Couple treks nearly 80,000 km in 'most travelled' tiny house

CTV News Channel: Travelling tiny house Co-owners Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons say their tiny home has given them more opportunities to travel and connect with people.

A North Carolina couple is taking their tiny home on a big adventure, towing the miniature dwelling nearly 80,000 kilometres across 36 states and one province.

Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons spent nine months building the 130 square-foot home on wheels before embarking on three years of travel. They’re documenting their trip on a YouTube channel focused on spreading the nomadic tiny home lifestyle.

“Whether you travel like us or stay put, you’re more connected with your surroundings,” Stephens told CTV News Channel on Monday. “You have more opportunities to connect with the people and nature around you.”

She and Parsons have claimed the title of world’s most travelled tiny house.

Kitting out the home for the journey meant using every bit of available space. The stair case, for example, is also a closet, a seat and a book shelf.

“It’s actually five different things,” Parsons explained. “Every single inch matters in a tiny house. And we have a very small, tiny house.”

The home includes a kitchen, bathroom, living room and two sleeping lofts.

Long drives and tight quarters have meant the couple is rarely more than a few metres apart. Solid communication and willingness to compromise have helped them thrive in the downsized space.

“We always say, if you want to test your relationship, go try to live in a tiny house for a week,” Stephens said. “You’re going to find out whether you’re going to be able to cut it or not.”

With housing affordability becoming an increasingly pressing issue in a number of urban centres across North America, the couple expects to see more people turn to tiny home living. Their journey has included a stop in Victoria, B.C., a city where soaring home prices and razor-thin vacancy rates have politicians looking for options.

Stephens said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps extended an invitation after watching the couple’s documentary, “Living Tiny Legally.”

“She invited us to come to Victoria to learn more about legal progress for tiny houses in the states so she could apply that locally,” Stephens said. “She was looking to create a micro-housing project on city-owned land as a way to meet some of the housing needs because they have a real affordable housing struggle in Victoria.”