Tiny houses have enjoyed a surge in popularity over the past few years, with countless couples and small families deciding to downsize in order to mitigate their carbon footprint and cut down on the costs associated with owning your own property. Despite the increased attention being paid to tiny houses lately, however, few people are paying attention to the way that these novel abodes are being harnessed for travel.

Are tiny houses really the next big thing in travel? Here's how some aspiring pioneers are using their tiny homes to travel to the far corners of the earth, and how the future of travel could be upended by this trend.

Tiny homes are springing up everywhere

It's quite impressive how quickly tiny houses went from an object of derision to an admired way to cut down on your environmental impact while still loving your home. The demand for tiny houses has been steadily increasing over the past couple of years, with millennials in particular finding themselves exceptionally open to the idea of downsizing. According to a thorough analysis by CNN, for instance, tiny homes have been enjoying mainstream popularity for years now, with a whopping 63% of millennials interested in the idea of living in a home with less than 600 square feet.

Architect-designed tiny homes that are specialty-built are now becoming commonplace, with couples everywhere finding themselves willing to splurge on lovely yet humble accommodations. One of the reasons that tiny homes continue to grow more commonplace and are becoming widely leveraged for travel purposes is that they severely cut down on the costs associated with owning property, though, so don't think a tiny house will make your next vacation more expensive.

As a matter of fact, a tiny home could be the very thing that makes your next trip abroad achievable in the first place. Tiny houses are almost universally considered RVs, as they're capable of being towed nearly anywhere on a moment's notice. This makes them ideal for travel purposes, as you can see the wild corners of the world you've always longed to explore without having to leave the comforts of home for more than a few hours at a time. As time goes on, this alluring travel option will doubtlessly become more popular with tourists and adventurists everywhere.

Some pioneers of tiny-home-travel that spoke with HuffPost Life demonstrate why the idea of travelling the world with your backyard in-tow is so alluring. These people, many of whom developed their own tiny homes from scratch, noted that the comfort of having your living room travel with you helped alleviate the stress of ranging far and wide abroad. Classifying their tiny homes as "travel trailers," these pioneers, like the RV camping pioneers before them,  are demonstrating that bringing your home with you is becoming more achievable for the average tourist by the year.

There are still some issues

Before tiny homes become ubiquitous wherever tourists are found, however, there are still some issues that must be resolved. Given that they're legally classified as RVs in many areas, for instance, some people will always be hesitant to embrace the notion and live a life that's on the road. Getting used to living in a tiny home is a process that not everyone can grapple with successfully, too, so some people will doubtlessly invest in downsizing only to discover after the fact that it's simply not a lifestyle suitable for them.

Those who are interested in the idea of tiny homes and how they can positively impact travel should review some handy tips from experts who have plenty of experience taking their living room with them on vacation. Knowing how to safely weigh and maintain your tiny home despite long distances being traveled is crucially important to your financial security and physical safety, for instance, so doing your homework on that issue before you make a purchase is a must. Furthermore, proper navigation techniques are necessary since getting lost with your tiny home while ranging the great outdoors is a negative experience no one should have to suffer through.

Before you know it, tiny homes will become common fixtures on the roads and tourist destinations of the world. Despite the challenges posed by downsizing, young people everywhere are clearly warming up to the idea of living in tiny houses that could be the next big thing in travel.