possibly doing a yurt or other small structure like it… but then we’re to the question of where? I don’t know where I want to really set up camp!

So, here we are… we’re looking forward to the challenge of fitting into 200 sq.ft., traveling to Florida to work a season & save up… then heading west. I’ve been looking into camp-host positions in the northwest & have a possible lead in the Portland area. It’s a start. We intend to work wherever we go. My husband has 3.5 yrs of groundskeeper experience & we have almost 30 years of customer service experience between us. We’re hoping to get to the west & get involved in green building. My husband is also hoping to launch a painting biz on the side, it’s one that can travel.

But, we’re at a critical point, it’s time to find our vessel AND our tow vehicle. It’s so tricky! I’ve been researching here, watching ebay & asking questions… so much to consider! I’ve put the tow vehicle on hubby’s to-do, he’s looking for a diesel.. that’s about all I know. We’ve finally decided on a model for the trailer, the Excella. We’re hoping to find one that needs some work that my husband (w/some general experience in carpentry) can repair. We’re hoping to do cork flooring & hypo-allergenic mattresses. We want to do solar as we can afford, and may even venture into a composting toilet. It can’t have any kind of mold problem, I’m very allergic… so that’s been a concern. I can’t buy one, sight-unseen, for this very reason. This is really getting tricky… there hasn’t been a decent contender within 4-500 miles.

Trickier even yet, we’re trying to meet some kind of deadline. I have a timeframe in my head, but know that flexibility will save my sanity. We’re hoping to set sail late Oct. at the earliest, Dec. at the latest. :lol But we’d be happy to make it out by spring.

To dream.
Well, thought it was time to introduce myself. I’ve been lurking here for a couple of months, learning as much as I can… this is such a great resource! I haven't had to post question #1, thanks to the search tool!
A wealth of info!
Thank you, thank you , thank you!!
And if you've read this far , thanks for your patience! So hard to sum it up & I STILL feel like I left out so much... there will simply have to be another time.
Hope to see you all around!
Bee Well! Kelly

[CaddyGrn]

Welcome to the forum!

You are off on a brave adventure, but sounds fun! Be sure and keep a journal and take lots of pics on your travels so when you want to slow down and stay somewhere awhile you can write a wonderful book on raising your family in an Airstream!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi (traveling in S Tardis)

[cameront120]

Welcome! What an exciting adventure you're about to undertake! It definitely sound blog-worthy.

[TIMEMACHINE]

Your story is filed with warmth. More people should have the courage to follow their path and still maitain a desire for the common good of all.

The freedom you felt is repeatable.....I am sure many of us have that common emotion, especially while traveling in a home with the passionate history of our forerunners.

You are not alone.

[GlenCoombe]

Yes! The lure of the open road, wide open spaces, aluminum repairs.....
You may want to think about where the highest concentration of aluminum is to be found. Florida could be the place to find your dream trailer. Keep your options open.
Most of us are supreme collectors of ...junk and getting it all on wheels is a very big challenge. That's why I'm having a second yard sale this weekend.
Welcome to the forums and good luck with your hunt for your Airstream dream.

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by ~flutterbee~

Our decision to buy an airstream and call it “home” is a culmination of several of our dreams: 1) to TRAVEL!!, 2) To live in a portable home, 3) To reduce our possessions, [and] 4) To become “sustainable”. I know that it’s so romanticized in our visions, but it really does make the most sense for our family at this time. Bee Well! Kelly

Kelly Flutterbee:

Great plan, and it can be done. To get an idea of what it is actually like to full time on the road in an Airstream, read Rich, Elenor & Emma Luhr's "Tour of America" weblog:

http://www.tour.airstreamlife.com/

It contains a lot of inspiration seasoned with practical advice.

[~flutterbee~]

Thanks for the replies!

I have started a journal in Word with the intention of transferring it over to a blog once my computer time is freed up a little! It seems like such a good way to go through & process it all. And hopefully a good way for family & friends to keep up with us when we're traveling about.

47WeeWind~I love that blog! I'm so happy to see others doing this, and hope to learn as much as I can from their experiences. Thank you for sharing it with me. I've put it in my favorites and hope to go back & read as far back as I can...

One more thing set aside for my days of leisure on the pc! Phew! I'm cross-eyed from googling different phrases for used/pre-owned/airstreams
-online RV lots & classifieds from around the continent.

GlenCoomb~ I have wondered if I'd be best to visit with the family in FL & drive around to all of the RV lots that I can find now that hurricane season is upon us again. If we can't get things moving in this direction, that may become the plan.

I'm reminding myself that the perfect one will come down the line at just the right time... must be patient.

Off to check around again! Gotta check the question I posted & classifieds here, ebay... rvtrader.com, etc., etc.!

Kelly

[zamboni]

Kelly,
I assume you have already read Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin. There are numerous other books about environmental eco-sustainability that seem to fall in line with your vision of the American Dream. That is what makes America the best place in the world to live...your freedom to dream and pursue a more simple life...another's freedom to dream and pursue 4000sq ft. suburban sprawl home w/ inground pool, camper, boat, etc. etc. etc.

Best of luck in your finding the right (I didn't say perfect) AS for your family and Great Luck in pursuing your Airstream Dreams! )

[~flutterbee~]

Originally Posted by zamboni

That is what makes America the best place in the world to live...your freedom to dream and pursue a more simple life...another's freedom to dream and pursue 4000sq ft. suburban sprawl home w/ inground pool, camper, boat, etc. etc. etc.

So true! :nodding Let freedom ring!

And yes, I had originally typed in the "right" trailer... getting a little presumptuous there... it'll the be the "right" one for us. I'm sure it'll be a humbling experience, one way or the other.

You're the second person to mention Voluntary Simplicity so I took it as a sign & reserved it thru my interlibrary loan. Many thanks!

[clancy_boy]

Originally Posted by ~flutterbee~

1) to TRAVEL!!
2) To live in a portable home
3) To reduce our possessions
4) To become “sustainable”

Hope to see you all around!
Bee Well! Kelly

Simple and straight forward, good luck in your travels, wish I had your courage. Safe Travels.

[Porky Pig]

Kelly,

Welcome to the Forum ... and good luck on following your dream.