“The practice of hospitality is not dependent on having the perfect home. I went to the home of a wealthy friend one day, and she did not even offer me coffee. Later, I visited a friend of limited means, and she gave me tea, homemade bread, and jam.”
It is one thing to figure in the size of your family when purchasing a camper-home, it’s another completely to host family and friends with your family in a camper.
Summer days make it a bit easier for inviting loved ones over for dinner, since you can dine outside around a picnic table or bonfire, but what happens during an unexpected rain shower, or on an extra cool, or even, a snowy day? Can you still have family over?
It may not be the ideal space, depending on the size of your family and the one you wish to fellowship with, but I can answer with a resounding – YES!
We have hosted a few families for dinner, including one couple with four children. That makes four adults and seven kids under age eight! With the couch, table, and yes, floor, we find room for everyone to sit. Since I have learned to cook nice meals in my little kitchen, once everyone has a place to sit and a plate with yummies, keeping company becomes a matter of a welcoming spirit and learning to adapt. If you feel comfortable in your space, your guests will feel comfortable too.
Some guests of ours love that we live in a simple, off-grid home, and this makes hosting easy. The most awkward visits have been with those of our loved ones who obviously feel that living in a small space is less than adequate and only a desperate person would choose to live in a camper. Yet with time, this awkwardness does appear to be shrinking, and I don’t expect it to be much longer before hosting becomes no big deal.
Tips for hosting in a camper?
- Have a cheerful, relaxed attitude. If you feel comfortable, your guests will too.
- Prepare your home to keep the space clean, simple, and attractive.
- Kids may be fine on the floor, but make sure your guests have a comfortable place to sit.
- Food is always a nice way to welcome someone! Even if you aren’t expecting them for a meal, offer your guests a home baked or prepared snack or beverage. Just because you live in a small space doesn’t mean you can’t feed a lot of people, so show them!
- Ambiance makes hosting pleasant. Try playing a CD in the background, or play music together.
Even at our small table, guests have enjoyed card games and lively discussions! These things all seem like common sense, but when comparing hosting in various-sized homes, it has occurred to me that it’s really about the same. Jump in and it will get easier each time!
I find it very interesting what you guys are doing. If I had a piece of land I think I would put a yurt on it. Yurts have a low carbon foot print and and a lot of usable space. From the research I have done they are easy to keep warm.
We have friends who hope to build a yurt. Perhaps we’ll have them write a guest post if that happens!