Would we do it again? Oh, 100%! Do I wish someone had peeled back the veil on the realities of living on a bus so that I could have readied my expectations? You bet! 

250 Square Feet: The Realities of Tiny Living

One thing I’m grateful for in our Skoolie experience, was that, as a family, we’d already been exploring the realities of minimalist living for a couple of years. That being said, there is really nothing that can fully prepare you for living on a bus full time. Our process of downsizing and simplification was relatively easy. Some of the practical ways that we scaled down our life was through a rigorous process of shedding unnecessary possessions.

We had to compromise! We had to make some hard decisions. I’ll never forget the horrors of Gabriel having to rigorously examine and re-examine his shoe collection in order to pick the perfect ones (it is fair to say that more than a few tears were shed on this occasion!). 

The rules of minimalism became a core tenet of our parenting style. Our kids understood that the joys of living on a bus came with some sacrifices! You can’t display every paper mache dinosaur when you house four kids on a bus. You can’t say yes to every gadget and gizmo, and you certainly can’t live with the clutter of a playroom all over your living room floor! Just as we downsized our wardrobes to the key essentials, we worked with our kids to empower them to make some bold and strong choices about which toys and games were coming with them for ‘bus life!’.

Living On A Bus: The Practicalities

There are endless practicalities to think through when you transition to living on a bus. So many tiny and crucial details that people neglect to tell you! 

The first gut-punching reality check came shortly into the first leg of our journey. We were off - out to start living our glamorous vagabond dream. Things came to a screeching stop just as quickly as they had started! Before we had even left Oklahoma, it became apparent that our brake light wasn’t working and our toilet and hot water weren’t connected. We were without basic road safety and basic hygiene - not exactly ideal for a home on wheels! We found ourselves making the most out of RV Parks and familiarizing ourselves with the tricks of the trade when it came to living on a bus with a sustainable lifestyle!

Not Compromising On The Essentials 

When you are living on a bus, you need to cultivate a lifestyle that still feels like YOU. With so much transition and some huge sacrifices, it was important to create a home that felt like us - that felt like The Mayes. Some of the homey essentials that carried me through the transition included:

• Mimicking the monochrome aesthetic of our Texan home in order to create something that stylistically felt like home. 
• Ensuring that there was a door (with a lock) between the kids' bunk beds and Gabriel and I’s own master bedroom. We needed to be positive that we could escape and have some privacy even with us all living in such close quarters. 
• We made sure that we were set up with a business model that could fully function even with us taking life on the road. Despite living on a bus, we were committed to growing our business, taking on new clients while on the move, and being able to financially support our family and our adventure. 
• Our Skoolie had all the trimmings. From our stylish matte black bathroom faucets, to our ceramic kitchenware, we made sure that we had all of the comforts of a traditional home (albeit on a slightly smaller scale!). 
• We needed to keep some of our family systems in place in order for life to go on as usual! Sunday chores for the kids were still very much on the books!

Living Spontaneously vs Having A Plan

When you’re living on a bus, you learn pretty quickly to say ‘yes’ to spontaneity. We learned to lean into making fresh plans, exploring the wonders of the west coast, and holding our schedule lightly. 

It sounds cliche, but when you’re living on a bus, life stops being about the destination and truly becomes about the journey. For me, that journey involved watching my kids grow, watching us adapt as a family, and learning how to re-prioritize our life. We learned how to get sentimental about experiences and the memories to be made, rather than about possessions and things that are temporary. We learned how to take risks - both in adventures and in business. Without the Skoolie, we might never have garnered the Instagram following that empowered us to take our digital marketing dreams seriously - and to watch Maisey explode as it has.

Without the bus we wouldn’t be where we are today: very much flowering as a family, and renovating our dream home in California. Without living on a bus we wouldn’t be living with the same freedom, flexibility, and joy for adventure that I live with right now. 

Ready to say yes to the spontaneity of living on a bus full time? We recommend starting here!

DID YOU ENJOY THIS BLOG POST? PIN IT FOR LATER...