Flett - Living the Airstream Life

I grew up constructing forts in my backyard, creating hideouts in my attic escape hatch in my bedroom, or making a home in a secret hallway that my dad built from one end of the house to the other. Before long my dreams of adventures grew past their boundaries and I became a nomad among the trees and through the tunnels painstakingly cut through the thick bracken that covered acres of our backyard. As you can tell, I was a bit of an adventurer at a young age. I spent most of my time creating, discovering, and imagining, and usually I returned for dinner covered in scratches, dirt, and with natures treasures dreadlocked into my curly hair.

Not much has changed in my years. I still love adventure, new experiences, and spending hours imagining, dreaming, and creating. The world just got bigger; the confines of the acres of our family farmland has now become the far-reaching ends of the earth. Its taken me a long time to truly understand that adventuring is what makes my soul light up and my heart open. Something I already knew as a child, but somehow those messages got lost and buried along the way.

I am very lucky to have parents who are adventurers. One parents adventures are planned months in advance to make the most of every opportunity, traveling for months on end each year to discover the worlds treasures. And the other parents spontaneity and yearning for emotive experience and sincere value has given her a wealth of experience and knowledge far beyond what I can truly know. I couldnt have asked for more honest and sincere guides in lifepolar opposites, I am finding my place in the middleI couldnt be more grateful for the adventurous spirit they have instilled in me.

I yearn for adventure, to travel, to see and meet people of all different cultures and backgrounds. To appreciate the places that Mother Nature has created, and center myself among the varied landscapes that this world has to offer. But I also love home, I love the familiar feel, the comfort in the small things, and the safe haven of the expected. I have spent many years going back and forth between the home and the unknown, all the while trying to balance one with the other. But my newest discovery allows me to find both, at the same time, in the same place.

Traveling with my home is where I find both comfort and experience. With the ability to hitch up my home and take it with me on my adventure, I find the nervous excitement of the unknown, yet travel with the comforting experience of the familiar. Airstreams founder, Wally Byam, knew this long before I had my own lightbulb moment; he didnt just take his trailers to the RV parkhe went to Africa and South America, and traveled from one side of the world to the other, all the while taking the comforts of home.

Of course I love Airstreams for their unique shape and their exquisite design, but they connect with my soul because they embody the wanderers connection to all that surrounds them; they attract kindred spirits who arent content with sitting at home in an armchair, who want to live the gift of life they have been given, and feel both blessed and honored to have the opportunity to make the most of it. We live in an era when we are so lucky to be able to see beyond our needs, to see our desires. To be appreciative of that and to make the most of this wondrous opportunity will make us feel that we have truly lived our lives rather than just letting the days pass us by.

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST.

J. R. R. TOLKIEN

IN THIS SECTION

Airstreams founder, Wally Byam, believed that traveling via trailer makes us goodwill ambassadors. Those who dare to reach out beyond their comfort zone to be in different environments, meet new people, and share each others stories and experiences, all the while taking the comforts of home with them in a beautifully designed Airstream trailer.

Traveling in a trailer allows you to make connections to the environment, the community, and the culture and history of the places you travel. We live a fast-paced lifestyle that influences the way in which we travel. We try to fit everything in at once and tick off the top ten sights we have been told to, and then move on to the next place on our fast-paced itinerary.

Traveling in a trailer allows you to stop, take the time to understand your surroundings, respond to the environment, create your plans as you go, and make the most of opportunities that come your way. Its like an open door to adventure and new experiences.

Rowan and Mark Sommerset are writers of beautiful childrens books. They live full time in their Airstream trailer with their son, Linden. Quite new to this adventure, they are loving the learning curve and enjoying all the world has to offer through their Airstream lifestyle. Check out their website, www.dreamboatbooks.com, to learn more about their books and their journey. Above is the view of Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand from the Sommersets Airstream, and below is their Airstream parked for the night in Evans Bay, Wellington, New Zealand.

Rowan and Mark Sommerset.

Rowan and Mark Sommerset.

Choosing to live small in a trailer (or another type of small space) has many benefits. The positives are obvious: less overhead, less clutter, fewer financial commitments, less stress, and more time. But one of the often overlooked benefits is learning more about yourself through having the time and perspective to consider the bigger picture, rather than having to focus on the chores of daily living.

You learn to enjoy the here and now, to break the routine and expect the unexpected. Remember when you were a little kid how long an hour used to seem? You were learning new things all the time, no moment was the same, and you were always challenged. But as you get older, even if youre lucky enough to learn a new thing every day, you settle into a repetitive routine all too easily. Start challenging yourself to live your life and break your routine. Get on the road and discover the never-ending learning experiences around every bend, and choose to live every day like its a gift and not just part of a constant routine.

Making positive contributions to the world can begin by being a conscious consumer. Since youll need to make the most of your space, you will need to choose wisely what you put in it. Additionally, those who live this lifestyle for a long period of time find other ways to make positive contributions: figuring out what their true skills are and how to use them to be a productive member of society rather than having to focus on paying a massive mortgage and credit payments, or keeping up with all the chores of modern-day living. By being able to be in the here and now, enjoy the moment, and be grateful for the little things, they learn to see how to truly make a difference.

Airstream artist and renovator Elizabeth Jose and her partner, Raymon Belian. You can find some of her beautiful Airstream artwork featured on the covers of Airstream Life magazine, and check out her latest work on her Instagram site @elizjoseartist.