This retro trailer travelled the world. Here's how

Living large in a small space

Many of us dream of quitting our 9-to-5 jobs and living a carefree life as a nomad. Kristen and Siya, travel bloggers who run the website Hopscotch the Globe, upped sticks to an Airstream home in 2017 and never looked back.

After spending a year renovating their trailer, Luna, they now live on the road with their daughter Kia and dog Atlas. Read on to step inside their stylish space...

All dollar values in US dollars.

Life on the go

The couple spent years driving their Airstream around North America, but in early 2022 decided to take a big leap – a move to Costa Rica where they purchased land in the jungle.

Unable to leave their beloved trailer, nicknamed Luna, behind they prepared to ship her to their new home, where they are planning to build an even more ambitious eco structure.

Let's go right back to the start of their story and discover how they renovated an old Airstream into a dream home...

Setting up home

After starting her travel website Hopscotch the Globe, Kristen met fellow traveller Siya and together they backpacked around the world non-stop for years without having a permanent base.

"We missed the sense of home and at the same time didn't want a conventional type of house, which is when we thought of the idea of buying a van or RV," says the couple.

Finding a tiny home

Inspired by the possibilities a comfortable, mobile home could afford them they decided to start looking for the right project. They spent around a month searching websites like Craigslist before they stumbled upon their amazing Airstream.

"We found a 1976 Airstream Sovereign on Kijiji for £8,000 [$10k], purchased it and spent the next year completely gutting and renovating it," Kristen and Siya explain.

First timers

Despite being self-confessed Airstream novices with no experience in undertaking a renovation, Kristen and Siya admit that their search for the perfect trailer was somewhat haphazard:

"To be honest, we didn't really know what to look for when choosing an Airstream and ended up getting one that needed a lot of work."

Dark and dingy

Luna came decked out in 70s furniture and smelt decidedly musty and neglected – an extreme fixer-upper not for the faint-hearted.

The furniture didn't utilise the snug space well and the interior lacked light. "She needed love," said the couple, "and we wanted to give that to her."

Major makeover

When they first purchased the trailer, the pair thought that they could live in the Airstream the way it was. However, they soon discovered that this wasn't the case.

"We quickly decided that we wanted to do some minor renovations to make the Airstream look more modern. That quickly turned into a year of full renovation," they explain.

Scaling down

At only 200 square feet, the couple would need to downsize and wave 90% of their belongings goodbye.

To create a permanent home, some major changes were required too. For example, the tiny bathroom didn't support off-grid living and was lined with old plastic units with no windows to bring in light. 

Nasty surprises

Embarking on the tiny home renovation, the couple had zero knowledge but initially decided to tackle the project on their own. "The more we inspected the Airstream, the more we realised that it needed a lot of work.

We found rot and mould and the tipping point was when Siya's Uncle fell through the floor," they admit.

A helping hand

That's when they realised they were in over their heads and needed some help from the experts. "We had planned to do it all ourselves, but instead hired people who knew what they were doing to help us," said Kristen and Siya. "If we didn't have that help, we'd still be working on it today!"

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Starting over

In the end, the renovation took a year and the Airstream had to be completely gutted. The couple and their team removed the shell from the frame and then re-welded the frame. They also had to replace the floors, after Siya's uncle fell through them, and the water tanks. 

Setting Luna up for off-grid living was an important element for the couple. "We have a solar system in place, a compost toilet and everything that doesn't run on solar runs on propane. We can be good for quite some time as long as we are somewhere sunny," they explain.

Hitting the road

Finally, after a whole year of hard work, planning, research and extensive renovations, Luna was ready to hit the open road on 1st July 2017. Let's take a look around...

A unique interior

Since Kristen and Siya ended up completely gutting the Airstream and starting from scratch, they were able to design an interior floor plan to suit their lifestyle needs and maximise the available space. They opted for a relaxed boho-chic scheme with plenty of hidden storage built in.

The heart of the home

Walking into the Airstream, the first space you come across is the space-saving kitchen. Originally, Kristen wanted to install a pizza workstation complete with a stone oven.

However, to make the best use of the tiny space the couple chose a pizza stone plate and a farmhouse-style design that blends raw materials with modern built-in appliances. "The Airstream kitchen is dead smack in the middle of everything, so it had to be nice to look at," the couple says on their blog.

Rustic design details

The kitchen was designed to be efficient and multipurpose. The stylish space features copper accessories and reclaimed wood countertops that came from a 100-year-old dilapidated barn. Inspired by rustic, country décor, a deep farmhouse sink is the main focal point of the scheme.

Utilising the space

It was important to Kristen and Siya to make the Airstream fully functional for off-grid living. When picking out their appliances they went for an oven that runs on propane and a dual induction stove that will save electricity and countertop space. 

Installing an eco-bathroom

The tiny 15-square-foot bathroom is also designed to work off-grid and includes a compost toilet. With stylish blue tiling and plenty of storage, it features a tiny sink installed into an offcut of the same 100-year-old wood used in the kitchen.

Light and bright

To make sure enough light filtered into the snug space, the couple decided to add a Plexiglass window. Sitting just above chest height, the window looks out over the master bedroom, but still offers an element of privacy when needed.

Shower in style

Lined with blue penny tiles, the shower has a six-gallon hot water tank which is hidden underneath the shower seat. Heated by either propane or electricity, the copper-effect shower head can pump out one gallon of water per minute.

A shower curtain pulls across to keep the rest of the bathroom dry, while a small built-in shower ledge gives the couple some extra storage. 

The master bedroom

Kristen and Siya's favourite part of their tiny home on wheels is the bedroom. "We love the bed. We have a king-sized bed. In fact, we have two! Our dining room table converts into a king-plus bed as well," Kristen says.

The space has everything they need for a simple life on the road, with six storage drawers for their clothes, plus bedside tables and reading lights. 

Bringing the outside in

The master bedroom also has five windows and a skylight that leaves it feeling light and airy. The couple say it makes them feel as though they're camping when they leave it open at night and let the sounds of nature flood in.

Doubling up

With faux vines and LED lights overhead, the bedroom has a soft romantic feel and is a space of calm for the couple. The dresser extends through to the kitchen for extra surface space and can also double up as a home office, which is especially handy for the bloggers. 

Guest quarters

It might be a tight space but, impressively, they've managed to fit in a guest bedroom. The dining table is a piece of furniture that converts before your eyes into a super king-size bed and just like the master bedroom, it has plenty of windows and a skylight.

Hidden storage

The cosy area also provides some extra hidden storage under the benches and slides down easily into a relaxing bedroom space for any visiting guests. A curtain along the back wall provides some valuable privacy when needed.

Small touches

The cleverly designed trailer doesn't go without some homely touches and mementos from the pair's travels. "We were inspired by hippie vans, but didn't get into the whole movement until we were living the lifestyle ourselves.

"The interior design is based on our needs and interests and is in a boho-chic style. We love the raw, outdoorsy, hippie style which is what Luna is all about," explains the couple.

A budget renovation

The whole project cost Kristen and Siya £26,900 ($34k). The most expensive part of the project was the help they had with the interior renovation which came in at £11,300 ($14.4k).

The bodywork, labour and supplies came to £7,100 ($9k), with extra tyre repairs totalling £370 ($472). Deciding to hire experts helped save the couple a lot of time and allowed them the space to keep working on Hopscotch the Globe during renovations. 

Learning curves

The first journey in Luna started in Ontario, Canada and ended in California, but didn't come without a few hiccups. Driving in the rain meant that the couple had to learn how to leak-proof a wheel well and dodgy parking attempts led to the installation of a rear camera system.

Reconnecting with the great outdoors

However, they wouldn't change it for the world. "The great part of living in the Airstream is that the outdoors feels just as much a part of our home as the inside of Luna. We both prefer living in tiny spaces with only what we need," explain Kristen and Siya. 

Always on the move

"Every time I open the door I have a different front and backyard," says Kristen. "Sometimes I have mountains, other times we have an ocean or forest. But, when we close the door at night, we have a familiar place we call home that never changes."

Moving complications

The couple have spent two years living in a Costa Rican community and eco-village called La Ecovilla. While shipping Luna to the new plot of land they had purchased in the eco-village and building a life there was a dream come true for Kristen and Siya, it came with some complicated realities that had to be faced.

For a while after its arrival, the Airstream just sat on their property, with no way of being plugged into water or electricity, and getting mouldy from the Costa Rican rainy season.

A solar powered future

The solution was solar power, but installing the solar system would require a complete renovation of the Airstream’s interiors.

However, by the time the panels were in place and Luna was up and running again, Kristen and Siya had already been inspired to think even bigger when it came to solar power and were working on the design plans for their next project – the 'Airstream Jungle House’.

The Jungle House

The idea for the Jungle House was inspired by a desire to create an indoor-outdoor living space, with Luna providing the primary shelter, and the rest of the structure serving as a covered but outdoor kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and laundry facilities.

While they do intend to connect the new house to the grid, the installation of a secondary solar system will allow it to run primarily on solar energy, in alignment with the couple’s eco-friendly lifestyle.

A new adventure?

Now, having nearly completed their ‘Jungle Home’, Kristen and Siya are already planning their next vehicle renovation, and are currently trying to decide between a short bus and a van to remodel into their new North American home-on-wheels.

As it looks like Luna is going to be staying behind in her new Costa Rican digs, we can't wait to see what this talented duo's latest project will turn out to be!

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Now see some other amazing tiny homes you can stay in around the world