Aluminum Bliss and the Airstream Sport

I came across an inspirational website from Sean Michael of the Long, Long Honeymoon of a young couple who sold their home and belongings to travel and live in a 23-foot Airstream International. But they’re not alone. On their journey, they will be accompanied by their two rescue greyhounds and a newborn baby in July.

As mentioned on their blog, Aluminum Bliss, Chris and Lani decided to make the Airstream their new home because of its sleek, rounded, aluminum interior and large windows that open up a small space and dispel the feeling of living in a box. The modern furnishings inspire a clean environment and the numerous storage spaces eliminate clutter. Their classic rig also turns a lot of heads.

Chris works out of the trailer using a Verizon MiFi, satellite dish and free campground WiFi. Lani takes care of the Airstream and the blog and awaits the birth of their new baby. They decided on this lifestyle because Chris is able to work from anywhere and it seemed like a good time in their lives to do some traveling. They were tired of be “owned” by their stuff and they craved the open road and a little adventure. After a year or so of traveling in an Airstream, they have a few insights on living the aluminum life:

“We no longer buy too many groceries that sit in our pantry well beyond the expiration date. In fact, we seem to buy more fresh foods and have learned to carefully plan our meals out in advance so as to avoid multiple trips to the store.”

“Our water consumption has decreased tremendously. When you only have a 15 gallon gray water tank, you quickly learn how to use less water when washing dishes or brushing your teeth.  Showers are quick, even when they are in the campground’s bathrooms.  And, laundry…well I’m pretty cheap when it comes to using my quarters so laundry is only done once a week.  And, with less clothing in tow, we’ve learned that some things can be worn awhile before being considered ‘dirty.'”

“We live in 160 square feet so it takes little to heat and power our humble abode. And, we grow tired of refilling our propane tanks so we are pretty stingy with our propane use. Additionally, we recently began converting the few lights in our home to LED.”

They plan on staying on the road indefinitely, or until they get tired of the lifestyle. In the meantime they have this to say about their decision:

“It’s been an incredible lifestyle change and one that will continue with us long after our Airstream journey comes to an end. I enjoy life so much more without the clutter and junk.  Don’t get me wrong, traveling the country and seeing what we’ve seen is amazing but so is this new sense of freedom from being owned and defined by our stuff.”

The 2010 Airstream Sport

For a big adventure in a smaller package, I recently saw a 2010 16 foot Airstream Sport for sale and was impressed with the design and layout. In this new model, the full bathroom from the back of the rig has been removed and has been replaced with a double bed. The reduced bathroom is now a wet bath without a sink. There seems to be plenty of storage space around the bed, in the closet and under the dinette. The tow weight is 3,500 pounds, it has a 23 gallon fresh water tank and a 21 gallon combination gray and black water tank. It also has a a 12,000 BTU furnace and an option for AC.

View the Airstream Sport brochure

The Sport is available in four types of decor: Cinnabar, Mochablue, Oatmeal and Sharksfin, and typical of the new Airstream designs, has clean, sleek retro styling. The price for this Airstream is about $35,000.

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)