Wandering Book Artists Gypsy Wagon
Peter and Donna Thomas are book artists from Northern California who have been spending the last year traveling around the U.S. in a handmade gypsy wagon. The wagon is their temporary home as well as a place for them to sell their books, teach book arts workshops and give talks and lectures. Wherever they’ve gone, their gypsy wagon has attracted attention for its whimsical color and design.
Peter and Donna fell in love with gypsy wagons when they were craftspeople at Renaissance fairs. Many of the fair vendors built the wagons to sleep in and sell their wares from. Peter and Donna built the wagon on a 16-foot Carson car hauler. The entire trailer weighs 3,800 pounds and it took them three years to build. The rafters were made with laminated pine boards and the floor with locally milled sugar pine. It is insulated, contains a small kitchen and electricity. They have a camping toilet in the closet and a solar shower that they keep in their tow vehicle, but the couple usually use campgrounds, friendly locals and universities for their bathing. Continue Reading »
Cheap RV Living
Tramp, gypsy, vagabond, nomad. Do you want any of these words to describe you? Robert Wells has lived most of his life as a gypsy, vagabond and nomad in various forms of vans and RVs, and documents the tips and tricks he has learned over the years on his website Cheap RV Living. He offers some fun information from people who have taken the plunge and have become full-time nomads on the cheap.
His little “How-To Guide” focuses on how to live a cheaper, lighter existence while still being independent. He discusses van conversions, boondocking, workamping, financial freedom, traveling with pets and children, safety and cleanliness issues, how to choose a vehicle, overcoming your fears, living on a boat, homesteading and working while on the road. He also shows how living a life on a $500 to $1,000 a month budget is possible.
Some of his fellow nomads discuss how they took the leap:
On a fateful day in 2006, I was struck by an idea so powerful that I stood up from my desk, walked to the personnel department and resigned. I would sell my house, the extra cars, all that important “stuff” and live on a boat with my family, and travel the seas as a free man.
Captain Keith of the Kismet
After 22 years of working at the Post Office, I was tired of not being happy with my job or my life and knew I had to do something. I remembered those happy days traveling in the travel trailer and was sure I could be happy again. I already owned my 1983 VW Westphalia, so it was the obvious choice when I decided to downsize. I wasn’t sure exactly how I would do it, or how long I could stand living in a van, but I knew it had to be better than the life I was living. I am delighted to say it has been 2 years now and I have no desire to go back to a more conventional life.
Barb Cotton
Photos courtesy of Cheap RV Living
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
A Year in a Car
The reasons for living in your car run the gamut. In college, I knew a few students who lived in their cars so they could afford to go to school, and this article talks about how hard times have forced some people to live in their cars. Jessica Spaulding is doing it..for no apparent reason.
Jessica decided to pursue a life of adventure and has been living in a Prius for past few years. She works about half the year for a public radio station and spends the rest of her time on the road, exploring, writing and photographing her travels.
Jessica Spaulding lives out of her Prius
What I found most interesting about her blog was how she modified her car for living and sleeping. She has also written a few articles on how to live on the road, including:
- Getting comfortable sleeping in “public.”
- Showering
- Modifying your vehicle for comfort
- Saving money
- Staying warm and keeping cool
Whether out of necessity, or to simplify your life, living out of your car seems to be more accepted. More and more information is being posted these days on how to live out of one of the tiniest houses of all.
Her modified Prius
By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)
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