With a heavy heart, we are sharing an article we published back in 2015 about Jay Austin. Jay and his girlfriend Lauren Geoghegan, both 29, quit their jobs a year ago to bike around the globe. On Sunday, July 29, they were killed in an attack in Tajikistan.
This is the story of Jay Austin, the owner and designer of a tiny house that sits at Boneyard Studios. If you are in the DC area, I'd encourage you to stop by and tour the house Jay has lived in the past three years.
Danielle and Mat reached out to me a few months back and asked if we had any video footage of our camper trailer. At the time, we did not. So while I procrastinated sending them some videos, Danielle and Mat were quick to answer my questions, send me photos and get back to me. Below is a look into the lives of two creative individuals who spill raw reflections into blog posts and capture incredible footage of people living alternative lifestyles.
We can't wait to meet up with these like-minded people in our travels and share experiences together.
I always love interviewing couples who live small, but lately, I have felt quite empowered by the solo adventurers. It can be difficult when you're on your own to make ends meet after quitting your day job or traveling solo for months on end.
But Ben shows us that it can be a rewarding way to live. He lives off his savings, doesn't have a serious itinerary and only stays in one spot for a long period of time when his van break downs.
And as for an adventure sidekick? All Ben really needs is man's best friend.
I'm not sure how I found Shelby & Simon, but I'm happy I did. Just recently, I ended up spending a few hours watching van life episodes on their YouTube channel. I learned things like how you can park under the radar and how to give adorable deer kisses.
Reading through their blog, I can't help but experience the raw nature of van life. It isn't always as pretty as we paint it, and it's important for people out there to get out the real story. Shelby & Simon are those people. They make light of the bad and move on with humor, which reminds us that life is too short to get hung up on things not going our way.
It's funny how you connect with some people and then you can't stop talking about them afterwards. That's how I feel about Eva. We've been emailing for two weeks now and I learn something new each time we correspond or I look at one of her illustrations.
Eva & Victor follow the same story you've already heard before: a couple leaves the city to travel and live in their van. The difference is that they haven't stopped being dedicated to their crafts. Eva paints vans and illustrates a travel journal. Recently, she took a collection of painted vans from her travels and put them into a calendar that she is promoting through a Kickstarter. While Eva paints, Victor runs as a competitive mountain and ultra runner. He also surfs whenever they are close to the ocean.
The two of them are unstoppable and their photography speaks to that. Try to keep up with them as they use their talents to capture the world around them.
I found Travis through his photography, and once you see the photos below, you'll understand why. While I was double tapping Travis's photos, I discovered I was also following his partner, Shay. As a Divemaster, Shay's photos feature her in crystal clear beaches and deep within rainforests. You can't help but want to escape with her into the water and swim among sea creatures and coral.
But for now, I will sit back, camera in hand, while I learn from two of the best on how they are able to live their passions on land and underwater.
Do me a favor and think back to what it was like to be nine years old. Maybe you had a favorite teacher or a favorite memory on the playground during recess.
What if we replaced your schoolteachers with your parents and the playground was actually anywhere you could drive to between North and South America?
That's what it's like to be Bode, who has already visited 22 countries with his two parents, Angela and Jason, in a 1971 VW bus.
For Bode, school and home are both on the road.
There might be correlation between living small and taking pretty pictures. Or perhaps, coincidentally, the people I interview have a knack for finding beautiful things to photograph on their travels and are able to capture their own joy living this lifestyle. Either way, it’s hard not to want to escape to Europe to meet this lovely couple and caravan with them on the coast and throughout the countryside.
Lauren and Calum share through their writing and photography that the simple things in life are much more enjoyable.
Born in a canoe, under the aurora borealis, somewhere in the heart of the Canadian North.
Raised by wolves.
Bison soul.
Bareback rider.
Sagebrush gleaner.
Ponderosa pine tree hugger.
Gregarious Hermit.
These are the words Jillian uses to describe herself on her blog. And even though those words captivate me and take my breath away, I feel something stronger.
Jillian is a creative soul, but not in the usual way we see on our Instagram feeds. She delivers much more. Her beauty is also captured in the light around her, her relationships with the creatures of this Earth and the way she takes an inanimate object and gives it character and power.
This is a woman you want to go on adventures with and dance on the hood of your car. But until then, I will be in a daze as I watch her life unfold inside and outside her Airstream.
Idle: to spend time doing nothing.
Theory: to spend our time idling.
Bus: vehicle, home, and friend.
It's hard to say just a few words about Rachel & James. They are two beautiful souls who are on a quest to find the meaning and purpose of both work and leisure.
I think we can all learn a thing or two by the way Rachel & James live. They actively pursue doing nothing—which is actually a whole lot more meaningful than trying too hard to do something.
What do I mean by that?
To be still while you listen to the forest or bathe quietly in hidden swimming holes requires you to accept the world around you and embrace it. So many times we don't want to be confronted with the unknown or the mysteries that surround us.
Rachel & James are immersed in this lifestyle because they want to feel something and they want to make sure you feel it too.
It should be no surprise that I am inspired by everyone in this tiny house movement. Each person I interview shares their passions with the world in unique ways.
But I am impressed that Jess + Andy are using this lifestyle to give back to creatives like themselves. In a little over a year, they have traveled more than 18,000 miles to offer in-kind services to nonprofit organizations, artists and entrepreneurs in need.
It's one thing to live small on the road and do it for your own adventure and gain. It's another thing to live small on the road and do it for others.
I have to admit, I didn't start following Shannon on Instagram because she lives in a tiny house or because I thought she might have looked familiar from the reality TV show, "Tiny House Nation." I actually became interested in Shannon because of her yoga and pole-dancing skills.
Browse through her feed and you'll know what I'm talking about. It's hard not to be impressed that she does all this on a pole in the middle of a small living space.
Looking to downsize, but aren't certain you could live in a camper or van in someone's backyard? Shannon's honesty will help you decide if a tiny house is for you.
I normally don't interview people who aren't living full time in their tiny homes, but I am really inspired by what Taylor, Alex & Sam are doing.
Let me rewind for a second. It's funny to think that I met Taylor at Whole Foods of all places. We were both in line to get coffee, and Taylor was dancing by herself to the music playing in the store. I couldn't help but start laughing.
We got to chatting, and she said that she and her girlfriends, Sam and Alex, were passing through Colorado on their way to Idaho because they are part of SAM (Sharing America's Marrow). The three of them are on a mission to register at least 50,000 potential bone marrow donors in the U.S. so that they can help save the lives of patients with blood cancers and diseases like leukemia and lymphoma.
I mean, that's powerful stuff. But I don't have to tell you that. These three girls have a story of their own.
There is always a backstory to the people I interview for this blog series. Sometimes I find them through Instagram or read an article about them and shoot them an email. But it's pretty rare that I meet up with people first and then discover they are living this lifestyle.
And I wouldn't have met Kelly & Justin if it wasn't for Sarah & Jon—two people that became my friends all because Sarah picked up my business card at a local coffee shop. Sarah must be pretty good at finding people because through the Instagram world, Sarah connected with Kelly & Justin. So when Sarah invited Greg & I out to grab a beer, Kelly & Justin were there as well.
While we were all chatting, I got out my phone to follow Kelly & Justin on Instagram. When I said we went by Tiny House, Tiny Footprint, Kelly said, "I'm pretty sure we already follow you!" And sure enough, she already was.
What?!
This Instagram world has been so fascinating. I didn't ask how they found us, but just felt warmth knowing that this tiny house movement has brought so many of us together.
