What It's Really Like Living in a Skoolie: A Year on the Road
Celebrating Our First Skoolie Anniversary
As we mark one year of living in our converted school bus, the experience feels almost surreal. Our journey has taken us through 18 national parks and into a new country, redefining our sense of freedom. This lifestyle has liberated us from the monotony of a static life, turning each day into an adventure far beyond the occasional vacation. But is not all sunshine and rainbows. Today, we are sharing some hard-earned lessons from our first year on the road.
Table of Contents
The Unseen Side: Chores and Challenges
Expect the Unexpected
The Power of Community
Staying Connected with Home
Embracing Change and Challenges
Growth Over Time
Rethinking Life and Freedom
Final Thoughts
The Unseen Side: Chores and Challenges
As much as social media pages make it look like living in a Skoolie is a perpetual holiday with amazing views and incredible travels, it is not that all of the time. We are not on a perpetual vacation, we are living day-to-day life. It's about embracing a lifestyle that demands preparation, resilience, and a hands-on approach. Managing resources like propane and water, seeking dump stations, and constant cleaning (oh, the cleaning!) are part of our daily routine. I have no idea how a 200-square-foot home can get so dirty so fast, but despite our best efforts, it does.
This life tests your mettle and is not always a serene escapade. The planning can really take a toll and having to carry the mental load of ensuring every single component is good to go at all times, can be tough.
When things go wrong, it can be crippling. For example, our recent trouble with having to replace our battery bank on the road. Not only is shipping without a physical address difficult, but finding parts to fix some of these bigger issues can take weeks. Since we work remotely and need power, these challenges can be serious when they come up and have to be faced head-on and quickly.
The payoff of all of this? Incomparable.
Expect the Unexpected: Our Breakdown in Mexico
Our Skoolie journey taught us the importance of adaptability. Take our breakdown in Mexico, for instance. Stranded on a narrow highway in the middle of nowhere in Baja between towns, we experienced the unpredictability of Skoolie life firsthand. Yet, it was through this adversity that we encountered the incredible kindness of strangers and learned the value of flexibility in our plans. We ended up in an expat community waiting on parts for our bus much longer than expected, but honestly, there are worse things than being stranded on a beautiful beach in Mexico. This life is about improvisation and finding joy in the unplanned. This can be hard under a stressful situation, but a go-with-the-flow attitude and shifting your mindset to make the best of the situation can be the difference between feeling chaotic or taking the hiccups as part of your adventure. We truly believe we land in places we are meant to be and to let go of things that are out of our control. Because a lot of the time with bus life, things are out of your control.
The Power of Community
This year taught us an invaluable lesson about community. Initially, isolation took a toll on our mental health. We spent the first year on the bus completely alone. We met a few folks here and there but never for more than a couple of days at a time.
But by reaching out, engaging with fellow travelers on Instagram, and forming new bonds, we found our tribe. Now, we are traveling with friends for 12 weeks, there really is something special about having people around. To us, it’s the familiarity of having neighbors, even in the middle of nowhere. These connections are not just about companionship; they are a support system, a shared understanding of this life that is not exactly ordinary.
Staying Connected with Home
Maintaining relationships back home requires effort. Over the past year, as with anyone who moves away from home, we found ourselves slowly drifting apart from our community back home. We have learned that staying connected is not passive; it involves deliberate actions like scheduling Zoom calls and going the extra mile to nurture those bonds. This aspect of Skoolie life is as crucial as any other.
It can be challenging for your friends and family back home, the unknown of when they will see you next and where you may be can take a toll. This year, we plan to make an effort to have our friends and family visit us on the road. While these trips can be incredibly difficult to plan on the road, there’s something special about your community back home seeing your life up close and personal.
Embracing Change and Challenges
Transitioning to Skoolie life isn't a magic solution to life's problems. In fact, the close quarters can amplify personal issues, especially if you are traveling with a partner. We've learned to give ourselves grace during these times of change and adjustment, recognizing that it's a process, not an overnight transformation.
Any challenges you’ve had with your partner in the past can become amplified in this life. Having a strong base for communication, trust, and respect is important. Having a couples therapist for virtual sessions has been invaluable to us on the road. Recognizing that change is a process, we constantly strive to work on our relationship and give ourselves grace.
Growth Over Time
In the beginning, we had no idea what we were doing. It took us a month to get comfortable with even attempting to boondock. The uncertainty and novelty of Skoolie life gradually transformed into familiarity and confidence. With each passing day, what once seemed daunting became second nature.
I’ll never forget driving through the Guadalupe Mountains as we left Texas, with the bus chugging at less than 20 miles per hour up that mountain pass. We had no idea if we would make it and the line of cars behind us was a stressful time. Now, we tackle mountain passes without an issue. It really is about gaining experience and comfort on the road. Sometimes, that just takes time and some really hard lessons learned.
Rethinking Life and Freedom
Skoolie life does more than change your address; it revolutionizes your outlook on life. The quest for freedom that starts on the road often leads to reevaluating other aspects of life, including work and personal goals. Many in the Skoolie community, ourselves included, find themselves seeking broader freedoms, like financial independence. Be prepared for your mindset to shift, drastically. Traveling full-time will absolutely give you a different perspective in life and is an eye-opening experience. We love watching the nomadic community embrace their deepest most authentic dreams, it seems to be a trend and it’s a pretty great one.
Final Thoughts
Living in a Skoolie is a complex blend of freedom, challenge, community, and growth. It's a lifestyle that tests and rewards in equal measure. As we celebrate our first year on the road, we look forward to the continued journey, the lessons it brings, and the freedom it represents. More than that, we have no plans of stopping anytime soon which is a sharp contrast from “let’s do this for at least one year”.
Happy 1st Skoolie-versary to us, and to all of you considering this life, remember: it's not just a journey, it's a transformation.
