A decade ago Brandon did his first big road trip, and since then he’s been hoping to someday hit the road full time again. He was trying out a van for a bit when he stumbled across this bus for sale in the parking lot of a mechanic’s shop — and within 45 minutes he had purchased it!
Turns out he was the bus’ third owner, and he gives credit to the original owners (who built it out while living in Brooklyn, NY!) for much of the design. His whole rig even runs on a Tesla battery, which is pretty cool. Brandon says he has more than enough space for all his things, and is loving working as an engineer while traveling in his bus home.
When Paul was in high school, he and his dad gutted a school bus to use it for transport. It was then that the skoolie seed was planted and Paul dreamed for years of getting his own rig.
After an “unhealthy” amount of research, Paul and Audrey finally found and bought a bus and started the renovation process. It took time to complete, but now it’s been their home for about a year, and it’s lovely!
Bus conversions are such a great reflection of their owner’s and their priorities. That couldn’t be more true with Luke’s 2003 Ford E450 school bus conversion. While some might prefer running hot water, this digital nomad made sure to have space and charge for all his electronics and instruments.
He does have an RV toilet in the bus connected to a black water tank, but he uses baby wipes to keep clean when he can’t get to a public shower. The exterior of his bus has a fantastic hand-painted mural he did himself. He also has a cozy bed cave inside with lots of pillows!
Justin grew up road-tripping with his family as a kid, and wanted to keep that tradition alive as a young adult. So he bought a school bus and created a custom party bus, complete with a one-of-a-kind bar so he can mix drinks (when parked, of course — don’t drink and drive!).
He doesn’t live in his rig full-time, so he created it with space for friends to sleep and congregate so he could travel with a group and have a good place to hang out. Inside the bus he can sleep three, and you can even pitch a tent on the roof-top deck! He chose the bar over a bathroom, and says so far he has no regrets (#priorities).
I love his innovative design for a passenger seat, and his honesty in his Tiny Home Tours interview about the real costs of keeping an older bus running. Including the bus cost itself, he’s spent $12,000 to date. Enjoy the tour below!
Meet Jessica Rambo, a Marine veteran who is helping other veterans with her traveling art studio (that doubles as her home!).
Her 501c3, the Painted Buffalo Traveling Studio, has a mission “to enhance the quality of life for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their community by providing alternative tools in art and art making.”
She and her two children live on the bus together, along with her cat and dog! It’s an amazing work-in-progress that she has built herself. We got to do a Q&A with her about the studio and #buslife, so be sure to read it at the end of the post!
Sheena and Nate met while Nate was living van-life. Sheena was always interested in van-life, but was nervous to jump in as a solo female. She and Nate hit it off and she moved into the van pretty quickly.
This is a 1994 Blue Bird School Bus Conversion for 50k that’s for sale out of Redding, California.
We have had a great time in this bus and have been to some amazing places. Its now time for another family to take it on its next journey. It has 150,000 miles on a 12v cummins 5.9L with an Allison transmission. Its a total of 38 feet with the rear deck.
This cozy and colourful school bus conversion was built by Aaron and Lena from Roadside Tales. They wanted a home on wheels that would allow them to explore and adventure with all the comforts of home wherever they parked it.
They Built a Beautiful School Bus Tiny House for 15k
