When the family first considered leaving their San Francisco apartment to move into a 25-foot Airstream trailer, they wondered if they could handle the situation regarding the world’s current events. The thought of abandoning their cozy and safe home in the middle of the social justice movement may seem like a crazy idea. Their apartment for the last four years in the Inner Sunset neighborhood felt like more than just a rental unit to them. It was a part of their family. It was the first home for their two young boys, the place of their first laughs, steps, and first words were etched into their memories.
Pencil-market growth charts, spaghetti sauce splatters on the white walls, and purple paint bots told the stories of their first years as being parents. How could they give up a place like this at a time when their home is also their shelter, the only truly safe space?
Before The Airstream
As a couple, they have always been lovers of the nomadic lifestyle. They grew up in Miami, Florida in immigrant families from South Africa (Jaron) and Colombia (Dana). In their twenties, they reconnected while coincidentally living in the Middle East, and have since lived together in Miami, Brooklyn, and San Francisco. Dana focused on arts and design and quickly became a textile designer, founding her eponymous line of home goods. Her spouse, Jaron, started his career as a filmmaker and video journalist before founding Storyhunter. While living in Tel Aviv, the family spent as much time as possible camping in the Galilee, the Sinai desert, or near their favorite wadi on the Dead Sea.
Airstream, Their New Home
They share that they have learned that they don’t need a lot of things in their life. Organization and minimalism are critical and important to surviving the day in a tiny space with 4 people. If there is no 4G or 5G signal, they cannot get any work done or Facetime with friends. If there is no power or propane or power, they have no heat. If there is no water, they don’t shower. They are fixing batteries, learning their way around tongue jacks, stabilizer jacks, inverters, converters, propane filling stations, and dump stations. They are gaining self-reliance.
Today, the family is dreaming, plotting, and they are where they need to be, in their Airstream home.