Our first trip in our skoolie

So we bit the bullet and took our skoolie on it's first camping trip about 2 hours away from our home. I think we were just as excited as the kids to test it out and figure out what still needs to be worked on!

Free Campsite: 14 days max stay and up to 30 days for the whole year. There is running water all over the park, bathroom and running water toillets. There are backup and drive through camping spots. Each campsite has a table and a fire ring with a grill. The only downsize from here is that there is no showers on the campsite and phone service is usually non existant. But there is a lot of hiking and roads for cycling.

Natchez Trace Parkway (Meriwether Lewis Campground)

191 Meriwether Lewis Park Rd, Hohenwald, TN 38462

My dad likes to say we live on the edge because the bus wouldn't start with the key in the ignition, a screw driver had to be held up against the starter for the engine to turn on. But after so much build up and excitement we took the risk of being stranded 2 hours away from home just to test out our bus. And of course we've discovered a ton of other things that need to be worked on. Driving half a mile down the road to Aldi we realized immediately why everyone on the skoolie nation facebook group talks about prepping for the drive! We had fruit fall off the counter top, eggs, and freshly cooked chicken hit the floor as the fridge slid out of its spot, then we turned the corner and a tangerine rolled out of the bus! In the parking lot we secured everything and we continued onward to the campsite.

With every turn, the kids and I would push the drawers back closed. The crazy thing is, we've done tons of research and have read lots of blogs and we still made these silly mistakes. I guess we just had to experience these first hand to truly learn. We have a list going on with things we've learned the last 3 nights camping that need to be worked on, like converting our oven range to propane gas instead of natural gas.

The trip was a success though and we have already learned so much to keep working on.

We plan on slowly making all the necessary changes to stay safe and hit to road in the next few months. We can tell we are getting close to going full time and are eager to get going. Does anyone have any additional tips for driving and fulltime living that you may of overlooked in the beginning?

P.S. Idilio will write an update since it has been a few months without any post.

Hope everyone has a great 2020 year!