Photos show what it's really like to live on the road in a renovated school bus

The daily reality of living in a renovated school bus looks different than many people think.Nicole Jones

• My husband and I live in a 230-square-foot school bus that we renovated ourselves.
• Living on the road is rewarding, but it's also more challenging and expensive than we expected.

My husband and I live in a 230-square-foot school bus we renovated ourselves — and this lifestyle comes with challenges.

We bought the bus for $3,500.      Nicole Jones

Within two weeks of hitting the road, our bus broke down three times.

We expected our adventure to begin without a hitch, but that didn't happen.      Nicole Jones

During our third week on the road, a rock smashed into our windshield and cracked it.

We got used to dealing with unexpected issues.      Nicole Jones

Our bus only gets 8 miles per gallon, so high fuel prices have made travel expensive.

Filling up the bus' gas tank is more expensive than I expected.      Nicole Jones

The 32-foot-long vehicle is difficult to maneuver through crowded areas and tight roads.

Single-lane roads can be a challenge to navigate in such a large vehicle.      Nicole Jones

Looking for safe, legal overnight parking can turn into a last-minute scramble.

Empty parking lots are one of the few places where our bus fits.      Nicole Jones

We sometimes wake up in beautiful destinations, but we sleep in parking lots too.

We'd like to park in nature, but that doesn't always work out.      Nicole Jones

When choosing campsites, we often have to prioritize cell service and Wi-Fi over beauty.

Because my husband and I work remotely, we need to have a reliable signal.      Nicole Jones

We have to leave campsites when we run out of resources, so we often take short, cold showers to conserve our 100-gallon water supply.

We always keep a tank of fresh water with us.      Nicole Jones

My least favorite chores are emptying waste out of the water tank and changing the composting toilet.

We have to change the composting toilet every three to four weeks.      Nicole Jones

The small space can get disorganized, so we have to clean our home almost every day.

My husband and I have to tidy the inside of our bus daily.      Nicole Jones

Dishes seem to pile up on the limited counter space, no matter how often we clean them.

Our kitchen gets messy in a matter of seconds, and I constantly feel like I'm doing dishes.      Nicole Jones

Weather can cause messes, like the dust storm that coated the entire bus in red sand.

Even the counters were coated in red sand.      Nicole Jones

If it rains several days in a row, we can feel stuck inside our 230-square-foot space.

We can sometimes get cooped up during rain spells.      Nicole Jones

We once stayed up all night because we thought 60-mile-per-hour winds would tip our bus over.

Sometimes the bus shakes when the wind is really strong.      Nicole Jones

Even though we've met people on the road, we're far from our family and friends at home.

Life on the road can get really lonely, and we sometimes have to miss our friends' important events.      Nicole Jones

Regardless of the challenges, I'm still so glad we took a risk and moved into our school bus.

Living on the road isn't easy, but to us, it's so worth it.      Nicole Jones

With proper research and expectations, I think life on the road can lead to the best adventures and memories.

People should go into this lifestyle with their eyes wide open.      Nicole Jones