Why I started The Wayward Home

Hi, I’m Kristin! I live on a sailboat now, but it wasn’t always that way.

In 2015, I did one of the scariest things of my life. I moved out of my comfortable apartment just north of San Francisco and into the back of a guy’s Toyota Prius. I’d known Tom, who is now my boyfriend, for six months at the time, and we both wanted to save money and pay off debt.

So, I took the leap. I went “intentionally homeless.” It was my first foray into living alternatively, and at the time, I didn’t know where to go for community.

I often felt ashamed and scared, not wanting to tell people I lived in a car and camped in the mountains.

I worked fulltime at KGO Radio in San Francisco, and there was no way I wanted my bosses to know about my unusual lifestyle choices. I barely told my coworkers.

But I also had fun! I learned to live with less, enjoy more time in nature, become very close to Tom. Those four months in the car changed me entirely, and I saw the world in a different light.

At this time, I didn’t know about van life, didn’t know about Facebook pages where I could find camaraderie.

Now, I hope The Wayward Home provides inspiration, stories and how-to guides that help people take that leap into alternative living.

On this site, you’ll know you’re not alone. Check out some of my most popular posts:

• How to do an awesome camper van conversion
• Couple gives up their house and jobs go sailing with their kids
• “I confronted my fears to become a full-time female RVer”

Want to get updates about van life, full-time RVing, sailboat living and a minimalistic lifestyle?

Join 7,000+ subscribers and find community living alternatively. 

What you can expect from The Wayward Home

If you’re thinking of living alternatively, or if you already do, The Wayward Home will be a place to connect and be inspired.

• You’ll get tips on how to work remotely and find those jobs
• You’ll learn about others who are living alternatively and how they made the leap
• You’ll learn all you want to know about van life, RVing, sailboat living and tiny homes
• You’ll find connection with your fellow freedom junkies and full-time travelers
• Join my FREE Facebook group here

How to make money when traveling full-time

A lot of the concerns I hear from nomadic people is the worry about money.

How will I work? How do I find remote income? What sorts of jobs are out there?

I’ve been through this, too. In 2016, I was laid off from my fulltime job at the radio station, my dream career, and had to completely reassess my life. I moved into Tom’s new sailboat because I could no longer afford rent.

I applied to full-time jobs, wrote part of a book, and just couldn’t find my way.

Then, I found blogging. I found freelance writing.

And I’m trying my very hardest to capitalize on this remote income so I can work while also traveling the world by sailboat.

Do you need help figuring out how to work remotely? 

Using my skills as a journalist and writer, I put together an ebook called Getting Started with Remote Work: A Simple Guide to Living Your Dream. 

The Wayward Home in the news

Living smaller and with less is becoming more of a trend, with the RV association announcing 1 million people now live in RVs. 

I think there’s a certain fascination with living tiny, and so myself and The Wayward Home have been featured on several news outlets. Some of these were written about me, and some I wrote, wanting to expose people to an alternative lifestyle.

• This woman lives on a boat to avoid San Francisco rent
• I lived in a car, a tent and a sailboat to pay off debt
• I became homeless on purpose 

If you’d like to sign up to The Wayward Home, just enter your name and email below to join over 7,000 people who are all learning about living alternatively and helping each other out. 

Also, you can email me anytime: kristin@thewaywardhome.com

Looking forward to connecting with you!