How-To Live Together in an Airstream : Megan Waldrep

Naturally, one of the first questions people ask when you live in an airstream will be:

What’s it like to live in close quarters?

I mentioned this before but for three years, Chris and I lived and travel on a 34-foot sailboat, so moving into the airstream wasn’t such a leap.

(If you search under “Travel” in the “Categories” menu tab above, you’ll find this post and this post for more background of our life back then.)

The main difference of moving from a sailboat to the airstream is you can leave anytime! The boat wasn’t so easy. You could leave, but you’d be swimming with the fishes. With that said, airstream life is MUCH EASIER than boat life because your day-to-day life doesn’t change much.

Moving from a home to an airstream should be a nice transition because the trailers have all the amenities you need for daily life, as far as basic amenities go. The biggest change will be in the number of clothes in your closet, limited space in kitchen cabinets, and counter space.

Here are two things that make living in close quarters doable:

airstream-living — Chris serving dinner, Indian food we cooked on the gas stove.

How do you get alone time?

Great question! I wrote a post called, #SeparateTogetherness : How-To Live Together in a Small Space when we lived on a sailboat that still rings true for an airstream.

But if you’re airstream doesn’t have a separate bedroom (ours does not), zoning out side-by-side is key. And don’t forget you’re on dry land and you can leave for a coffee shop or walk or anything anytime you want!

*COVID-19 Update: Gardening and outside projects have been key. Chris has several bikes and boat projects that keep him busy. (Thank G. 😋 )

What’s the bathroom situation like?

It’s…a curious little situation. We’re using a compostable head, similar to the one we used on the boat. And honestly, we still use the guest suite of Chris’s dad’s house since the airstream is parked in the back property.

We didn’t have a shower on the sailboat, using a solar shower instead, and it worked when we desperately needed it. Otherwise, we’d pay to use showers in marinas. So, if your trailer doesn’t have a shower, get a solar one instead! The sun warms up the water really well! But if you choose to camp at national parks or campsites, they usually have community showers, in which case I recommend investing in flip-flops.

We have a small bath/shower in the trailer but the hot water heater is broken. We’d do the cold shower thing now if we had to (actually, we’d probably do the solar shower for warmth), but since the guest suite is available we choose that. Since we only have about a month left in the trailer, it’s not a big inconvenience. That’s another reason why we’re not fixing the water heater – we’re leaving sooner than I’d like to admit!

Potty Talk: Here’s the compostable toilet we used on the sailboat that works great in an airstream, too! It’s called Nature’s Head Composting Toilet. Click the image to learn more.

How do you have sex with two single beds?

This question is hilarious and legit.

Since the airstream is not ours (it’s Chris’s mom’s), we weren’t able to renovate it the way we want. AND THAT’S TOTALLY FINE! I’m happy to live in it! It’s so fun!

We would add a double or queen bed, but since we are both sleeping on twins, all I can say is lovemaking is more intentional and a hell of a lot more creative. 😉