When my husband and I tell people that we live and travel in a school bus, many are amazed. They make comments to the effect of “how have you not wanted to kill each other yet? I could never live in such a small space!” or “wow, my partner and I could never do that, we would drive each other insane!”

I must say, this lifestyle is definitely not for everyone, but we have a pretty easy time doing it. Read along for the simple things we do to make it work.

If you’re interested in other articles I have written about schoolie living, you can find them here.

Open Communication and Making Your Needs Known

In any relationship, communication is the MOST important thing. However, it becomes even more important when living in a small space. Making sure that your partner is on the same page as you when it comes to keeping the space clean, sleep requirements, and general personal needs makes a huge difference.

For example, my husband is much more of a morning person than I am. He wakes up and is immediately ready to go. I, on the other hand, need some time to acclimate to being awake. Over the years, we have developed a system that works really well for us. Jacob will wake up and go for a walk or start making breakfast while I coax myself back into the land of the living. I prefer to be completely quiet during this time, slowly getting dressed for the day, drinking water, and deciding what I want for my morning drink. Jacob respects this need for quiet in the morning but doesn’t sacrifice his need to get his day started.

We have also found it very helpful to separate jobs between the two of us. For example, Jacob drives most of the time, refuels the bus, and is in charge of all things maintenance. I am in charge of filling and monitoring the amount of water in our tanks, cleaning our space, keeping things organized. We share the jobs of folding laundry, cooking, and washing dishes. Having these chore requirements set in place results in much less confusion and potential disagreements.

Basically, finding a way to communicate your expectations and needs is a must for living in a small space. Equally important, listening to your partner when they tell you what they need.

Having Enough Alone Time In A Small Space

No matter how well two people along, everyone needs time alone to do the things they like. Making sure that we get that time when we need it is very important and we have make sure to let each other have that time when we need it – no questions asked.

Alone time looks different for everyone. For myself, I recharge best when completely alone doing hobbies in solitude, while my husband thrives on being social or doing something productive. Don’t get me wrong, we have a lot of hobbies that we like to do together. Including cooking, archery, hiking, and exploring new cities. But, we also have many hobbies that we like to do on our own.

We have learned to notice immediately when we are in need of some time alone and make sure to voice it to each other. We have noticed that when we are in need of some time alone, both of us will get a bit crabby or less talkative. I also tend to get overwhelmed around other people while Jacob starts to spend too much time on his phone when we need time to recharge. Noting these changes and encouraging each other to take some time alone doing our solitary hobbies has been very helpful.

Another form of alone time for both of us involves connecting with friends or family members. Spending so much time together, we don’t often have new stories or separate experiences. But, having the chance to connect with our loved ones keeps us connected and gives us new things to talk about.

Our “hard-no” rule

Something that has helped us a lot on this trip is creating and honoring a rule that has saved us multiple times from discomfort and potential issue. Whether we are going to a new restaurant, store, or finding a place to park for the night, if one of us feels off or uncomfortable, we’re out. We both place a lot of importance on our intuition, or gut feeling, and have found that listening to those feelings has saved us more than a few times.

Remembering That We’re Living Out of Small Space – Not In It

RVs and campers are meant to be lived out of, experiencing new places and things, not inside of. Using this philosophy, we don’t actually spend all that much time in the bus during the day unless we’re driving. This opens up a lot of space for us to take breaks, have time alone, and get out into nature.

We have actually only spent one day solely in the bus, and it was when I was stuck inside with a sinus-infection-induced fever. Not a very fun day, but Jacob was able to get out while I was napping to walk along a few trails that were nearby and sample some beers at a local brewery.

Just remember, if you want to live this lifestyle, you can and will make it work!