Episode 41: Home is Where You Park It
Purchasing a home has always been an exalted and expected right of passage into American adulthood, the penultimate realization of the Dream. Buyers’ freedom from the rent trap, pride in ownership, and investment in the future are timeless selling points still touted by realtors marketing homes like snake oil. But, the Dream has become an arguable impossibility for much of the population and a nightmare for many more. As countless Americans continue to spend more and more of their incomes on nicely appointed boxes, pushing through 60-hour work weeks and struggling with the chronic diseases that seem inextricably tied to them, a surprising alternative to homeownership is emerging and gathering followers faster than Instagram. Roam homing, a modern spin on a nomadic lifestyle, provides for inexpensive shelter alternatives, while supporting travel, unique experiences, freedom and, as its proponents argue, a wondrous life beyond the 9-to-5 grind.
In this podcast, Interchange founder Tate Chamberlin explores the simplicity and complexity, the practicality and romanticism, the planning and spontaneity, the infinity adaptable concept of defining home where you park it.
Photo: Ben Johnson