So whats it really like living in a Bus you ask….

So I want to be completely real and honest about what life in a motorhome/bus/tiny home is like, completely uncensored, no bull shit… Exploring all the positives and the negatives.

To catch up to speed on what the bus looks like and how we renovated it, Read this Blog… https://bluebusjourney.wordpress.com/2015/04/11/the-bus-renovation-journey/

SOooo…. Here it goes… 

I’ve been told so many times that I live the DREAM, which of course its true, it’s “OUR” dream, Although i’d really like to give people a reality check about this. Like any lifestyle choice that we make, its got its ups and downs. Just like having a mortgage, or a full time job etc… It all comes with a package of consequences.

What do I love the most? 

I love LOVE LOVE LOVE love that one minute I am living in the hills, surrounded by rainforest, listening to Paul play music in the tree house that’s next to us and hanging out in a beautiful home with an amazing family by a nice warm fire drinking cups of tea and being woken up by a rooster…

    

Then next minute… I’m at the beach, living with a bunch of travellers learning how to skate and walking banjo down the beach… Then… I’m in suburbia… Then I’m at a caravan park drinking cups of coffee with grandmas getting knitting patterns…

          

Living in a bus is the most amazing way to meet people quickly, effortlessly and easily. When we stay with people we are full on apart of their worlds, we live and experience life as they do.

When we lived a, let’s say “normal life” (House, full time work, family events, etc etc) it takes A LONG TIME to develop friendships. For example, I meet someone I like, wanna hang out… “Let’s catch up for coffee somewhere, sometime in our full-time work load, maintenance of living, sex life/partner/family obligations… Yup so I’m free for one hour on Tuesday for the next month” friendships take time… And I personally need to have a strong connection with someone to invest allot of time, as I have so many dreams that absolutely consume me…

Relationships…

So “normal life” friendships take ages (that’s clear), when your on the road and living so closely in people’s worlds it’s like Paul and I just mold in, literally just mold in. The weirdest thing is, as people know we are leaving/moving on, it’s like this urgency to hang out RIGHT NOW… We be a part of whatever it is that we feel, then we move on to the next thing.

We mostly never see them again and just keep in contact over facebook… Which I find challenging at times as I love very deeply and I get very attached to people, which this life style doesn’t support my attachments and is constantly confronting me to “let go” .. Paul isn’t bothered by this AT ALL, and is really in the moment and looks forward, I on the other hand absolutely struggle…

 

“Hey Stranger, Can I look at your bus? “

So strangers, complete strangers, some we haven’t even gotten to the point of knowing there names yet ask “can I have a look inside?” ALL THE TIME…  Like every single day.

Just imagine random crew saying all the time “do you mind if I have a look at your house?” … “Do you have a shower?” “Like, where do you sleep?” It’s such a bizarre experience, esp when you JUST meet. I dunno about you, but when I’m in some mansion suburb, I’ve always thought “wonder what they fill that house with?” And feel it’s just way too unrealistic to ask if I could have a tour, although with a bus its a different process. We have worked so hard to have this bus and are really proud, so luckily, I’m open… Yet… It’s still weird… Like this is where i LIVE… “Sure, come have a look stranger”

Everything has its spot… EVERYTHING!!!! 

 

I know minimal living is a real “thing” at the moment… Same as the tiny house movement.. Which makes sense as we really do consume so much STUFF.. Although, to be 100% clear and honest, there is no surprise  that we have chosen possible the biggest motorhome we can get… Hec if I could afford it I would tow a trailer on the back for more “stuff”… I love my things and we have a long line of hoarders in my family, just ask my Uncle Rob…. Im sure his favourite most used quote is “you’ll need that one day”…. Once again, I don’t have the freedom of storage and once again I am taught to “let go”

I have to be, not because I want to be a hipster saving the world by consuming products then feeling guilty by owning too much, then putting it all in land fill thinking I’m a health conscious champion, I literally, due to my limited storage have to be so mindful about what I have.

I have blue blood, I love beauty and I love quality. So anything shit GONE (To the op-shop)… My process of elimination

• Is it spectacular?
• Is it useful?
• Is it quality?
• Is it beautiful?
• Will it fit? (this is the hardest question)

Here’s a message I need to remind myself off…. Sigh…  

Travelling with stuff…. 

Say we have a party, it’s massive, and fun and people are dancing on the couch, jumping on the bed and it’s all happening… Then… Next morning we need to head off too I dunno, a tropical beach… (that sounds ideal) And as we head off I see that a wine bottle is left on the bench… A few things could potentially happen…

1. It falls of the bench and flies off on to the back of my head… I die…
2. Cracks open on to our light coloured couch and stains it
3. Nothing, everything is fine and we drink the red wine after we arrive at our new destinations.

EVERYTHING MUST BE IN ITS SPOT, and I mean everything. If your OCD, live on the road…

Cleaning…. 
Yawn. When you are not naturally clean like myself, this bus living is really freaking challenging. You get one thing out and hey hey, the bus now looks like a mess!

There is a positive to cleaning… YUP, i said POSITIVE! 

Before living in the bus, Paul and I lived in a HUGE 5 bedroom house with a very large Backyard (which I loved and miss incredibly) ALTHOUGH, the amount of time Paul and I spent maintaining that house was just epic… When I look at massive mansions, I now think “YOU MUST LOVE CLEANING TO OWN A HOME LIKE THAT” Ha… (suckers) Now my cleaning duties are allot easier… let me break it down for you…

To mop and sweep the house = 2 hours easy

To mop and sweep the Bus = 10 minutes, if that…

See what I’m saying, the less you own, the less you have to clean and that suits me really well… 🙂

Living Expenses 

Power- Free sunlight

Water- We use very litter water, and fill up our tanks at random spots (yes I MISS a long shower)

Garden- None… YAY! (not a green thumb)

Gas- We get those gas in a can things, and they are only about $2 each, so will cost us, maybe $7 a week in Gas

Yup, we basically have no living costs…. We have a loan, Rego, Insurance and Fuel. Living on the road is so much cheaper then living in a house… SO MUCH CHEAPER…. I honestly, never thought id be a Greenie or Hippy Or Going off the Grid Or whatever label surrounds the life style i live, I never thought i would be supporting or promoting a sustainable life, It just worked out of me. It just makes sense.

Elements

You are so exposed to the environment and the weather.

Travelling with your Partner 

If you ever decide to travel with anyone, my only advice is… actually, what the hell am i on about, i could give you HEAPS of advice.. haha… Maybe ill list a few… (from my experience)

• You must ALWAYS be HONEST to each other. ALWAYS!
• Did i mention that you have to be HONEST… No filter… BE HONEST!
• Cant express this enough. Be honest.
• If something is frustrating you, simply, say it… move forward with the view to change it or accept it
• Take time out, you don’t have to be together all the time
• Communicate..
• Make sure your on the same page
• Be thoughtful
• share the space
• Learn to dance around each other (literally)
• 
• Have Fun
• Share special moments together
• Support each other
• most importantly love each other

 

Work

Work is inconstant. There have been so many times that our bank has gone to $0, then before you know it we have thousands. It’s an even flow on the road, with a constant trust that we will get work in the next town. Paul being a Plumber and me, I’ve had so many different jobs, we always manage. Sometimes Pauls incomes supports us, Sometimes mine does. Whatever… it always works out!

For example, At the moment, I’m teaching Art to home schooled Kids, working at an art supply store and nannying… I have 3 jobs, and paul is working in a Cafe… In a few weeks… I won’t have a job and Paul will be plumbing.,, I love it! I never get bored. I dunno how the hell people have stayed in the same job for 20 years? THERE IS JUST SO MUCH TO TRY!

 My family

I am very close with my Mum, Dad, Brother, Oma and Pa. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, and I miss them incredibly. I feel so sad that I miss out on things. This is the hardest part of travelling for me. My heart Aches I miss them so much.

  

             

Intuition 

Being on the road is a constant trust on following your heart… We don’t plan ANYTHING, and we just go wherever feels good… We have the most amazing opportunity to just trust ourselves and see what happens. It is the most freeing feeling EVER! I LOVE IT! this is the reason why I travel. I follow my heart. #best.

 

🙂

BONUS BLOG FEATURE… we are going to be interviewing people in the bus, Paul is the 1st one to be interviewed… ARE YOU EXCITED TO MEET PEOPLE AROUND AUS? I AM… Enjoy!

 

Love from, Alyce, Paul and Banjo.