A House-On-Wheels That Has Set the Record for Being the Most Travelled House!

Ever wondered what it would be like to travel around the world in the comfort of your house, rather than travelling the traditional way? People usually want a break from their houses and want to travel the world to stay in exquisite places. But there’s one couple who did things differently and have travelled and are still travelling with their entire house. Isn’t that strange but cool at the same time?

Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons are a couple who envisioned this and travelled 37 states and 16 national parks in the United States with their house. The house spans just 130 square feet, making it the world’s tiniest house and it even holds the record for being the most travelled house on wheels. The house has a workspace, shoe rack, and two lofts, and is built with wood furnishings.

 

 

 

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Where are you in your downsizing journey, and what motivated you to start? Seven years ago, I couldn’t tell you what my goals were beyond the desire not to be so stressed. I was juggling a demanding job, daunting house maintenance, and single parenthood. I was overwhelmed and lost. After my marriage failed, I knew one thing for sure. I needed to reconnect with myself. For far too long, I had been stuffing my feelings deep inside. It was suffocating me. As a result, my sense of self was murky. My state of mind was visually represented in my messy, cluttered house. Can you relate? Like many things in life, the first step toward change is awareness. It was painfully obvious to myself that I was stressed to the max. Check. But how to become less stressed and hopefully more fulfilled? An excellent place to start seemed to be to reduce the stressors in my life. This eventually led me to begin the #downsizing process. Realizing you have a problem is huge. But making the first step toward change is everything—creating a positive ripple effect of empowerment to carry you through the process. If you’re just starting, we want to cheer you on. You got this!

A post shared by Tiny House Expedition (@tiny_house_expedition) on Feb 4, 2020 at 10:55am PST

 

 

 

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Hello! It’s Alexis & Christian. It’s been a while since we introduced ourselves. We thought we share a bit about us with all our new followers— thanks guys! We started building our #tinyhouse 6 years ago, 10 months later we moved in and hit the road explore the movement and pursue our passion: documentary storytelling & community education. The best side effects from our experience: deepened gratitude (for what we have, what resources we use, kindness of strangers), a nationwide network of new friends, tremendous personal growth, and a stronger relationship. Now after 4.5 years, we’re transitioning from full-time nomadic life to extended parking, for now in Central Oregon. Alexis here. I typically write all the words you read here. I left my 9 to 5 job six years ago. When we made the decision to pursue our traveling tiny home and docu filmmaking dream, I jumped in with both feet. I just knew that we could make this happen, despite the many challenges. With Christian, I chipped away at the necessary research and planning. Somehow I was able to channel any doubt into courage. “I would say to always follow your dream. And dream big because my whole career, including any of the things that I've accomplished, I never thought in a million years that I would be here. So it just proves that once you believe in yourself, and you put your mind to something, you can do it." -Simone Biles Redefining what home and success mean to me has opened my eyes to a beautiful world of new experiences and fulfillment. Christian is the handsome man behind the majority of the photos here. After downsizing drastically, many years before me, he found that he was happiest traveling with a backpack & camera. He is an incredible creative problem-solver, the core quality that empowered him to build 85% of our 130 sqft #tinyhome by himself. • Fun facts by the numbers 55,000 Miles Traveled w/our THOW across 37 States + 1 Canadian Province • Participated in 3 Dozen+ Community Events • Released 2 of our 3-part “Living Tiny Legally” docu-series • 3 websites: TinyHouseExpedition.com, @tinyhousebuild_diy, @tiny_house_plans • 154 YouTube videos

A post shared by Tiny House Expedition (@tiny_house_expedition) on Jan 6, 2020 at 9:46pm PST

On a road trip to Lake Michigan, USA, Alexis, and Christian realized that they love to travel, and this started their journey towards finding different ways of travelling around the country. This is also how they came about travelling in a tiny house that sits on wheels. The process was documented from the very beginning.

The Making of House on Wheels! 

Alexis worked in the marketing field but was more passionate about filmmaking, and thus, quit her job to achieve her dream. They were clear about what they wanted regarding how they wanted to travel and hence started working on building the house of their dreams – a tiny house on wheels. It took them approximately nine months to finish constructing the house. As Christian is a freelance, he was available to work longer hours on the house along with a lot of their friends and family members.

Maintaining an Environmental Balance!

 

 

 

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How can you reuse wooden crates? Make them #tinyhouse stairs! We just love the @tinyhousegiantjourney DIY home with its endless rustic farmhouse and creative multifunctional solutions. Watch our tour—link in bio. It’s a throwback tour to when we’re briefly neighbors, 2 years ago.

A post shared by Tiny House Expedition (@tiny_house_expedition) on Dec 11, 2019 at 8:20pm PST

Alexis and Christian were very sure that they didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the house, so as an initiative to cut down on costs, they used recycled and reclaimed materials. They spent around USD15,000 in the construction of the house. However, their addition of solar panels and flooring caused their spending to increase to USD 20,000. The kitchen countertop was made using wood from a variety of trees that had fallen during a tornado. One of the important parts of the house is the cleverly designed shoe rack which can easily store up to 20 pairs of shoes. It happens to be the best part!

Cost of Travelling and Living in Multiple Destinations

The cost of living while travelling depends on the location and the duration of the stay, say Alexis and Christian. For example, if one is constantly travelling, then they tend to spend a lot more money. But, if one stays in a place for a month or two, then their expenses and cost of living are relatively lesser. For the couple, their monthly mortgage sum depends on the cost of their travel.

Now isn’t that an interesting way of not only staying but also travelling! Let us know in the comments below whether you would dare to travel like this.