Even though Mark and I have been nomads for almost twenty years and traveled in a handful of mobile tiny homes, I have never shown anyone around virtually (except when trying to sell our campers or when Skyping with my family). Yet, witnessing where and how we live provides a better understanding of our lifestyle, our passion, and our challenges.
I planned to post a video of Zesty, our amazing 19ft Sprinter Westfalia campervan, once Bob Wells (yes, of the movie Nomadland fame) – who spent two days filming us, our special van, and our lifestyle in Quartzsite, Arizona, one winter- published his features about us, but he “lost” the footage and none of this exposure (or a movie) happened. We didn’t own our previous truck camper, Temp, a Cirrus 820, long enough to focus on a tour or video.
So here it is, my first tour and full-length, non-edited video, of our current home on wheels. Bear with me these 17 minutes as I don’t find some of my words and forget to mention a bunch of features. 🙂
To that extent, I’d like to point out that our vehicle is a 2016 Ford F-350 pickup truck that is 4WD (4X4), SRW (single rear wheel, not a dually), and has a short bed and gasoline engine. Our truck camper is a Lance 830 model from 2008, which was the first year these were built.
Us and Bella in Austin, Texas
The main reasons we opted for this kind of rig are its affordability, durability, unique and roomier floorplan, and small footprint (compared to most RVs) – because of our shorter wheelbase, making U-turns and parking are easier and we tried to keep an as low as possible profile by not having an air conditioner or rack on the roof (we even cut off the top part of the ladder) and adding thin, flexible solar panels. We don’t own a generator either. Not possessing an AC unit also provides tall Mark with enough headspace inside.
As always, I happily address – and appreciate and encourage – any questions you might have in the comment section. Welcome aboard Thirsty Bella!
Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:
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October 1, 2022 at 16:43
You guys did a great job on the camper! Congratulations!
October 1, 2022 at 20:45
Thanks, Margie. From the video it’s hard to see everything we changed and did, but we are happy with the results. I’m hoping to focus on the improvements one of these weeks. Some of it is not easily visible, like the extra water tank and reinforcements.
October 1, 2022 at 17:08
Hi, Liesbet, Mark and Maya – I greatly enjoyed the tour of Thirsty Bella. You have done a wonderful job in renovating/restoring/setting it up. I look forward to reading your upcoming adventures.
October 1, 2022 at 20:54
Hi Donna,
I’m glad you enjoyed the tour. It gives a good idea of what we live and travel in. I’m happy to keep taking you along for the ride! 🙂
October 1, 2022 at 17:22
Great little tour! It seems pretty comfortable. I have questions but will save them for later – hopefully when we see you in Texas!
October 1, 2022 at 20:57
Hi Duwan,
Your comment posted! I’m sure you have loads of questions. 🙂 And I’m looking forward to our meet-up in Texas.
I hope to elaborate on many of our projects at some point in the future, but – as you know and understand – I’m way behind with about everything non-camper-related right now. Sigh. I’d like to believe we can take a breather now, but not really. Not yet. Still heaps to take care of, tie up loose ends, order gear, arrange logistics.
October 1, 2022 at 17:47
All the comforts of home in a tiny space! Well done, you guys! I love the slide out storage cabinet–ingenious and the sliding dining table. Such good ideas. Great workspace, lots of windows and ad 350 4×4 will get you in and around any terrain! Thirsty Bella looks amazing, congrats!
October 2, 2022 at 08:59
Thanks, Terri. Some of these features came standard with our camper – like the pantry and the sliding table. It’s the set-up and the floor plan of this particular camper, the Lance 830, that stood out to and attracted us. It’s nice we now have a grill and an oven (albeit a small one) again. We haven’t used the grill yet as we still need to order parts to hook it up to the main propane tank. We don’t want to deal with little green tanks. The price for those adds up and we don’t think they are available in South America.
October 1, 2022 at 18:42
Congratulations, living comfortably in a small space definitely requires organization and it looks like you guys are ready for your next journey. I’m impressed. Thanks for the tour.
October 2, 2022 at 09:02
Hi Suzanne,
We are getting there. And pretty happy with the result. We hope the camper holds up over the next few years as we had our struggles with the structural part of it, too.
It’s amazing we found a place for all our belongings. I’d like to purge a bit more, yet, for this upcoming journey, we actually need more stuff, like spare parts, extra dog items, and we bought snorkel gear! 🙂
October 1, 2022 at 19:44
Hey Liesbet! Your camper seems absolutely luxurious compared to Zesty. That seems WAY smaller. And you’ve both done a great job fitting everything important inside and making it just what you need for your trip. I know you’ve worked long and hard at it and it shows. Thanks for sharing it with us. Bon voyage!!! ~Kathy
October 2, 2022 at 09:05
Hi Kathy,
You are right. Bella appears roomier than Zesty, where the cubby holes and storage areas were much smaller. This one is definitely wider, but a van has other advantages. Just like with a sailboat (and maybe a house as well), it’s all about compromises. There is no perfect camper that ticks all the boxes.
We still have to work out more packages, orders, gear, paperwork, logistics, and other details the coming weeks, but mentally we are getting ready to leave the country.
October 1, 2022 at 20:01
You two are geniuses at taking the best advantage of your small space. I remember, when you gave us a tour of Temp, how impressed we were. So many of us have way more possessions than we really need, and you are proof that life is good without a bunch of stuff.
October 2, 2022 at 12:07
Hi Janis,
Thank you for the compliment. Practice makes perfect, I guess. We’ve been living in tight, mobile places for a very long time. They always held all our belongings, somehow. 🙂 And this camper, while one of the smallest homes we have ever traveled in, feels roomy – like a condo! – because of its layout.
Recently, people have been asking us if we have a storage unit somewhere. Nope. Our relatives have a few boxes of ours. They contain memorabilia for Mark and photo albums, diaries, and souvenirs from my extensive travels at a younger age in my case. It’s been the same amount of stuff for two decades. Nothing gets added and none of it is needed for our day-to-day life. Everything we need, want, and require is in Thirsty Bella at the moment. 🙂
October 1, 2022 at 20:18
Congratulations! And thank you for the tour. Add Virtual Tour Guide to your resume! We felt we were beside you and you made us feel welcome and excited to see each feature. Your voice is clean, clear and precise and ptesented the necessary information – not too much or too little info. We hope to see Thirsty Bella and Maya and you two someday. We are cracking open a bottle of champagne from a dry-camping spot in Lake Tahoe and raising a toast to your next adventure. Cheers to many safe and happy travels!
October 2, 2022 at 12:12
Hi guys,
Thank you so much for your lovely, supportive, and celebratory comment! And cheers to each of our adventurous lives and upcoming travels. As you know, we’d love to meet in person one day, but soon enough this will have to happen abroad as we will leave the US for the foreseeable future.
Wishing you many more happy years in Living in Beauty and I appreciate you two following along with our adventures. I’ll do the same. I’ve been reading your Alaska series, but the photos never all load. My internet connection often can’t handle your well-crafted, entertaining, and attractive posts.
October 2, 2022 at 01:31
I thank you for the detailed tour of Thirsty Bella. It’s so shiny in the cab, and looks commodious. Even Maya should be happy.
The interior of your living space is awesome, every inch usable. I’m glad you have a grill and oven, so maybe you can make bread as you suggested a while back. I love your kitchen area, so well thought out! And the sliding dining table: very slick. You also have a queen-six bed: remarkable! And a love that you still can use my teeny towel. The LED lights are cool too. The whole thing is so well thought out. CONGRATULATIONS, both of you. Job well done! 😀
October 2, 2022 at 12:17
Hi Marian,
Funny you say our truck is shiny. Yes, Mark gave it a bath in Colorado a couple of weeks ago, but I always note how dirty everything is and get – in a short amount of time. Especially on gravel roads and especially after a good rain. And I don’t even talk about all the bugs committing suicide against the front of our truck and camper.
Maya is happy and comfortable on her throne in the back seat and inside the camper as well. Sometimes she still manages to be right where my feet need to be, especially under the table. 🙂
We love your tea towel and I’m glad it found a prominent spot in our decor. And, yes, we will make bread in our little oven. As a matter of fact, the first thing Mark ever made in that oven was focaccia, to share with our friends in Colorado. He has a great pan recipe as well.
October 2, 2022 at 08:15
Looking good folks! Happy and safe travels!
October 2, 2022 at 12:18
Thank you! Happy travels to you both as well and we hope to see you soon in Colombia.
October 2, 2022 at 14:51
Hi Liesbet, Thanks for the tour of Thirsty Bella. You did a great job fixing it up and using all available space for your essentials. Congrats and wishing you safe and happy travels!
October 2, 2022 at 17:32
Thank you, Natalie! We have done this with so many transportation forms… The big difference with this one is that it required way more time, work, and energy (upfront) than any other camper we have owned. The sailboats were a different story all together. 🙂
October 2, 2022 at 16:37
Wow, I love it! Everything you need; and nothing you don’t. I can definitely see the attraction of living lightly the way you do… but I’m not giving up my house and yard just yet. 😉 Thank you so much for the tour!
October 2, 2022 at 17:35
I honestly don’t think you are the right person for this type of lifestyle, Diane, even though your shampoo usage is more minimal than mine and you care as little about your wardrobe as I do. 🙂 But I love how you – author extraordinaire – phrase it: “Everything we need; and nothing we don’t.” That is probably the best part about this life for me. Minimalism around the world.
October 3, 2022 at 12:42
Thanks for showing us around! Enjoying the cow pattern on the camper. Are there features that over the years you and Mark have decided are must-haves when researching and purchasing one of these?
October 4, 2022 at 12:07
I don’t think we have an actual list of things that every camper/sailboat needs. A lot is space dependent. But in general we want to be able to live off grid for extended periods of time. This means our water and electricity capacities have to be substantial.
On our boat, this meant having solar panels and a wind generator and a gas generator as backup. The engines are also backup for power. Our campervan (Zesty) had relative small tanks, so we could only boondock for up to a week, when being very careful.
Our previous truck camper, Temp, had big tanks (we could be off grid for 7-10 days) and we weren’t going to keep it, so didn’t make improvements on that level. And our current Bella has solar panels, a composting toilet, and an extra fresh water tank added, so we can be on our own for two weeks. 🙂
October 3, 2022 at 19:03
I finally finished the video. Thirsty Bella is just right for you all! I love reading your updates after having read PLUNGE, and the icing on the cake was getting to hear first hand from you, the answers to some of our questions. Our book club members really enjoyed you and we’re all very happy for you and Mark and your upcoming adventures will be so wonderful!
Thanks again for Zooming with us today. It truly was a great experience to top of your special book!
October 4, 2022 at 12:11
Hi Carol,
It was so nice to be able to put a face to your generous, enthusiastic, and positive personality! I enjoyed my participation at your book club yesterday and meeting everyone and wish I wouldn’t have been disconnected – or better, thrown off by Zoom! I was just about to introduce you all to Mark and Maya outside. Another time…
Thanks for your continued support and interest in our lifestyle and adventures and please keep joining us, virtually. 🙂
October 4, 2022 at 12:55
Yes, the Zoom host set the meeting for 30 minutes. I was also about to ask if Mark was back yet. Haha. Thanks so much, nonetheless ❣️❣️ We loved it! Not too often you get to talk to an author about their book and life experiences.
October 4, 2022 at 13:04
I’m so glad you enjoyed our meeting. Any time!
October 3, 2022 at 21:38
Wow, I’m in awe how organized you are. I can’t even imagine living that tiny, lol. That was a great tour. And love the ‘moo’ decor outside. <3
October 4, 2022 at 12:20
I love simplicity and minimalism, Debby. It is as much the challenge of doing so as well as the actually living simply that I enjoy. I like not being overwhelmed by stuff, projects, and chores, but it is sometimes hard to make it happen.
October 4, 2022 at 13:27
I loved this tour of Bella, also loved hearing your voice ( rather then your writing voice) for the first time.
You and Mark have done a great job of getting Bella ready for you next adventure. It looks great and everything has a place.
Enjoy the adventure ????
October 4, 2022 at 16:48
Hi Gilda,
Isn’t it weird to hear the voice for the first time of someone you know virtually and only from writing? I remember listening to a podcast – or to the first news interview of Peta and Ben – when hearing their voices for the first time.
Yes, everything has a place in Bella. So much so that everything has to be placed and replaced into that particular place. But, I assume this is the same in your Big Bill, right? I love this basic living without too many belongings. I wouldn’t find anything back if I were to live in a real house, haha.
October 5, 2022 at 20:49
Wow, thanks for the tour! You’ve both done an amazing job in maximizing storage options and in turning the camper into a nice cozy home. Well done! Looking forward to hearing about your adventures as you prepare to travel.
October 10, 2022 at 16:54
Thanks for following along, Debra. While we constantly “travel”, which in our case is mainly “living life on the road,” this upcoming adventure will be one of the bigger ones again – finally! Similar to our extensive sailing journey and our year-long Mexico and Central America trip in 2006. We are more than ready for new cultures and destinations. We “just” have to get there!
October 11, 2022 at 10:09
I like the way the backdoor opens (away from the front doors) of the cab. And I like how that table folds up behind the seats.
Did hear you say ‘an outside shower’? I’m guessing you attach a hose and hose-head to wash sand off feet and to shower Myer? Of is it a human shower too?
The oven reminds me of the ovens you see on airlines. Love the work Mark (and friends) did in building the units around that new fridge.
The dividers in the storage cupboard above the stove are a great idea, as is the sliding table. I love all the little cupboards too (like the one with the books). You’ve made such great use of all the space.
I was going to ask where you kept all your clothes. Cool that, for Mark they are stored out of sight by the side of the bed, but I felt sorry for you having to put all of your up on that shelve. I guess you don;’t mind, but you did mention that your side of the bed needed some tidying up.
I’m guessing if you watch TV or a movie, you watch it on your computer?
Thank you for the tour, Liesbet. It was great seeing your world.
October 11, 2022 at 15:53
Hi Hugh,
I’m glad you enjoyed my little tour of Bella and thank you for your insightful remarks and questions.
Yes, we do use all our space wisely, but we are used to that. I love organizing! Sometimes I am surprised that we manage to find a spot for all our belongings and sometimes I feel like we still have too much stuff.
Some areas were a bit messy in this video, because we still have ongoing projects and need to organize a few more things. The area next to my side of the bed is supposed to be empty for the sole purpose of storing “temporary” items there or when we stock up on food and drinks and run out of cupboard space. I’ve considered putting some cloth baskets there as well, but Mark told me “enough already with all the baskets.” 🙂
All the cubby holes we build have a little lip (which I didn’t mention), so stuff can’t fall out on bumpy roads or during sudden braking. (There is no sudden accelerating.)
We have a full outdoor shower, which means a hose and shower head folds out of the compartment, so we can shower – or rinse off – outside. All our campers (and boats as well) have had this feature. We use it if our campsite is warm and private enough, to prevent cleaning up the bathroom. Rarely have we rinsed Maya off (we have to be careful with our water use), but it can be used for that as well.
And, yes, we watch Netflix movies or series on our computer. But, we rarely have time for this. I’d love to read books again one day.
October 13, 2022 at 06:56
You’re welcome, Liesbet. I enjoyed the video and wanted to leave a comment that said more than just ‘great video.’ You put a lot of hard work into making the video, so it deserves more than a short comment.
It’s great to see how the 3 of you live from day to day, especially given it’s so different to the way I live. You prove to everyone who watches the video just how much space can be put to good use.
Thank you for answering my questions.
I see you’re still in Texas, so the weather must still be pleasant.
October 15, 2022 at 11:26
Hi Hugh,
I’m so glad that this little tour of our home on wheels gave a realistic look into our lives, the way words don’t achieve.
Yes, we are still in Texas. And, no, the weather is not pleasant and hasn’t been ever since we arrived in this state three weeks ago. Well, the temperature has dropped from the upper thirties Celsius to lower thirties since then, but the humidity went up 20%.
Unfortunately, we have to be here right now, for logistical reasons. If only there were mountains within a two hours’ drive, we would escape into them. But, the entire state – and surrounding areas – are super hot and humid at the moment. That’s why people live in houses (and have airco). Next week, the weather should finally improve.