The Curren family has taken the American Dream to the open road. Parents Jess and Sam Curren and their three children are living a self-proclaimed “nomad’s” life, traveling full-time in their Airstream. While many folks wonder how raising a family while living this lifestyle could work, for the Currens, it has worked wonders.
Jess and Sam believe their nomadic lifestyle has brought their family closer to each other. When living in their “sticks and bricks” home, the couple felt something was missing. Family activities seemed to create more space than cohesiveness. Jess and Sam saw themselves “on the treadmill of life.” Their days were patterned and had rhythms, but there was little room or time for their shared passion for adventures and experiences.
Their mobile lifestyle cultivates authenticity and closeness. Life in the Airstream is very much a family affair. Everyone helps with the daily tasks of life on the road—from cooking to setting up a campsite to packing up for the next adventure. Living life this way has changed their family’s focus.
"Their mobile lifestyle cultivates authenticity and closeness."
Airstream life has also given them the freedom to create the experiences they want. And the Currens care much more about experiences than things. Downsizing to fit their life on the road was a liberating experience—everything the family still owns has a purpose. The focus now is on getting out and exploring. According to Jess and Sam, feeding the family’s wanderlust spirit is easy, because the opportunity for hiking, mountain biking, or just adventuring is literally right outside their front door.
No matter where the Currens travel, they’re never alone. Since going full-time in their Airstream, the family has made a host of friends with similar interests and lifestyles, whether in person or through Instagram. The camaraderie they’ve found has helped to make them feel even more at home on the road.
So what made the Currens take their lifestyle leap? Jess and Sam decided to say yes to that voice of wonder that whispered inside both of them.
In 2013, the family set out on a cross-country road trip for a house swap. What started as a short-term break from the norm ended up being a life-changer. The trek took them from their home state of Utah to Virginia. For folks in a hurry, that drive can be done in about four days, but the Currens spent eighteen days on the road. During their winding, leisurely travel, they noticed a change in their family. They worked together more. They interacted more. They felt closer. Their travels had given them that.
"Their Airstream has given them the ability to live the family life they always envisioned—one that’s close-knit, intentional, and full of adventures."
That feeling lingered, and in short order Sam and Jess realized they wanted the family dynamic they experienced on the road to be the centerpiece of their lives. They began learning how to homeschool the kids and started shopping for Airstreams. After just three months in Virginia, the family began living full-time in their Airstream.
And the rest is history: the Currens have been on the road ever since. And they’ve found their groove—the kids are “road schooled,” their travels are flexible, and they experience freedom not only in where they go but also in how they live. For the Currens, their Airstream has given them the ability to live the family life they always envisioned—one that’s close-knit, intentional, and full of adventures.
