Inside Our Airstream | part 1

I suppose I should talk about how Flo the Airstream came to be (and was always) a part of Ready Gypset Go, and our home on the road.

Well, the concept came to me after our very first road trip across the country to California. That was over 2 years ago. We camped out of our jeep, and purchased 4 star hotels for cheap deals at midnight, just so we would have a place to sleep and shower. We weren’t as experienced then as we’ve become now, at living the homeless life! When we got back, it was decided that life on the road was the life for us. The constant change of scenery, the excitement of not knowing where you’re going next and the challenge of a different type of life style that no one could really tell you how to live… it was all exactly what called to me.

Time went by and soon Ready Gypset Go was born. I started fashion blogging shortly after that summer road trip, and though I was an experienced photographer, I was starting at the beginning with blogging. But like everything I do and love, I am extremely determined to push myself to become better and to discover myself further. I never knew then of where I’d be now. I never thought I’d become a full time blogger, or live on the road full time. But after a year of learning the blogging ropes, I realized this was something I found myself in. I got to express myself through multiple outlets (a huge deal for me as an artist)- photography, fashion, writing, and developing my voice, and getting to work side by side with my soul mate. I decided I wanted to make this my life, my full time job.

The dream of being a traveling blogger with my musically talented hubby, Josh, and creating beautiful things wherever we roam, became the goal. A truly free life, not tied down by a place or rent or jobs or fears. I’ve always broken the mold, even when I was just the outcast in school. But it all just fit together now. We planned and researched and prepared for this…

One day a successful brand contacted me. We met up over lunch and shared our dreams and passions. It was like everything was going to fall into place. Our dreams aligned with theirs, and suddenly the opportunity to be sponsored arose. We would be paid to do this, to travel and shoot and represent the brand through our nomadic lifestyle. And our expenses to do so would be covered. This meant we had to quickly find the right home on wheels and make a year’s plan and budget. There aren’t many Airstreams for sale on the east coast, but somehow I found a guy who was maybe selling his. We drove an hour away to see it, and it was love at first sight. Even though Flo was completely original and 100% vintage…. not the good kind of vintage…. we loved her and wanted to call her home. We were ready to commit to it all.

But after more meetings with the brand, things started to shift. The concept became more about the profit we would make them, and the places we would travel to promote their products. Our ideas got a smile and a wave of the hand as if shooing away a fly. It was all wrong. We knew it but didn’t want to say it to each other for a couple days. But it wasn’t going to work. We couldn’t live the lifestyle falsely. It went against everything… as artists, as free spirits, as inspirers. We wanted to share with people how to live a life you choose, and couldn’t do it with a lie.

So we broke it off. It meant that we didn’t have the funds for anything, only our dreams and big plans to make things happen. But that didn’t stop us from pulling together every penny and paying it towards the Airstream. That was the first step. We got her months later in the fall, and began renovating with our minuscule budget. We DIY’ed everything, slowly tearing out the old and building the new. It was a slow process, that came to a halt when winter came. The airstream turned into an igloo and there was no moving forward until spring.

Early spring came and we invested in the blog by taking a long long road trip south to the warmth of Florida. That’s where we mastered the art of being homeless and doing nothing but sleeping in our jeep and shooting on the beaches every day until the sun set. This was the happiest time of our life so far, these simple days of bliss, doing what we loved. It again reaffirmed in our minds and hearts that this was the life for us. We got back home with a new determination to finish this and start our official gypsy life. As soon as we got back, we got the opportunity to go to Coachella for FLOGGs and represent them at the ever popular music festival. This was a dream come true… suddenly we were back on the road, traveling that same road that started it all. It was all exhilarating. Coachella was a high I will never forget, and can’t wait for again. We buzzed through our favorite places in Cali, shooting and traveling, getting sick, meeting with brands, and making it all happen.

After those wild adventures we returned to the calmness that is Arizona. The place we wanted to live in after our first visit during our first road trip. It all became very clear that this was it…. it had to happen. We got back home and in a month, raised the money for a truck and our move based solely on small projects and funds from my closet sales. It was the craziest thing I ever did, selling almost everything I owned to make this dream a reality. We pulled out with Flo for the first time and left our friends and family behind. It was our first move away from everything we knew all our lives. It was a little scary. And the drive wasn’t going to be easy. Our truck was old and so was Flo (1972!). Horrifyingly, it seemed every time we stopped and checked on her, something had fallen off the outside, or the inside was slowly turning upside-down. I guess the old retro furniture couldn’t handle all the jarring and bumps that came with driving the long highways all day.

The truck broke down in Oklahoma, during the hottest week I’ve ever experienced. First the brakes went out, and we were saved from any accidents by Flo’s electric brakes. We parked behind a Walmart for 2 or 3 days while Josh worked tirelessly on fixing the problems. Yes, more than one! With no hookups, it was as good as camping in a sardine can in 100 degrees. I spent the days in the truck with the AC blasting, until it would finally cool off at night and we could open the windows in the Airstream. With much jimmy-rigging and raising money, we got the truck to run enough to get us to a auto mechanic. (Scariest drive of my life, with the truck completing shutting off every time we turned left!) We paid the last bit of our money we raised to fix the problem, then hit the road with what seemed like barely enough to get us the rest of the way there. But we made it at last, pulling into our new desert home base with a few bucks left in our pocket. And here we are now.

So… I bet you weren’t expecting such a long story!

When it came down to the style of Flo, I changed my mind about 3 times! I love so many different cultures and styles, it was hard for me to stick with just one. It kept shifting overtime. It went from over the top colorful bohemian, to beachy, to all white everything… then I landed on something between wanderlust inspired and eclectic. I wanted it to reflect our travels. And being in the desert meant the dusty west was going to have an influence on it. I fell in love with distressed wood, and we worked that into the floor, furnishings, and accents. I know it’ll shift with the places we visit. I like to have my options. So we made the furniture to be able to move around, or be safely locked down while traveling. And I plan to keep the decor shifting to keep it feeling new- a trick I’ve discovered to keeping it fresh when full time living in a small space.

I’m so excited to finally have Flo be a part of the blog. You’ll get to see a whole lot more of her as we continue our gypset adventures! Stay tuned!

xx Sarah & Josh

Kilim Pillows: Sisters of Nature, Moroccan Wedding Blanket Pillows: Atlas Secret

Dream Catcher: Torchlight Jewelry, Crochet Pillow: Banjara, Tapestry: Earthbound Trading Co.
Chair, Crate, Shell Hanging: thrifted

Floor Cushion: Woman Shops World, Macrame Curtain: See Shell’s Designs, Fringe Curtain: Crafturday

Wooden Box & Candle Sticks: thrifted, Hamsa Dish & Apothecary Candle: Earthbound Trading Co.

Leather Hand Tooled Journal: Jumbuck Wrangler

Lantern: World Market

Vintage Suitcase & Trunk: thrifted, Retro Fringe Lamp: DIY

Playsuit: Spell & the Gypsy Collective, Silver Candles: Himalayan Candles

Faux Septum Ring: Midsummer Star Jewelry

Turquoise Rings: Midsummer Star Jewelry, Middle Finger Rings: Rose Jewelry

Necklace: Heroes & Villains

Heels: Bed Stu

Poster, Amethyst Stick: Free People

Wooden Cactus: Seven Seas Designs, Triangle Shelf: Dark Marquee Designs, Mosaic Candle: Dreamcatcher Candles

Clutch: This Little Gypsy Shop, Citrine Candle: Victory Jewelry, Leather Journal: Jumbuck Wrangler, Ohm Journal: Earthbound Trading Co.

Macrame Plant Hanger: Earthbound Trading Co.

Dress: Amilita the Label

Candle: Free People

Mug: Anthropologie

Wooden Candle Stick: World Market

Festival Sticks: Soul Makes for Free People

Macrame Window Hangings: Chy Parker Fibrous Maker

Crochet Pillow: The Vintage Tree, Metal Gypsy Sign: Gypsy Sole Boutqiue

Dress & Socks: Free People, Necklaces: Tess & Tricia

Rings: Midsummer Star Jewelry

Magazine: Coachella

Shoes: Bed Stu

Journal: Jumbuck Wrangler
Map, Himalayan Pink Salt Lamp, Candle: Earthbound Trading Co.
Hat: Vintage Avenger Arcata / Free People
Leather Coin Purse: The Vintage Tree
Citrine Candle Holder: Victory Jewerly

Moon Phase Poster, Candle Amethyst Stick: Free People
Glass Terrainium: Earthbound Trading Co
Necklace: Tess & Tricia

Dog: Miah le Pouf

Our home on wheels.
1972 Airstream Sovereign