- Mars and Ash Fite live in an 80-square-foot van with their two kids and dog full time.
- The van features a lofted bed for the Fites’ 6-year-old, an extendable porch, and a rooftop deck.
- It can be difficult to raise children in the van, but the Fites said they wouldn’t trade the sense of teamwork it’s given their family.
- “It’s absolutely worth it,” Mars told Insider of his family’s lifestyle.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Mars and Ashley Fite have been living nomadically since 2017.
The couple work in experiential marketing, so they have to travel for work constantly.
“We were always driving out to the events and then driving back home,” Ash told Insider. “We would leave on a Wednesday or Thursday and then get back on Monday and do it again the next week.”
The schedule became exhausting, and after going on a road trip in 2016, the Fites decided to try living on the road full time.
The Fites bought and remodeled a 2016 Ford Transit van for their family.
“We were broke,” Mars said of he and Ash at the time. “We had nothing but dreams.”
"But this is what we wanted to do and this is what we wanted to work toward. And sure enough, whenever we really started putting things in motion, my car sold the first day I put it up for sale," Mars said. Their house was rented quickly after, and they were ready to embrace the nomadic lifestyle.
The couple did the build themselves, borrowing tools from a friend. The construction required them to work with metal, which was quite challenging.
"It's a lot more difficult than just working with wood," Ash said of the build. "We learned a lot."
Now, the couple live in the 80-square-foot van full time with their two kids and dog.
The Fites' daughter Everly is 6, while their son Atlas is just 6-months-old. They joke that their dog Beirut is their oldest child, as he's 11.
They've traveled all over the US as a family.
"We did the 48 states in our car, and then we've been back to most of them in the van," Ash said. "And then we also went to Alaska last summer."
The van is mostly made up of one open space with distinct areas.
Ash and Mars' bed takes up the back of the van.
Everly sleeps in a loft above their bed, giving her a space of her own. Stars and Christmas lights hang on the ceiling above her bed to make the space cozier.
"We have some little stairs that double as storage for the kids' toys, and those lead up to Everly's loft," Ash said.
"There's a lot of people that kind of rule out traveling with the kids," Ash noted. "I think they're like, 'Oh, you know, we can do this once you retire. Or once the kids are older.'"
"But I think when they see the loft, then it kind of switches in their brain where they think like, 'Oh wait, there's a way,'" she said.
The Fites have maximized every inch of the van for their family.
A kitchen and living area take up the front of the van.
"We have a one-burner cooktop, so we put it away if we're not using it," Ash said. "That way we have more counter space, and we just pull it out whenever we need it." The kitchen also has a refrigerator.
The van features a small bathroom behind a sliding mirror, though it doesn't have a shower.
"We have an outdoor solar shower," Mars said. The family also showers at gyms.
The van has built-in areas for the kids' car seats.
"There's a bench seat and then a front-facing seat as well," Ash said. "Those can double as a little sitting area."
Everly's seat is on the smaller chair, while Atlas' larger infant seat is buckled into the bench.
"We'll just take the car seats off and use those whenever we're camping for a little while," she added.
The couple also built an extendable porch for the van to give them more space.
"We have a pullout deck in the back that's 20 square feet," Ash said. It gives the kids more room to play, and it allows the Fites to socialize with other people they meet on the road.
The deck doubles as storage when it's inside the van, helping them maximize the space.
And they also built a rooftop patio into the van as well for additional outdoor space.
Ash told Insider the rooftop deck is her favorite part of their home because it gives her a place to escape.
"For instance, Atlas was crying and Everly was freaking out about something, and I went out on top of the deck and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I forgot all about this space that I have up here that's so peaceful,'" Ash said.
The rooftop also doubles as storage. "We have a car topper that we'll bring with us at times," Ash said. "And then we have two solar panels, so that keeps all of our things running."
"It can be challenging, and it can be overwhelming," Mars said of raising kids in a tiny space.
"With just Everly, it was one thing," Mars said. "We had a good system, and then when we added Atlas, it got exponentially harder."
For instance, if Atlas wakes up crying in the night, Ash or Mars can't go to another room to comfort him, since there is no other room in the van.
"It's just a new dynamic, and we had to learn the new dynamic," Mars said.
"We've learned now we're in this together," Ash said. "We have a pretty good support team built-in."
Living on the road also saves the Fites money, which is one of the reasons the lifestyle works for them.
"We pay more in gas," Mars said, with the couple paying several hundred dollars a month for gas as they travel. "But we rent out our home in Oklahoma, so it ends up being a really good deal for us."
The Fites also recently bought land in Colorado that they want to transform into a creative retreat. Mars says they'll have a treehouse and other tiny dwellings on-site where people can stay to write, work, or just get inspired.
They also want to incorporate recording studios, as well as an art studio and gallery that uses the natural landscape around them, into the land. But it will be a while before the retreat becomes a reality.
In the meantime, they made their land available on Hipcamp so campers can come stay on their property as they travel.
"Start now," Mars advised people who want to try living nomadically.
"So many people are just like, 'I want to do this someday' or 'I just don't see how I could do it, but I want to,'" Mars said.
"The first step that every single person can do is start minimizing what you have and what you use," he added. "Whenever you put that action in, that's just what it takes is that first little step. And then bit by bit over time, everything starts to come together."
"If you feel like it's something that you would want to try, you should try it," Mars said.
"It's absolutely worth it," he added. "There's a lightness and a freeing aspect to it that is unmatched compared to anything else we've done."
You can follow the Fites on Instagram, as well as their photographer Sami Strong.
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