After fantasizing for more than 30 years of taking life on the road together, Clayton Balabanov and Teresa Davies turned their dreams into a tractor-trailer sized reality.
When it was finally time to plan the next chapter of life, which would come after their retirements, Balabanov began to look for the perfect golden years’ home. He came up short, failing to find the right fit for their grand vision: an environmentally friendly, cozy and spacious semi trailer that would last the rest of their lives.
Instead, they went with a 73-foot “blank canvas” and built a full-time home, fondly nicknamed “Nomad Monster,” to travel the continent.
The five-year project took up so much time, and Balabanov has wondered if he overcommitted to making it absolutely perfect, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. Balabanov, who had worked on one other trailer before, was responsible for the actual build while Davies handled the materials, they said.
Balabanov also posts videos about their travels online and has gained a significant Youtube following.
“When I do things, I like to do it right, which always takes a long time,” Balabanov said while laughing. “And, uh, perfectionists never finish anything.”
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Inside the Nomad Monster
The two finally moved into their uniquely tailored trailer, which includes a spiral staircase leading to the second floor, an office, modern kitchen, garage, “movie theater,” bedroom, library, and bathroom (with a jacuzzi bathtub!), about a year ago. The induction stoves and most other appliances even run on solar power since the entire roof is covered in panels.
At this point, they say they’ve lost track of how much money has been put into the converted trailer, but estimated about $181,100 or 250,000 Canadian dollars. Balabanov bought the trailer on Ebay for an undisclosed amount. Balabanov owned a taxi company and sold it when he retired. Davies owned and ran a tea room with her sister.
“A lot of people look and ask questions and a lot of people stop to see into the trailer when we’re on the road. We’ve given tours at rest stops and parking lots, so people are interested,” Davies said.
In July, they parked their trailer at a friend’s house to work on some upgrades, repairs and renovations for the coming year.
Nomad life has a lot of ups, but some downsides include leaks in the roof, solar battery issues and melting wires.
“By the fall we’d be finished up and off we go again,” Balabanov said.
Despite waiting decades until retirement to make the move to mobile, mostly due to money, Balabanov advises people to live their lives the way they want to, if they can.
“Don’t wait till the timing is right because it never will be,” he says. “If you wanna do it, do it now.” “You don’t live forever, so, uh, get on the road, just do it.
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