Interview an Expert on Tiny Homes & Experience Tiny Living

We had always had dreams of owning our own tiny house village. Little did we know that the gem of a property we now own would be found in a place my wife and children had frequently visited for 20 years—the eastern shore of Cape Charles.

We have been living the tiny lifestyle for over 14 years now, and we love it. For a time, we decided to dedicate ourselves to full-time RV travel and living. Because of this we’ve become experts on everything “Tiny Living.”

In 2017, we were introduced to Airbnb and the idea of short term rentals, and decided to take our travel and business to the next level. We opened 19 Airbnb listings and gained a ton of valuable experience before turning our attention to the eastern shore of Virginia.

A couple in Cape Charles, Virginia, has transformed an old Esso site into a travel destination called “Cape Charles Tiny Livin’.” They have renovated several small cottages, offering a unique and cozy accommodation option for vacationers exploring the Eastern Shore.

There are residents still living in Cape Charles, Virginia who are old enough to remember the Green Book, a travel guide used by African-Americans during the days of Jim Crow segregation to determine the hotels, shops, and other attractions they could use while traveling.

If you’re looking for a glamping getaway with charm, character and history, then Cape Charles Tiny Livin’ is for you. Their motto, “less space, more livin’,” epitomizes the experience.

You can’t miss the bold cottages as you enter the grounds, each painted its own unique, bright color and given a special nickname to match its interior theme. I had the privilege of staying overnight in “Honey,” which has a pastel, sage green exterior and a quaint porch. The inside features modern artwork and furniture with a colorful flair. Its sister house, “Milk,” looks identical—a homage to the term “milk and honey.” While my mind went straight to the popular poetry book by Rupi Kaur, owner Eric Hawkins explained that the inspiration for this dynamic duo actually stemmed from the church in Texas where his daughter serves as pastor.

CAPE CHARLES MOTOR LODGE CELEBRATES MINIMALISM

BY TED SHOCKLEY, Eastern Shore Post —

Sylvia and Eric Hawkins were living in Virginia Beach years ago when they decided having fewer belongings is better — and that the trappings of life can be a trap themselves. Or, as Sylvia Hawkins asked rhetorically, “Do you have stuff, or does your stuff have you?” So they moved out of their 3,000-square-foot home. And Eric Hawkins told the 20 employees at his business that he was moving into a 400-square-foot travel trailer in a campground. “It was all about having a fuller life with less stuff,” he said.

For travelers feeling the winter blues, they’re not alone. Last year, just behind the summer months of June, July and August, January was the busiest month for Airbnb searches as guests sought to escape the winter doldrums through travel planning.

To brighten up the gloomiest month of the year with some travel inspiration, we’ve handpicked a collection of colorful homes around the world that boast one common feature: a captivating blue motif. From a ‘livid blue’ manor house to a ‘majorelle blue’ riad, this selection of homes in various shades of blue has the power to brighten up the gloomiest of Januarys.

THERE are a few things you can expect to find in the woods.

Plenty of wildlife, trees, and enticing trails to enjoy are the norm.

But how about an abandoned, 84-year-old tiny home holiday park?

It may sound utterly bizarre but that's what Eric Hawkins and his wife found when they were traveling around their Chesapeake Bay hometown of Cape Charles, Virginia.

Eric and Sylvia had already changed their lives by renting out their 3,000 square-foot house and living in an RV they bought as a three-pack from a government auction for just $4,500.

The transition to tiny living blew Eric away, and the 53-year-old admitted it was so successful that he became "addicted" to the burgeoning industry.

He and his wife, Sylvia, 60, had been dreaming of creating a unique lodging destination for a long time. The couple put a photo of a tiny house village on their fridge and waited.

Eric also prayed: “Lord, help me see what other people can’t.”

The Hawkinses have been fans of the tiny lifestyle for more than a decade. They moved into a camper with their three kids in 2012 and started a short-term rental business in 2016, while also running Eric’s Virginia Beach-based HVAC company. “We’d already been living tiny,” Eric says. “We loved it.”