Welcome to Our Adventure!

Exploring the Open Road: Our Journey with Teddy, Our Converted School Bus

Welcome to our blog! Brandon and Mara here 💚We are excited to share our adventures across the United States in our converted skoolie. Join us as we dive into the joys and challenges of living life on the road. From the rolling hills of the Appalachians to the rugged coastline of the Pacific Northwest, our journey is fueled by wanderlust and a passion for exploration.

The Origin Story

Our journey down the road of building and living in a tiny home started much earlier than when it was finally put into motion. Mara has had the dream of traveling the world since she was little, and has been interested in skoolies since about 2016. Brandon, on the other hand, needed convincing. He did not see how we could live in such a small space. It took a few years into our relationship and many other factors to come into play before owning a skoolie even seemed feasible.

In 2021, we purchased our first home in Columbus, GA. It was a beautiful white brick

ranch with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a large living area, gym area, laundry room, a lovely kitchen, and backyard.

In 2022, all the bill collectors started asking for more money. More for mortgage, more for insurance, a higher phone & internet bill, more for electricity and water...it felt never ending. We had already been talking about how we felt stuck in the area, wanting to grow farther than the roots we had put down made possible. We decided 14 days after the new year 2023 that we were going to sell our house.

The process that ensued made it clear that we were making the right decision. Aside from getting out from under the bills that made it impossible to save and grow, we experienced such a flow of actions that it felt like the universe had planned this route for us all along. We found a buyer within 2 weeks and sold the house at the end of February. We put all of our belongings except for what we needed to survive (clothes, office stuff, etc) into a storage unit. With our essentials and our two fur babies, we headed north to stay with Brandon's family.

We moved into their upstairs bonus room & bathroom. From a 7 room house to just one room, we were able to downsize the way we lived in preparation for the bus. Thankfully they allowed us to stay with them for 8 months while we built our home.

Next Steps

Once we were on the path to living life on our own terms, it became clear the steps we would need to take. We found inspiration in the tiny house movement and the nomadic lifestyle of van dwellers, but the aspects specific to skoolie life fit our needs best. We started looking for school buses. We found a bus in AL that we purchased in February but realized the length just wasn't going to work for us. "Donna" is a 13 window built in 1989 and while she has great character, we knew she wasn't going to be the one to drive us around the country.

In March, we had better luck. A beautiful 8 window bus was available in TN! We took a drive and ended up coming home with our bus! He is a 2010 International that was taken off the lot sometime after 2020, so we knew maintenance had been upkept up until that point at least. The guy who was selling had already taken out all of the seats and the diesel heaters, leaving an empty metal shell. Our original plan was to buy a bus that was at least partially, if not fully built. Donna made us realize that we would have no idea how to fix anything and really wouldn't have any quality control on the more important projects. Having a blank canvas was a blessing. Bought March 6.

The Build

We originally had a very aggressive timeline in which we wanted to finish our build. 70 days from start to finish. Looking back now, I know how silly that was but it did push us to work hard every day to accomplish the goal. Not to mention we had a mishap in the first few days...a mouse chewed a wire to the pedal. We went to take a drive, made it down the hill, and then had to guide the bus to the side of the road. We had to get it towed back up the driveway with a tractor. March 12, we got to work. There will be more in depth posts about each stage of the build, coming soon.

70 days past and we were not at all close to completion. Maybe 50-60%, and just starting the framing. It took another month to get the door, walls, and driver's seat installed. Now, at 371 days (at the time of writing), we are hovering at 90% complete. The last few projects have taken a back seat as we travel and save to have them completed, as they require more experience than we have.

Life on the Road Full Time

We moved into our bus full time on October 1, 2023 and left the anchor of Brandon's family home to have some woodworking projects finished up in south Alabama. Two months later, we set sail to our first stop. Spending Christmas and New Years in our home in a private field brought our new life fully into focus and we got to peer into our future. We were so grateful to bring in the new year 2024 in our own space, with our family. 💚

I am excited to share travel updates soon.

Thank you for joining us on this journey of a lifetime. We hope our blog inspires you to embrace your own spirit of adventure and discover purpose in everything you do.

Until next time, happy trails!

Temple, GA - December 2023