I Lived In a Tiny House For a Week
I lived in a tiny house for a week and it was one of the best weeks of my life.
What else is there to do over spring break than go to the beach? My dad and I packed up my car and drove 11 hours down to Fort Myers Florida for the week.
A few days before we left for our road trip, I woke up sick…not a fun way to start break. But I was determined to get to Florida and have the spring break that we planned. I didn’t stay in school all those weeks after Christmas break for nothing. So we started our drive on Monday, driving eight hours to Tampa, FL to stay the night. Since I was really sick, I slept most of the drive, making it hard to do all eleven hours in a row. The next day, we woke up, got breakfast as our favorite Florida restaurant, First Watch, and drove the three hours over multiple bridges and islands that lead us to Fort Myers. And let me tell you, driving over the ocean never gets old.
Tiny House Life
I’ve always wanted to live in a tiny house, even before it became a huge thing in the media, so when we found this place on Airbnb, we jumped at the opportunity to cross some things off my bucket list. Living in a tiny house was exactly what I expected it to be; you sleep in lofts, bump into each other in the kitchen, and water temperatures fluctuate so much you learn to take two minutes showers. And I loved every second of it. Waking up every morning to the sun streaming through the windows of the loft, birds chirping outside, nothing is better than that. Then being able to open the door and smell the salty ocean breeze; that curred my sickness real quick.
If you are not prepared for what tiny house living has to offer, it can be a bit of a culture shock, but it’s definitely worth it if this is an experience you want to try, and I totally recommend it.
Fort Myers, FL
I’ve been to Fort Myers once before. My sister, dad, and I went down for Spring Training game a few years ago. And I’ll admit, like most places I visit, Fort Myers is becoming a place close to my heart.
First, baseball. Baseball has always been a huge part of my life. Some of my earliest memories involve watching Red Sox games on the tv with my dad, or throwing around a baseball in the yard with him and my sister. We try to see a game at least once a year, so when Christmas rolled around this year and we hadn’t’ visited Fenway Park yet, I bought tickets to spring training for my dad and I. Jetblue South, the Red Sox’s spring training field, is basically a smaller and also way warmer Fenway. Better yet, it’s full of diehard Red Sox fans of all ages patiently awaiting baseball season to start.
Sanibel and Captive Islands
Let’s talk about sunsets. If you know me, I’m a sucker for sunrises and sunsets, so when the Sanibel Island parking ticket officer told us where to find a good sunset, you know we went. Sanibel and Captiva Island are about a 30-minute drive from the tiny house, but so worth the drive. The beaches transport you to Cape Cod and the shells are plentiful. And while you do have to pay for parking, it’s worth the views. From most beaches on either island, you can see the sunset, which is beautiful.
Naples, LF
If you are ever in Florida, near Naples or not, you have to make the trip to visit Naples’ beaches. Lucky for us, Naples was only an hour's drive from the Airbnb. The water was crystal clear and bright blue, the beaches were clean, kind people were everywhere, and dolphins played in the waters under the pier. Naples really is a place you have to see for yourself to understand, and although our time in this seaside town was short, I’ll be back for more in the future.
So all in all over this trip, I was sick for most of it, got pink eye halfway in, stepped on a bee, and got sunburnt kind of badly, but honestly, all of that considered, it was one fo the best spring breaks I’ve ever had.
Here’s what I learned about Tiny House living by the beach:
I could for sure absolutely one hundred percent live in a tiny house full time and I’d be so happy with it. (And you know I totally will one day).
I think my body likes the beach and warm weather more than the cold (sorry North Carolina but you are not my forever home).
Being sick while at the beach is so much better than being sick at home or in school.
So yes, living in a tiny house can be a challenge. It’s a small space for people to coexist in (granted there were only two of us in the house), and yes it can be a shock if you're not prepared but it can also be so amazing. Living in a small space forced us to be outside more, and stay outside more. Whether I’m traveling in a van, or in a tiny house off-grid…or both, this trip taught me that this is exactly where I want to be in a few years from now. And I can’t wait.
