Destination Unknown

Author: Ingrid

10 Stunning Skoolie Small Kitchen Ideas That Just Make Sense
Designing our skoolie small kitchen was no small task. Having strong design in a tiny home kitchen is so important! I share the 10 design choices we made in our skoolie small kitchen that we’re obsessed with.

10 Skoolie Small Kitchen Design Ideas
1. 12V Fridge
2. Breakfast bar seating with storage
3. Chef-style pull-down kitchen faucet
4. Foldable drying rack
5. Propane range with cooktop and oven
6. Quartzite counters
7. Storage containers for dry goods
8. Undermount single basin sink
9. Vertical cabinet with soft-close drawers
10. In-line water filtration
12V Fridge

We designed our skoolie to be completely off-grid with our main power source coming from solar energy. As such, we needed appliances that were as energy-efficient as possible and designed for mobile application (RV or marine).

When performing our energy audit, we determined that most of our energy pull would be from large house-hold appliances (refrigerator) and heating & cooling sources (air-conditioning).

We purchased a 12V 10 cubic foot refrigerator from Unique, a Canadian brand that specializes in manufacturing appliances for off-grid and mobile application. Unique also sells a 110V version at about 1/2 the price of the 12V. Both fridges will be more energy-efficient when compared to your normal household refrigerator.

Breakfast bar seating with storage

When you live tiny, it’s imperative that you have multi-use spaces. Our breakfast bar fits 2 wide bar stools with room for a third. Under the counter is cabinet storage for our dry goods and the kids’ snacks. We share meals around it, make art projects, complete office work, and just chill around this space.

Adding the breakfast bar was probably the best design choice we made for our tiny home.

Chef-style pull-down kitchen faucet

I mentioned in our “12 Hacks for Living in a Skoolie” blog that our faucet was an amazing design choice. When we’ve just come from the beach, we can swivel the faucet around and pull the sprayer out of the kitchen window to hose off sandy items or use it as an outdoor shower. Because of it’s high arch, we can also clean tall items in the sink like pots or children!

Foldable drying rack

We purchased up a roll-up drying rack that goes over the kitchen sink or over a towel on the counter. It is such a space saver and folds away easily under the sink when not in use. When drying everything on a towel on the counter, mildew grows quickly because there isn’t airflow. This compact drying rack solved that issue for us.

We purchased ours at Home Depot or Lowe’s.

Propane range with cooktop and oven

We purchased the white 24″ 4-burner propane gas range with oven, cooktop & broiler by Unique. We love how well it cooks food and that it was made for off-grid and mobile application. This range is from the same brand, Unique, as the fridge so they have a matching retro look that we enjoy.

Quartzite counters

Choosing quartz or quartzite countertops for our skoolie felt like a splurge; however, it really wasn’t that bad. Because of the small space, we were able to score a deal by purchasing a remnant from a larger job. That piece, including the kitchen sink, installation and labor, came out to about $1,400.

We love that it is easy to clean, stands up to children and holds up well in a mobile application.

Storage containers for dry goods

We purchased plastic storage containers from IKEA for all dry goods in our tiny home. I mentioned in “5 Easy Steps to Live Intentionally with Less in a Skoolie” blog that we try to limit packaging coming into the bus. These containers have been a great solution to that problem and they double as food storage contains for large meals that go into the fridge.

We recommend buying plastic or metal containers – avoid glass, even tempered glass, because items do fall out of cabinets and can break!

Undermount single basin sink

We love having a single basin sink for a small living space. It’s easy to fit all the dirty dishes (or kids) into one deep sink, and it also holds things like our large cast iron skillet when driving (so it doesn’t fall off the counter!).

Madeleine, Finley & Landon relaxing in our skoolie.

Having the undermount sink is a nice feature to keep the counters clean and avoid the inevitable build-up of gunk around the rim of a kitchen sink. Everything can be pushed into the sink easily.

Vertical cabinet with soft-close drawers

Utilizing vertical space in a tiny home is key in a strong design. Rather than installing upper cabinets, which would have required us to lose that feeling of openness in the living space, we opted for a vertical cabinet with pull-out drawers instead. They are also soft-close, which is so lovely in a busy household.

In-line water filtration

We have two water filters in our skoolie. One is an in-line filter that screws on to the hose for water coming into the bus. This filters out any particles or sediment. Under the kitchen sink, we installed another filter that further purifies the water in the bus and makes it drinkable.

We prefer the in-line water filters because they are out-of-sight and don’t require us to move them when traveling. Countertop water systems like the Berkey require regular maintenance (refilling and cleaning) and storage when driving.

Do you have a skoolie small kitchen?

I hope you enjoyed our 10 most-loved design choices in skoolie small kitchen. I would love to get your input in the comment section if you would put any into your tiny home on wheels.

Thanks for following our journey. – Ingrid & the HildeFam
November 14, 2021
12 Hacks for Living in a Skoolie
12 Hacks for Living in a Skoolie | Destination Unknown

We’ve come up with twelve ways to improve living in your skoolie or other small space. From organization to food, we share the tips that have helped improve our skoolie travel.
1. Seeing sunlight & starry skies with a skylight
2. Installing a pull-down faucet that can double as an outdoor shower
3. Having a dedicated wet space
4. Cleaning your compost toilet weekly
5. Treating your gray tank
6. Installing a water filtration system outside & inside
7. Getting outside at least once a day
8. Using your space intentionally
9. Removing packaging before it comes into the bus
10. Purging unnecessary items frequently
11. Perform weekly engine maintenance
12. Run your AC or heat source weekly to keep moisture levels down
Seeing sunlight & starry skies with a skylight

Our skylight is toward the back of the bus, in the captain’s quarters. We love this skylight because it brings in so much natural light and we don’t have to open up blinds or sunlight screens during the day. At night, we get to look up at the stars from the comfort of home.

Installing a pull-down faucet that can double as an outdoor shower

This is the skooliest skoolie hack! We installed a pull-down faucet in our kitchen. It has been so handy to have it when we come back from a day at the beach. We can swivel it around and pull the handle outside of the window to rinse off gear or ourselves. It has two settings: stream and spray.

See a detailed list of products we purchased for our skoolie transformation here!

Having a dedicated wet space

We love being able to use our shower to store gear, scooters and our outdoor rug when they’ve gotten wet outside. It is so lovely to have a dedicated wet space where things can drain and we don’t have to worry about water escaping.

Cleaning your compost toilet weekly

Our best practice is to dump the waste in the bag and clean the bucket & urine diverter with soap and water at least once a week. Our compost toilet is comprised of a 5-gallon bucket with a garbage bag and a urine diverter going to our gray tank, located under the bus exterior.

When we first started living in our skoolie, I dreaded this part of the bus; however, we’ve gotten the hang of how much coconut coir we need to cover the waste in the bucket and tossing frequently has become a part of our normal cleaning routine.

After using the urine diverter, we make sure to spray it with a mixture of vinegar, water with a few drops of essential oils. Poopuri spray is great to keep on hand too because the bottles are so discrete.

Treating your gray tank

We treat the waste in our skoolie‘s gray tank with a chemical treatment monthly. We don’t really have any issues with odor in the bus since we installed back-flow attachments in our plumbing system; however, it’s nice to have a less odorous smell when we drain our tank. You can find environmentally-friendly treatments at most RV shops or online.

We prefer to drain our gray tank weekly. Since we have a 100 gallon tank, it can take up to 30 minutes to drain. Instead, we like to drain weekly as part of a normal cleaning routine and that cuts down on time to drain the tank.

Read this blog to see how we determined what size gray water tank we needed for our family size.

Installing a water filtration system outside & inside

Keeping clean, filtered water on-demand is important to us. When filling our 100 gallon fresh water tank, we have an in-line filter, which reduces sediment and some bacteria.

At the kitchen sink, we have a second filtration system to filter out bacteria and more deposits. This gives us clean drinking water. Before we installed this, we were purchasing loads of plastic water jugs, and that takes up so much space in a tiny place. We’ve found this system to be so convenient and low-maintenance.

See a detailed list of products we purchased for our skoolie transformation here!

Getting outside at least once a day

Fresh air is really important to us, so we try and get out for walks every single day. Even if it’s just for an hour, getting fresh air is essential! Even when the weather is bad, we do this.

Living in a tiny space, you just need to get out of it to literally stretch your legs. When we dream of this lifestyle, a key thing was for us not to spend as much time indoors and give us the opportunity to explore with our family.

Using your space intentionally

We designed our home to use our tiny space intentionally. For example:
- We have a built-in shoe caddy so shoes come off immediately. Coats are kept at the front of the bus in a basket behind the driver’s seat.
- We installed outlets with USB & USB-C ports so we can charge electronics easily without a “dongle.”
- We have hooks in each room so nothing lands on the floor.
- We built a custom cabinet above the captain’s quarters for clothing storage and diapers.
- The children’s bunk beds have a storage compartment for clothing and another space for toys.
We truly enjoy having a place for everything, and everything in its place. Things don’t get misplaced and nothing falls out of place when driving.

Removing packaging before it comes into the bus

Living in a skoolie means you can just head to the stores when you need something; however, the amount of packaging that comes with any shopping haul is immense for a small space. We plan ahead and it drastically lessens the amount of packaging before it ever enters our skoolie.

We do this by:
- Purchasing dried or concentrate items, like JOI Plant Milk concentrate
- Bagging groceries directly into our cart (no plastic or paper bags)
- Removing things from their boxes, like cereal boxes around the plastic bags
- Repackaging things like dried beans into storage containers that fit our storage space
Purging unnecessary items frequently

Purging as part of a normal cleaning routine happens seasonally. We go through our belongings and keep what we need and what we’re going to use often.

When we travel, we feel it’s important to not overwhelm your space. If it doesn’t have a dedicated space or the item no longer serves us, we remove it from the space.

Perform weekly engine maintenance

Like any automobile, performing routine maintenance and giving your skoolie some TLC helps it last longer and perform better.

We do this by:
- Checking the fluid levels before we drive
- Performing regular brake checks as we drive
Run your AC or heat source weekly to keep moisture levels down

When the exterior temperature differs greatly from the interior temperature, moisture builds up. If that moisture has no where to go and the interior space doesn’t dry out, mold and mildew can grow. We start to see this first along window sills.

We combat this by running our AC or other heating source weekly, especially during the winter months and during the rainy season. In the summers, we frequently have our windows open so we are able to keep air flow going.

What hacks have you created for living full time in your tiny home on wheels? Are 12 hacks for living in a skoolie too much or too little?

Watch our full skoolie tour!

Thanks for following our journey. – Ingrid & the HildeFam
October 30, 2021
How to Move Abroad during a Pandemic: 4 Insanely Simple Tips
The world is moving fast and there’s no telling what will happen next. If the global pandemic in 2020 & 2021 have taught us anything, it is if you are unhappy somewhere, then you’ve got to change it. In this blog on “How to Move Abroad during a Pandemic”, we’ve compiled 4 simple steps to help you move abroad sooner rather than later.

If you’ve been considering a big move abroad, then just do it! Life is too short to have regrets. In this blog post, we’ll discuss 4 simple steps to move abroad during a pandemic.

Move Abroad during a Pandemic: 4 Insanely Simple Steps

Commit to moving abroad

First, you must commit to moving abroad. Let’s face it; moving isn’t always easy. Set a timeline like 2 weeks or 6 months. Buy your tickets!

After that, you can build your timeline like how to get rid of the stuff you won’t take with you, getting your updated passport, contacting your physician for recent medical records, etc.

Convert your currency to the foreign currency for the best rate

The next step is planning how to import your currency so you’ll have enough foreign cash on hand when you move abroad. Depending on the country you’re traveling to and the current bank you work with in your home country, you could face high conversion rates. You may also run into issues getting a new bank account in your new country.

When we relocated to Sweden, we struggled opening a bank account without a personnummer (like a social security number), even though Ingrid is a citizen of Sweden. Once you have that, then you have to wait 4-6 weeks in some areas just to meet with the bank to get the account. After that appointment, then they want you to wait another 4-6 weeks to review your bank statements from your home country to make sure any money you bring in isn’t illegal.

Sweden is a paperless country and a socialized nation, so they are very strict on their rules, despite speaking with 6+ banks to see if they would make an exception.

This will vary from country to country though, so try and do your research on the front end.

Chase Sapphire Rewards Visa

We had no issue paying for anything since we arrived with credit cards. We were also able to access our funds in our home country easily; however, we were hit with higher conversion rates.

Prior to our move abroad, we were approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa card.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening — that’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
Chase sapphire rewards visa website

We use this card for our day-to-day purchases, and those add up. We were able to meet the entry criteria within 2 months since we use our credit cards for 99% of our purchases.

Wise (Money Transfer)

Once our Swedish bank account is open, we will bring the money in through a third party bank called Wise. They offer conversion rates that align closer to the market, thus saving us a huge amount of cash.

Confirm there are no travel restrictions

Finally, confirm there are no travel restrictions to your destination. With the COVID-19 global pandemic continuing as quickly as it has been moving and negotiations with countries not panning out how we want them too, then you’ll need flexibility.

Before you book your flights, confirm you can enter that country. If you can’t enter the country you want, don’t despair! There are hundreds more to choose from, and many of them are open. Switch it up a bit.

Find remote work

Many companies are hiring for remote positions. You could find work in the country you move abroad to, of course, but you may pigeon-hole yourself to one country. Instead, open yourself up to the entire world and the abundant opportunities that exist, whether as an employee, freelancer or entrepreneur.

You can find freelance remote jobs from your personal network or on sites like Upwork, Fiverr and maybe even LinkedIn.

I hope this blog on “How to Move Abroad during a Pandemic” helps anyone looking to move abroad. My biggest regret is that we didn’t do this sooner, though I’m eternally grateful that we are here now.

Thanks for following our journey. – Ingrid and the HildeFam
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October 28, 2021
5 benefits of traveling with your family in an RV
Why you should travel with your family in an RV

5 benefits of traveling with your family in an RV

We have discovered so much about us as a family since starting our journey. Here are our 5 benefits of traveling with your family in an RV.
1. We have all we need as a family & in the RV
2. We have strengthened our family ties
3. We discover new interests together
4. We learn when we need to be apart
5. We save money
We are the Hildebrand Family (“HildeFam” for short) and we moved our family of five into our dream tiny home on wheels in May 2021 to travel across North America. We spent 7 months converting an old retired school bus and turning her in the HildeBus we know and love today.

At the time that we moved into our Skoolie, our children were 4 years old (Landon), 3 (Finley) and 1 (Madeleine). Our family of five consists of mom (Ingrid), dad (Eric), & our kiddos.

We have all we need as a family & in the RV

We have all we need as a family & in the RV. We live with less stuff on purpose but have a whole lot more family time.

With everyone pitching in it’s easier to get everything done on the road. No one feels left out when they are not sitting behind a steering wheel or pushing buttons, instead we all interact together with what we have.

We have strengthened our family ties

Traveling with your family in an RV is a great way to build strong family bonds. When you are on the road together, spending long hours in the car or touring museums there isn’t much room for any one person to feel bored or left out.

We spend 99.9% of our days together.

We get to see our children develop, explore and grow every minute of the day. Before we hit the road, we would be lucky to see our kids more than 4 hours a day because we would drop them off to day care in the morning so we could go to work.

We discover new interests together

Traveling in an RV has allowed us to discover a lot of different interests. We spend our time outdoors when the weather is nice and, when it’s not, we stay inside learning about each other, drawing on coloring books, reading stories and baking cakes.

Our son, Landon, loves to draw. He could draw for hours and hours and hours. Our daughter, Finley, loves learning and showing off her academic prowess. Madeleine loves to dance all the time. Would we have noticed these little things as much when we were living in a bigger space?

We learn when we need time apart from each other

Let’s be real! Life isn’t always “instagrammable.”

Sometimes, it can be hard for everyone to get along all the time and it is good to have some personal space from your loved ones every once in awhile- even if you are still traveling with them at the end of the day!

Whether that means dad takes the kids for a long walk so mom can repaint her nails, or mom takes the kids grocery shopping so dad can do yoga without interruption, we all need personal space. Even the little ones!

Scheduling personal time didn’t work for us since we often lost track of time on the road. When we felt too much stress building up, we would just tell each other and then figure out a time that worked best for all parties, sooner rather than later. This scheduling worked best for us.

Could you ever move your family into a tiny home on wheels for an extended period of time? Have you done it before? Let us know.
We save money

Traveling in an RV is cheaper than traveling by plane or train and we don’t have to worry about the time difference.

RV living costs less than renting a house so your vacation becomes more affordable when you live on the road.

It also allows us to save thousands of dollars by not having expenses for:
- mortgage
- utilities
- daycare
- car insurance (we are not towing a vehicle)
- eating out as frequently
Thanks for following our journey. – Ingrid & the HildeFam
October 28, 2021
5 Easy Steps to Live Intentionally with Less in a Skoolie
Live intentionally with less in a Skoolie

Living with less is a way of life that many people are choosing for themselves these days. When you live in a skoolie, that choice can be tricky to accomplish. If you are looking to Live Intentionally with Less in a Skoolie or RV, then follow these 5 steps!
1. Avoid single use items & packaging
2. Reassess areas prone to clutter frequently
3. Make a place for everything, and everything in its place
4. Build a capsule wardrobe
5. Buy concentrate and dried food items
Avoid single use items & packaging

Single use items are just that – one time.
- If you need to use a plastic bag, try using it as many times as possible.
- When you purchase groceries, have them put the groceries directly into the cart instead of bagging them.
- Remove cardboard boxes around foods like cereal to reduce the waste inside your tiny home later.
- Instead of buying paper towels, use dish towels and reusable paper towels.
Reassess areas prone to clutter frequently

Purge your closet and pantry regularly so nothing has room to build up and expire. If I decided I didn’t like the cut or style of a piece of clothing, I just got rid of it – why keep something that doesn’t flatter you?

Do you have a junk drawer? Be brutal on that space.

Do you have a habit of collecting paper mail or receipts? Scan them into your phone with GeniusApp (free PDF scanner) and toss the paper. Log onto every account and request paperless statements.

Make a place for everything, and everything in its place

Clutter stresses our family out, even more so when living in a small space! We make a habit of putting things away right after we used them, like instead of putting the milk on the counter when you’re done (because someone else will want some), we put it straight in the fridge until someone wants some.

We have a designated area for shoes as you come in the door. Coats and bags go into a designated basket behind the driver’s seat or on a hook on the wall. Dirty laundry goes straight into the hamper.

On days when the clutter builds up, we take 10 minutes to clean up our space. Sometimes this happens a few times a day, but we all participate and it goes by quickly.

Buy concentrate and dried food items

Try shopping for foods that are shelf-stable and do not need to be refrigerated. One of the biggest generators of trash in our skoolie was due to milk and milk alternative jugs. It felt like right after we went shopping, our trash can would be overflowing in a few hours.

JOI Plank Milk Concentrate

Ingrid loves oat milk, so she stumbled across a shelf-stable option that she has fallen in love with. JOI Plant Milk Concentrate is such a wonderful example of shelf-stable food choices. The small jar can make over 100 pitchers of plant-based milk, without any of the packaging. It’s so tasty too because you can make it how you want.

Get 10% off your first order with the code: Destination Unknown on JOI’s website.

Fresh Fruits & Veggies

When you do shop for fresh foods like fruits and vegetables make sure to properly store them in the crisper drawers in your fridge! That way they will not go bad prematurely. Battling fruit flies isn’t fun!

Choosing to living intentionally in a Skoolie

The one thing to think about with intentional living – is intentional planning and design for what you want your home to look like and how your home will serve you while you live in it. If you are intentional about what things and items will be in your home, it can go a long way.

There is a certain beauty and skill with living with less; however, there are headaches that come with it. It can definitely be overwhelming thinking of how you “have to get rid of ___” because there isn’t space in your tiny home.

You really have to flip your mindset instead to be “I can design my home to tailor to my lifestyle today.”
Ingrid Poole

In my opinion, living intentionally with less in a skoolie has opened up more opportunity for travel and reduced my mental stress load. When we left our skoolie to move to Sweden on a week’s notice after Eric broke his leg, we checked two bags (included) and had our personal items. It was so easy to pack because we were already living with so little. Read that blog here.

My mental stress was less because I didn’t have a huge space to clean up every night; on laundry days, we would do “wash & fold” (a luxury) so laundry came back to us folded. I would spend 10+ hours a week on domestic labor when we lived in a traditional home!

Thanks for following our journey. – Ingrid & the HildeFam
October 27, 2021