We’re on the road! We officially left ‘home’ in mid-December to live in our bus which means that by now we’ve been on the road for almost 4 months already! The days sure add up…
We wanted our lifestyle dramatically altered by going on the road.
But did it happen?
What does the change in our lives look like so far since we made this move?
Three ways living in a bus has changed our lives
1. We have less and are happier
We actually needed much less than we originally thought so recently off-loaded 8 banana boxes of items and clothing to our storage and op shops and feel much better for it.
I really recommend keeping only what you need for daily life, what you love and what you actually will engage with in the next 6 weeks.
Let’s say hypothetically that I brought along a pack of blank cards with envelopes and thought, ‘It will be so nice to make cards for people with my boys as we journey (since we will surely all have more time to do such things…) and post them off along the way.’
Yeah, right! When was the last time I made a card or even bought, wrote and sent one? Years ago now? Oh dear.
Thankfully it didn’t take too long to make that mental link and I sent that box of cards packing recently.
I had liked the idea of them but when it came down to it, they were just taking up valuable physical and mental space in my newly minimised real estate plus they were even making me feel bad when I looked at them sitting on their shelf because I hadn’t fitted them in.
But surely I would soon…I didn’t.
Not once in 4 months.
So I guess I’ve learned that liking the idea of something is different to actually doing it wanting to spend your time on it now, or ever.
On another note, given that the bus is a small space, we have less cleaning too thanks to set mathematical facts about reduced surface area and we’re also pleased about that.
So now instead of having a weekly ‘team tidy’ day and always have tons of maintenance to do, we all do small daily jobs plus our boys are being coached in the fine arts of hand washing dishes, washing windows and sweeping well which are magnificent life skills to have.
Raising more all round capable kids make me feel happier too.
2. We spend our time differently
When did you last do something that made you smile or relax? Mmm? Can you list the things or activities that make you laugh or get you excited?
I couldn’t. I lost track.
I was busy with life and in the midst of all the function I lost myself a bit.
I had intentions regarding making my priorities matter more but couldn’t quite enact them on a daily basis in the life we maintained for so long.
So we moved into a bus to leave a lot of the function and distractions behind for a while, to focus on each other more intentionally, build stronger relationships, and make wonderful memories.
Maybe I still can’t quite write a full list of my own favourites but I’m closer than I was.
I’m closer because I reflect more now – on myself and those living closest to me. And we are real close in a 20sqm bus!
I’m learning a lot about our individual preferences and character and I see strengths and areas for development quicker.
In summary, we as people can waste a lot of time on materialism or the media options that abound today.
I used them to escape and to carve out some time that I felt was just for me. But I was in effect excluding those that wanted me in their world more and seldom felt the satisfaction I wanted from it all.
Image by skeeze
Since living in the bus, the time I spend on my phone has decreased. Instagram is a new addition so I take more pictures as we’re sharing our journey with others that way, but overall, time spent on my device is down. I’m glad.
I’m outdoors more and moving from place to place so feel greater freedom.
I visit new places frequently which is usually exciting and I love seeing my kids enjoy greater freedom too. To fish, to run, to play. To be.
One day we’re on a beach, another a forest.
I’m in the moment with them more instead of excluding myself through phone use for example by reading texts or an earth-shattering article that would surely change my life right then.
I think that because my world was so jammed full I often wanted to get away from all the pressures. Devices are a way out. Maybe you’ve used them to escape? To get alone? For distraction?
Regardless, I look up or interrupt my activities more frequently now to make time to really see life.
I like the new view more.
3. We are more flexible and free
I think what I’ve decided is that most people today do more now in one day than many did in the past.
It is true that on the upside we have many time saving devices which seem to allow us more time than in days gone by when so much was more labour intensive.
Look at washing machines – washing has been made easier and faster than ever.
Except now we can fit in more loads and can dry them at speed too with the flick of a button so, in a shorter space of time, we have more folding and putting away to do too now!
Now all in one day work, surf the net, write and reply to emails, exercise and run errands, completing tasks at seemingly ever increasing rates.
Some of us even like to be busy. I do.
I battle to sit still doing nothing for long so moving into a bus confronted the frantic in me.
It forced a new lifestyle – being out in the world more with less stuff.
For me that has meant choosing carefully where my time is spent and on what.
We aren’t at home anymore so there are none of those jobs to face.
We’re not working as we did before so all of the related demands of full time employment have dried up.
Additionally, we left most of our possessions behind when we set off so our options have been reduced to what we could fit and would make great use of in the bus.
For us it looks like more adventure as we travel from place to place discovering new destinations or enjoying old favourites.
It looks like riding bikes together, walking bush tracks, finding waterfalls, enjoying local libraries and occasionally paddle-boarding.
This life on the road requires a lot of flexibility.
One day we broke down, another we changed travel routes, and another we stayed put in one place for longer than expected. In short our plans changed.
We had all been very routinised people. Almost everything was scheduled, transitioned for and pre-planned because who in their right mind even goes out with kids without food supplies for the journey?!
Greater flexibility was hard for us at first in the bus.
Not knowing where we’d stay for sure or where all the chargers for our electric car are and if I’d make the journey to the next one but I’ve chilled over time and so have the kids.
It’s OK not to know all the details. It could even be fun! Probably…
Anyway, thankfully half of our family LOVES reading and that is easy to cater for on the road (real, ebooks & audiobooks) and covers unexpected gaps in itineraries nicely.
Some happy hours on the road have been spent snuggled into beanbags or at the tables in libraries while the laundromat works its magic.
The other half of us love movies.
Yay for Wireless Nation which gives us fast broadband internet access wherever we go.
If you’re in the NZMCA, sign up for access through the NZMCA portal and under the ‘referrer’ field enter 15353 and you’ll get fast broadband delivered to your motorhome or house and we’ll get some account credit too when you’ve sign up. – Thanks!
With Wireless Nation you can even choose your own data rates.
And, you can put your account on hold when you’re not using it! Love it.
It’s not free but it’s flexible and it works. I’m growing to like that just as much.
- 30GB @ $79 per month
- 65GB @ $89 per month
- 120GB @ $99 per month
*Prices quoted current – March 2019
In summary… living in a bus has meant we’ve made some changes.
What we’ve found is:
- less stuff = more happiness
- our time is spent differently
- we have more flexibility and freedom
Life is feeling better.
That’s good.
Make a change so yours does too.
Thanks Mary!
Thanks for sharing your adventures, your thoughts and experiences. Glad you four are enjoying the varied lifestyles and flexible options. Hope this blog will inspire others too. All the best, Mary Mathews