I've uttered the sentence "My family and I reside in a converted school bus" numerous times in the past six years. The reactions I get are always priceless.

I often get asked about my experience living in a bus, but it's difficult for me to articulate my feelings towards it. Living in a bus can be stressful at times, but stress is a part of life regardless of where you reside or what you live in.

Living in a Skoolie has taught me valuable life skills that many kids my age don't have the chance to learn. I've learned how to socialize better with new people, think creatively to earn money, and experience things that most people my age haven't seen before. It's been an amazing learning experience.

During my time in a traditional brick-and-mortar school, I was constantly studying historical landmarks and breathtaking national parks. However, visiting these destinations in person provided a vastly different and enriching experience.

Exploring the historical monuments and learning about their significance helped me to retain the information more effectively than simply reading about it in a textbook.

I have discovered a more fulfilling way to spend my time thanks to my lifestyle of living in a bus and traveling around the country. Unlike my friends from traditional schools who spend their time on their phones, watching TV, and playing video games, my nomad friends and I are unable to do such activities all the time.

We often find ourselves in remote locations with poor cell phone and internet signals, and most nomad parents do not want a group of 10 teenagers in their small homes watching TV.

Instead of staying indoors most of the day, we enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, etc. During one of our trips to Arizona, my friends and I decided to surprise our friend with a special birthday breakfast. Instead of cooking in one of the buses, we opted for a more creative approach.

We dug a hole in the ground, placed rocks around it, and added a large flat rock on top. Then, we built a fire inside the hole and cooked pancakes and eggs on the rock to celebrate our friend's special day. Such experiences are the kind that I never imagined would happen if we didn’t live in a bus and travel.

I was filled with enthusiasm and eagerness when we began converting the bus when I was eight years old. However, three years later, when it was time to relocate to the bus, my emotions were mixed. My life had undergone a drastic change from what was considered "normal" to the complete opposite.

At the beginning of our transformation, I was worried that people would see me as the odd hippie kid at school. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that my classmates were envious. One student even requested a ride on the bus to see what it was like.

Before the age of 11, I had a typical upbringing attending traditional school, living in a house, being a Girl Scout, and playing on the volleyball team.

However, transitioning to homeschooling and living in a bus was a significant change for me. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the uncertainty caused some anxiety. It was a big leap, but I adapted as best I could.

There are so many things I thought I was going to miss while living on the bus. I thought the biggest struggle was going to be missing my friends, and not being able to see them every day. I do miss my friends, but I have been able to make interesting and more adventurous friends, all over the country.

I have met amazing people and have been introduced to different cultures, which is my favorite part.  When I can see my friends in our travels again, it just makes our time together and the memories more special.

Another thing I thought I was going to miss was traditional school. Looking back on now, I am thinking “Why would I miss that?” I enjoy homeschooling so much more.

It took a little bit to get adjusted to homeschooling but once I got used to it, I knew I never wanted to go back.  Homeschooling allows you to do your studying when it is convenient for you.  If it is raining outside, I may spend more time studying than on a beautiful day, when I may want to spend more time enjoying the outdoors.

I began my homeschooling journey in 7th grade and continued until the completion of high school. The program I used for 7^th and 8^th grade was a charter school which wasn’t exactly my favorite. That was mainly due to the monthly in-person check-ins which were a little difficult because we were traveling much of the time. For high school, I used a completely online private school, and I enjoyed that much more.

I found The American Academy program to be incredibly flexible, making it easy to complete coursework and track progress. What I loved most about the program was its accelerated design, which helped me earn my diploma earlier than expected. Thanks to this program, I was able to receive my diploma when I was just fifteen and a half years old.

When people ask me about homeschooling, they always mention how I am missing out on so many things like school dances and social gatherings. To me, that is not a big deal, because there are things in life more important than school dances that tend to be awkward for me anyway. 

I am more social on the road with people of all kinds, instead of only being surrounded by those who share much of the same experiences. I just went to Skoolie U.P. and danced with all my friends from all over at a glow party.

I think the biggest reason I was so unsure about the bus at first was that when we first moved in, we were stationary in California for a while, long enough for my baby brother to be born. So, at the time I was just living in a bus in the same spot for a year and wasn’t yet able to realize how much I enjoyed traveling.

When we started going places, I realized how amazing of an opportunity this was and how lucky I was to be able to do this.

When we finally started traveling, our main goal was to travel from the west coast to the east coast in our bus. When we finally made it, I was able to see a friend who used to live in California, and we ended up staying in that area for a couple of months where we spent a lot of quality time together.

After visiting friends and exploring, we started going south to visit some of our family. We spent the holidays in Louisiana with family which wouldn't have been possible if we were not in the bus. While traveling I was also able to meet family members I had never met before.

We headed towards Arizona to attend our first SkooliePalooza, which turned out to be a fantastic experience. On the way, I mentioned to my mom that we had met several Skoolie families, but none of them had kids my age who lived in a bus full-time.

When we arrived at Skooliepalooza, I met several kids my age who shared my lifestyle. I made numerous friends who hailed from various regions of the United States, such as Texas, Colorado, and Washington, to mention a few.

It was nice to be around kids my age who could relate to the challenges and benefits of living in a bus. We shared funny stories that had happened to us relating to bus living. For example, the time my dad (maybe) accidentally shut my head in the bus doors.

These are the friends that I might not necessarily be in contact with for the rest of my life, but I will always remember them because of the fun and unusual lifestyle we have in common.

The bus has been a huge part of my life not only for obvious reasons but also for reasons that most people don’t consider. I got to bond with my family while we built our own home on wheels. It has been decorated as a haunted house at my old school’s Halloween trunk-or-treat. It is the bus my brother was brought home to and the one he has grown up in.

Living in the bus has helped me figure out things about myself that I wouldn't have otherwise. When we were living in a house, I think I was stuck being the image that society expected girls my age to be. I went to school, joined all the clubs trying to fit in, and made some good friends, but also a lot of fake ones. I tried to be smart enough to be accepted among my peers and teachers.

After moving into the bus, I realized that none of that mattered. If I wasn’t accepted while I was being myself then these aren't the people that I want to be around. I am still discovering who I am, but now I am doing it for me and not for other people or an image.

I think that moving into the bus has been the best decision my parents have ever made for our family.

Words of advice for parents who want to try this and are concerned their children won’t react well:

• Not all kids are going to be on board at first. I think what helped me was my parents showing me all the different things I was able to experience because of the bus.
• For me there were stages. When we first started considering the bus, I thought that this might be something that would be cool. When we moved into it, it was a bigger transition than I had originally anticipated due to the limited space and lack of privacy. So just give them time to get adjusted. Then when we kind of found our groove, it was much easier.
• Kids all enjoy doing different things. I enjoy reading and creating art so it’s nice for me to have somewhere quiet in the bus to go and read. It's also nice to have my bunk. I made it into my own private space.
• I enjoy learning new things and being active outside. So, we end up going to museums or historical monuments. We go and see waterfalls and go on nature walks. I would recommend you see and do things that would interest them.
• I think in the beginning it would be good to tell your kids about the kinds of things you would be able to do. If you are going to travel and see family, visit places, or whatever your main purpose in traveling is going to be, communicate that to them.
• Time is the biggest thing you can give your children. For most it is not going to be something they immediately adjust to so, just let them adjust and don’t try to force them into a new lifestyle and expect it to be immediate.  

I wouldn't change a thing about the lifestyle I lived, even the stressful parts we learned from. The benefits, memories, and friendships that have come from living this way far outweigh the difficult days and bus breakdowns. This lifestyle has played a significant role in shaping me into who I am today and has provided opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Even though I have had the best time traveling and living in a Skoolie, it was time for me to start my own path in life. I finished school and received my diploma at fifteen and a half.  I had the opportunity to join the Air Force when I turned seventeen because my parents were willing to sign off for me.

Before joining the Air Force, I had attempted to go to community college to get my associate degree. There were some bumps in the road when I attempted to get enrolled. After debating it I realized I was still young and didn't know what I wanted a degree in.

I didn't want to spend time and money on a degree I wasn't sure I would stick with. So, the next two years after graduating I spent that time traveling with my family, working summer jobs, and saving money. When I was old enough, I visited a recruiter and started my journey in the Air Force.

I have now been in for six months, earned 30 credits toward my associate degree in the applied science of Aerospace Maintenance, finished my training, and am now at my first duty station to start my career and I am not even 18 yet.

Joining has been an amazing experience so far and I have learned so much in the short six months since I've started. I could write a whole other article on my experiences so far, but I'll save that for another time.

The whole point of all of this is that without having grown up the way I have, living on the road in a converted bus, I don't think I would be where I am right now. If I had grown up the typical way, right now I would be finishing my senior year of high school, getting acceptance and denial letters from colleges, and trying to figure out how I am going to be able to afford going to college.

For me at least, that's not how I would want to spend my life. I am grateful for all the experiences that have led me to where I am now and encourage any family considering this lifestyle, to take a hard look at it, weigh the pros and cons, and decide if it is right for your family.