Sophie ForbesJune 4, 2015
Ethan Waldman’s tiny house in Vermont. (Photo: Oliver Parini)
Many of us dream of gaining the financial freedom to pack up and move to a desert island to live in a hut on the beach or to the mountains to live in a cabin in the woods.
The idea of being free from the worries of a mortgage, rent, or car payments and having the ability to drop everything and travel whenever you fancy sounds amazing.
But what about quitting your job and moving into a house the size of a large shed in order to gain that freedom?
One man did just that.
This is Ethan Waldman’s story. The 30-year-old explained to Yahoo Travel contributor Sophie Forbes why he walked away from his well-paid job and built a 200-square-foot home on wheels — all in the hope of feeling free.
Related: Bigger Isn’t Always Better — Inside the First Tiny House Hotel
It all started back in 2011, when I took a sabbatical from work and did a bicycle tour across the country with my cousin. I didn’t know about tiny houses then, but that trip was kind of the catalyst for me in terms of wanting to make a life change.
We used the website couchsurfing.org, which connects you with people who are willing to host you for free. On the trip we ended up couch surfing with three different people who lived in some form of a tiny house. That is where the initial idea started — just seeing how awesome these small spaces were and how inexpensive they were to live in.
The living space of the tiny house. (Photo: Susan Teare)
When I got home, I found Tammy Strobel’s tiny house on Google — she is a popular blogger who built a tiny house on wheels. I saw that online, and that is when it all clicked for me.
Related: Gorgeous Tiny Hotels That Make You Feel Like a Big Shot
To make the idea a reality, I immediately started saving and set up an account called the Tiny House Freedom Fund. I had this singular goal of saving as much as I could. Anytime I would choose not to go out to eat, I would put the $30 I would have spent into the account. I would go on my phone and transfer the money. It became like a game.
I completely immersed myself in everything tiny house. I subscribed to all of the blogs that I could and started meeting people online.
Related: Let’s Go Camping in a Teeny-Weeny Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGMk5bYpHkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7G7p1MPWlM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20_qq3GNOx4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_NvzACSbEQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRLOqiuqlwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA2OK4f1CWs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgzYw6NNgFE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FqHINIs4Rc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLsuwNfRU_8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWjqIyLXLDU +
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5coVLySOHk ++
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srWhBxJIgFM +