Meet Axel – The Airstream

Happy Thursday! I wanted to give you a little more reason and an inside view of the Airstream. I have always named things… I am not sure why, but as a kid, I would name my parent’s cars and even random things like the cleaner in our family pool I named Max. To this day when my kid’s visit, they call the automatic cleaner in the pool Max… even though I am sure there is a newer version now. With Airstreams, you get to name them too, and I mean that seriously. They keep sending you emails to name him/her until you assign one. This has been a struggle for me. Nothing felt right. I didn’t want to do the traditional “silver bullet” or “betty” or “silver lining”, and I wanted something different and to encompass a bigger meaning. I originally kept saying give her a name but not a girl name felt right!

Meet Axel! It’s short and I loved that it has meaning but also a pun. Axel’s name meaning is the father of peace. Peace to me is such a powerful thing. Inner and out and it’s just vital and you find yours and fight to keep it. Axel also because the trailer has one “axel”.

Why did I get an Airstream?
There was so much calculation and plan and years and years of dreaming of “him”. 2019 on my Vision Board I stuck a variation. I have ALWAYS wanted an older one to restore and make it me or a new version. That was a tough decision for me and I almost bought an older one and restored it which could have financially on paper been the right choice, but for me, what I needed and wanted, I ultimately decided on a new 2022 Airstream Flying Cloud Bunk edition. Here are/were my reasons.

1. Warranty. Let’s be honest, I flew blind into this. We are still figuring out the systems and details, but I honestly didn’t want to worry about something not working or going wrong. My personality tends to like things perfect or functioning “right” so I just wanted to give myself some peace(get it) and it not be one thing we worry about. I am not always a warranty person, but not only did I get a brand new unit one with a year warranty, but I also got the 7 year extended plan! I just didn’t want it to be a thing if something was wrong.
2. If you know me, you know I am not afraid of a project. In my current life though, I didn’t want a project to pull me from my other current goals and projects. When weighing pros and cons from a financial perspective, often people forget to weigh opportunity cost and your time. If I take this on, how much time would it take me and what is the opportunity cost of my time, energy, and effort on other things. Layer in how much stress that adds. I have other projects going on already and layer in all the alignments with Start Brands companies, it just was not my time to add another project! I wanted a place to rest and just be!
3. Why an Airstream? Always loved the brand. I am a sucker for classic and authenticity. I get they are pricey, but they also hold their value rather than the standard RV. There is just something about those clean modern lines as well that gives me a feeling. Check back in a year if the quality of work and the warranty are worth it, but I don’t think they are going to disappoint. With an Airstream, you do sacrifice space as it doesn’t have a pull out. And yes stick all of us in there and it is cramped, but I do believe that the other benefits outweigh the sacrifices. Ease of pulling, valuation retention, and again the value hold is the biggest thing. Right now there is over a year wait for a new Airstream… if that doesn’t show you demand, I don’t know what will. And with demand, high price does what? A lot of other companies are just pumping out RVs left and right and saturating the market with poorly built campers. Is Airstream also have its flaws, I am sure but my business brain also does not like that because basic economics. My two cents on the overall RV market that you didn’t ask for, but its my blog so I gave it anyways. lol
4. Personal reasons. I want to travel more. One of the benefits of being owner and entrepreneur is freedom of your own schedule. But to be honest, I have always not been “free”, so a lot of changes I have made and are making is aligning myself for freedom and to rest more. I want to explore and travel more. Axel gives us the ability to pick up and go. Also, the land in Jasper is where we will be taking it a lot as well. (I will do a blog on that soon but I bought 40 acres last year and developing some of it but mainly to have a some “peace” away from everything on land) Axel gives us the ability to go there easily, disconnect, go ride four-wheelers all over the land, have friends join, and so much more.
5. My kiddos. My oldest is 14! 4 years left with him at home. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I am able to make memories with them all. I grew up camping with my family, and it is some of my most favorite memories. This is a way for us to be away from home and my kids bring friends and just well…. be kids!
6. Me. I don’t rest much. I am a busy body and my brain constantly calculates. I love exploring, and it is actually a way for me to fire my brain in a different way. Axel I think is going to help with that. Removing me from my normal environments and exploring is a way my brain turns off!
7. Business reasons. Ahhhh you had to know there is also a business reason didn’t you? I am going to explain that in another post soon! Because it is exciting!!!

But here is an entire view of Axel! We had to travel to Louisiana to get him. (Huge thanks to Trevor for all his expertise and know all these things!)

I do have a couple more things I want to do for him but for the most part, he is organized and ready for the road whenever.

Decided to make a trip out of when we picked him up! Navarre Florida and it was the best trip! Here is a look at the inside.

I am visual so this helps me. Here is the floor plan. Queen Master, couch and dining room that can fold out, and bunk beds in the back.

That trip above was easy and it was perfect to figure a lot out. Then took the kiddos to Blue Ridge and well it was interesting, to say the least. It was so cold you could hardly walk outside, all water lines were frozen due to well below freezing temps so we would wake up in the morning and have to wait to run water. Let’s just say we learned a lot more lol, explored and I made a list of additional things we would need.

We actually also took it on a last-minute trip at the end of the year back to Navarre, but I didn’t feel well. I don’t have any pictures from that trip. Pretty sure I had COVID so I just slept my life away in Axel. I am not a napper and that is all I did. I would sleep in and go to bed by 8. I think it was all part of the plan forcing me to rest and it gave me more time to look at goals for 2022 and make plans and changes for different areas.

Stay tuned for where Axel is going!