Space Issues?

Living in an 80 square foot space with another person has its moments. It's more noticeable now that it's cold out! There is no where to escape to! It was easy to get space in the summer when all I had to do was go for a walk or set the table and chairs up outside and create an outdoor living space but I hate the cold and sometimes I just need to get away! Don't get me wrong. I love my partner and couldn't imagine bus life with anyone else but sometimes the stuff that was acceptable (or barely acceptable) in a house is just way too much to handle in a tiny space. And sometimes it has nothing to do with the other person at all, I just want/need some space to sort out my thoughts. In general, we work great together but the other day I wanted to get away and realized I had no where to go! Sounds silly but it really happened! I can't complain, we've been living on the bus almost five months now and this is the first time I've really felt "trapped" in a tiny space. Overall the transition has been smooth but there is always room for improvement and we will just have to learn to adapt our habits as the weather gets worse. Who knows, maybe this is the year I get over to my aversion the cold and learn to embrace winter! Or maybe we are just a little nervous of how this is going to work out for us as it gets colder and are just a little more sensitive to space issues. 

Questions and Answers

Anytime someone learns that we are living on a bus the same questions are asked. Just in case any of you wonder the same things, here are our answers:

Q:  I can't believe you fit all of your stuff on the bus and that two of you live in there with two big dogs! How do you do it?              

A: Well to begin with we downsized a lot giving most of our stuff away. Then when we just couldn't give anymore away we rented a storage unit for just those items that we absolutely wanted to keep but wouldn't fit on the bus. Things like Michael's tools and our motorcycles and some off season clothing. Next we organized everything on the bus. It wasn't easy at first because we had crammed too much stuff on the bus. But after realizing that we weren't using all of it and eliminating even more, it is pretty comfortable inside. Our kitchen stuff definitely takes up the most space and we each have two personal drawers for clothing or whatever we want on the bus. On top of that we still have quite a big area dedicated to arts and crafts and things to do on a rainy day. 

Q: I don't see a toilet! Where do you go to the washroom? 

A: We started with a small commode that we never once used. I had always planned on installing an environmentally friendly compost toilet but honestly I don't see the need now. We have realized that there are public washrooms everywhere and why would we want that on our bus if we don't need it!

Q: Where do you shower?

A: At first we had friends who offered to share their showers but we felt a little awkward about that. All summer long we showered at local marinas who cater to boaters had have amazing facilities. Now that boating season is over we have paid to shower at hotels sometimes using their pool, hot tubs and saunas while we were there. We always have baby wipes and hand sanitizer on the bus for quick clean ups but we have realized that (at least in Canada) it's not as easy to find a shower as I had thought. I know that we could get YMCA or gym memberships that would give us access to showers but eventually I would like a hot water on demand unit on the bus even if only for outside showers. I think that while we are out adventuring we may need to think outside the box a little more.

Q: How do you eat? What do you eat? Do you just eat out?

A: We eat just like you do at home with a few exceptions. We use a two burner Coleman stove to cook with so we can easily make anything that would normally go in a pot, pan or on a grill. However we don't have an oven so some meals we have to improvise or just accept that we can't make everything. During the summer I didn't do without at all and whenever I needed an oven we had a campfire! I would just make my baked potatoes or sweet potatoes right in the fire but now that it's not really campfire season I am starting to notice the lack of baked goods. For the most part I think we eat better than we did while in a house only because more thought goes into our meals and our fridge is so small that I always have fresh veggies now as I shop more frequently. My favourite meal on the bus is a veggie curry over rice. 

Q: Where do you stay? Where did you stay last night?

A: Pretty much wherever we want! The ideal spot is scenic with either a sunset or sunrise view. Most of the summer we opted for waterfront locations with a breeze but sometimes we choose our spot for the night based on amenities. Is there a washroom nearby or if it's been cloudy all day is there an outlet where we can plug in and top up our batteries. You'd be surprised at the amazing places we've found! Last night we stayed on the edge of town with a field on one side of us and a cityscape on the other.

Q: Are you nuts?

A: This is the number one question that Michael gets asked (I think people think it with me but don't say it)! And the answer is .....Maybe! We are following our dreams, most people don't. If this all works out - great! If it doesn't, at least we tried it! At the end of our lives we won't regret the things we didn't try

Inspiration!

A few weeks ago we met Nico and Lola of Kombipalnorte.com in a Walmart parking lot. They had travelled from Argentina to Alaska and were headed cross country to travel back down the opposite coast in a 1981 VW Bus! You have no idea how excited I was to meet them! I felt like a wannabe traveller next to this couple who was actually doing it! It was so refreshing to meet them and to check out their van! It was also a wake up call to hurry up and get going! They fixed up their VW before they left (like we are doing) but they certainly didn't worry about some of the stuff we have added like our new stereo and speakers or flat screen tv or even a fridge. It make me feel like a glamper! But it also made me realize just how much stuff we don't really need!  It was a huge reminder that although we have gotten rid of so much we may still need to get rid of more to make it work. Anyway, meeting them was the the kick in the butt we needed! We both have been inspired to step it up a notch and get this bus ready and get on our way! I'm sure it felt like I was interrogating them with some of the really personal questions I was asking them but their patient responses made us feel confident that this really can happen! The worries I had turned out not even to be an issue for them. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us! We hope you continue to have an amazing journey! The picture is a postcard we bought from them.

Six things that have changed since moving into the bus!

1. I wake up at the crack of dawn every day! Having windows 360 is a wonderful thing! It's easy to catch every sunrise and sunset and makes me more aware of the beauty surrounding me! I haven't slept in once. 

2. I have a sense of freedom that I've never felt before. Yes,  I felt free while hiking in the woods and invincible while climbing mountains but this is a different feeling. It was easy to feel free outside of society and away from all of the silly rules we place on ourselves in society. But now I feel almost like an outsider. I watch people bustle around in a big hurry (I suppose because they think they have to) and I realize that I am not a part of that and it gives me a sense of freedom. 

3. I require way less space and very little personal space now. I always saw myself as a modest  person who liked total privacy while changing and showering. I cringed at the thought of the YMCA change rooms or even using the washrooms with coworkers. Now I have literally caught myself stripping down and changing before even looking out the windows to see who was there while in busy parking lots. Maybe it has to do with my new found sense of freedom but I realize that everyone has a body and it's not a big deal to change - everyone does it on a daily basis so why the need for privacy or secrecy. 

4. My stuff requires even less space. I haven't counted my belongings but I'm sure they are in the single digits for the first time since childhood. 

5. I realize how much time I wasted in a house. My chore list and bus cleaning routine takes minutes rather than hours and I don't find myself sitting around for hours like I did while living in a house. Maybe all the windows inspire me to get out more? I definitely walk the dogs more often and on different trails each day.

6. I realize that most people live in there own little bubble going through the same routine day after day. The past few weeks I have been in close proximity to Michael's work each morning and evening and I see the same people doing the same things over and over again! I realize that I am (sort of) one of those people right now going through the motions in relation to work schedules but that's where the similarity ends. I have been to so many new places while living on the bus, even in the area I have grown up in. It's been surprising how much I didn't know about my hometown or how necessity has helped me be a lot more adventurous. Often while driving I will be on the lookout for a nice place to stay or a good water source and have found so much more than I imagined!

Stuff, stuff and more stuff!

How long should I keep something that I haven't used in awhile? At what point does my living space just become a storage unit for stuff? How much of this do I actually use? It's funny that this is even an issue for me because we have downsized so much already  and because I have lived out of a backpack for six months! I know I can live with a lot less than I have right now! It continues to amaze me just how many items are on this bus that I haven't even used once! At first, we thought we needed way more than we actually did and downsized a little bit every time we passed a Goodwill store or stopped at the storage unit. But now the storage unit is crammed full of stuff and I am still finding things on the bus I still haven't even used. We need to downsize even more! Should I give away something if I haven't used it in a season? Or is that too long? What if I give away everything I haven't used in a month! Definitely the items I haven't used for the four and a half months we have lived in the bus are being given away! I will make exceptions for the first aid kit, tools and bus maintenance stuff and some arts and craft stuff but the rest has got to go! I have a full container of utensils I haven't even used! The storage unit is in even worse shape! This weekend we will try to give away half of what is in that unit keeping only our off season items and Michael's tools. I've even listed my motorcycle for sale and if it goes I will downsize the size of our storage unit and save a few dollars. 

We got this!

 We continue to find things on the bus that need to be fixed, swapped out, changed altogether or new items that we want to make the bus  more comfortable. Stuff like new tires and some minor front end work (which requires a place to stay while the work actually gets done). Stuff like winterizing the bus (adding insulating inserts to the floors and windows and buying a furnace) and storing or finding a new spot for our hot weather stuff. Sorting out how we are gong to lift the solar panels each day as the days get shorter to maximize our solar power (should we buy a ladder and mount it to the back or put toe holds up the side of the bus). Installing a propane tank outside of the bus for our furnace and cooking and possibly one day a hot water on demand tank. Finishing up odd jobs that we started like the passenger door mechanism, or the spare tire mount . Installing speakers for the new stereo and finishing a logo Michael has been working on and having it put on the bus. There is still so much to do and it seems like we are getting there so slowly! But we are getting there! Sometimes I have to tell myself that! We have a goal and it's taking a little (okay a lot) longer to get there than we had hoped.  But we are still heading towards that goal and will have a safer, more comfortable bus to live in by taking the time now while we are working to make this dream come true! And we have so much to be thankful for! These past four months living on the bus have gone relatively smoothly. We have proved even if only to ourselves that we can do this!