We traveled the continent in our Airstream, and now we're turning it into a permanent jungle home where we can raise our daughter and live off the land

Kelsey NeubauerMay 12, 2023, 00:51 IST

Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi head to their Airstream, named Luna. The mobile trailer that was central to their travels for the past five years is now the base of a home in Costa Rica.Courtesy of Kristen and Siya Zarrabi

Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi spent five years transversing the continent in their 1976 Airstream.
Now, they've settled in Costa Rica and are building a $60,000 home around the travel trailer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with travel videographers and tiny home enthusiasts Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi, both 36, who traveled North America in an Airstream for five years with their daughter, Kai, and dog, Atlas. The couple, originally from the Toronto area, wanted to settle down in Costa Rica but didn't want to leave their Airstream behind — so they decided to build a house around it. Now, their daughter sings to the animals and picks her own food. They make a living by hosting trips, and from content creation and an online shop. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Kristen: Almost six years ago, I had this idea that I really wanted to buy a camper van. I was talking to Siya about that and he was like, "Oh, but if we're going to be living in that, we'd need something bigger." That's when I came across the Airstream.

I'd actually never seen one before. I said, "Wow, check this out. This looks so cool."

A month later we purchased our Airstream. We found a vintage one from 1976 on Craigslist, and we drove four or five hours to pick it up.

Siya: We were such rookies at that time, we didn't know anything — we basically had a dream, jumped into that dream, and then learned from there.

Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi with their four-year-old daughter Kai, their dog Atlas, and their 1976 Airstream, which they named Luna.Courtesy of Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi

Siya: We loved the Airstream. There's no doubt about that. We love that lifestyle — being more minimalist, tiny, and mobile. We also loved Costa Rica.

An aerial view of the Airstream on Sarah's and Zarrabi's land in Costa Rica.Courtesy of Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi

We shipped the Airstream from Florida to Costa Rica last year.

The ship that brought Sarah's and Zarrabi's Airstream to Costa Rica.Courtesy of Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi

Now, we're designing a whole structure that the Airstream is going to live in, on our land.

A rendering of the 1,500-square-foot house that Sarah and Zarrabi are building around the Airstream. They've dubbed the house "Casa Luna."Courtesy of Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi

Kristen: We're going to build steel beams into the foundation to make sure that the structure is solid, and the bones are strong.

A rendering of the 1,500-square-foot house that Sarah and Zarrabi are building around the Airstream.Courtesy of Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi

Siya: Our land is in an eco community in Costa Rica. It's 180 acres but that's not all ours. We have a half-acre for our house and Airstream. The rest of the land is divided up amongst 150 other families from 30 different countries.

The plot of land owned by Sarah and Zarrabi in Costa Rica.Courtesy of Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi

Siya: Our land is in an eco community in Costa Rica. It's 180 acres but that's not all ours. We have a half-acre for our house and Airstream. The rest of the land is divided up amongst 150 other families from 30 different countries.

Siya: Our daughter was a big force behind us moving here.

Kai, the couple's four-year-old daughter, with her parents and their dog.Courtesy of Kristen Sarah and Siya Zarrabi

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We traveled the continent in our Airstream, and now we're turning it into a permanent jungle home where we can raise our daughter and live off the land

Siya: We were such rookies at that time, we didn't know anything — we basically had a dream, jumped into that dream, and then learned from there.

Siya: We loved the Airstream. There's no doubt about that. We love that lifestyle — being more minimalist, tiny, and mobile. We also loved Costa Rica.

We shipped the Airstream from Florida to Costa Rica last year.

Now, we're designing a whole structure that the Airstream is going to live in, on our land.

Kristen: We're going to build steel beams into the foundation to make sure that the structure is solid, and the bones are strong.

Siya: Our land is in an eco community in Costa Rica. It's 180 acres but that's not all ours. We have a half-acre for our house and Airstream. The rest of the land is divided up amongst 150 other families from 30 different countries.

Siya: Our daughter was a big force behind us moving here.