I am at the beginning of a big life-changing new adventure. But when I tell friends about it they shout:
“You’re doing WHAT?”
Now I understand how what I am proposing is not typical. My plan is to buy a school bus, convert it for full time living and spend the next few years traveling around the U.S. and Canada.
Not a conventional plan for most people. Certainly highly unusual for someone with my demographics.
I am 68 years old, use a wheelchair, live on less than $1,000 a month and do not drive.
They ask “why would you even think about doing this?”
I reply, “Why not?”
Before you start to mentally draft your comment supporting my friends, let me tell you I’ve done my homework.
There are over 1.8 million people in the U.S. right now who are living full time in their RVs (recreational vehicles). These are people who chose to live this way. This number does not include the folks who are forced into living in a vehicle.
There are dozens of RV support networks that provide valuable information and resources. Escapees provides RV safety education and offers needed nomad services such as handling the mail, offering insurances (including health), and hosting affinity groups (everything from Christians to queer).
I joined Skoolie.net a few years ago to get educated about conversions. These folks are a living encyclopedia on all things related to converting a bus.
I also joined women RVers groups and pay close attention to what issues and solutions they find.
I also researched non-bus options. I attended the 3 day Escapees RV Boot Camp where I learned about everything from propane safety to water systems. It was there that I discovered, with the help of the instructors, that a regular RV would not suit my needs because of weight restrictions.
As I found potential buses, I went back to Skoolie.net and start posted questions:
Would you recommend this engine / transmission? Why?
Is this a good price for this amount of conversion?
I made a diagram of an electrical system. Will this work or set my bus on fire?
In the course of my education I learned that buses have birth dates, well really birth weeks. All tires sold in the U.S. have a 4 digit DOT number indicating their week and year of manufacture. So in the photo above the DOT 1001 means that the tire was made in the 10th week of 2001. Feel free to share this to spice up your conversations.
Tire birth dates are important for RVing because the tires often age out from UV rays before they wear out their tire tread. So I ask a potential seller the birthdate of their tires before I ask about tire tread.
While my friends are dutifully impressed with my new knowledge, they are universally concerned about my safety. I understand. They don’t know anything about full time RV living.
There are many different groups who have RV meet-ups. They host lots of gatherings and some are only for women.
One of the RV Boot Camp instructors is a woman who travels alone and she provided many specific ways of staying safe especially when dry camping (aka boondocking) in the wild.
I could be just as worried about my safety just staying at home. In the past year I’ve had friends die from medical issues or just hit by a car because they were riding on the street due to lack of an accessible sidewalk.
As poet Mary Oliver asks, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
For me the answer is have one last grand adventure.
I will be posting here everything from the specifics (bus details) to the experiences.
Please join me for Rolling Joy.
Not a conventional plan for most people. Certainly highly unusual for someone with my demographics.
I am 68 years old, use a wheelchair, live on less than $1,000 a month and do not drive.
They ask “why would you even think about doing this?”
I reply, “Why not?”
Before you start to mentally draft your comment supporting my friends, let me tell you I’ve done my homework.
 |
| Photograph of people and small RVs at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous 2019 |
There are over 1.8 million people in the U.S. right now who are living full time in their RVs (recreational vehicles). These are people who chose to live this way. This number does not include the folks who are forced into living in a vehicle.
There are dozens of RV support networks that provide valuable information and resources. Escapees provides RV safety education and offers needed nomad services such as handling the mail, offering insurances (including health), and hosting affinity groups (everything from Christians to queer).
I joined Skoolie.net a few years ago to get educated about conversions. These folks are a living encyclopedia on all things related to converting a bus.
I also joined women RVers groups and pay close attention to what issues and solutions they find.
I also researched non-bus options. I attended the 3 day Escapees RV Boot Camp where I learned about everything from propane safety to water systems. It was there that I discovered, with the help of the instructors, that a regular RV would not suit my needs because of weight restrictions.
As I found potential buses, I went back to Skoolie.net and start posted questions:
Would you recommend this engine / transmission? Why?
Is this a good price for this amount of conversion?
I made a diagram of an electrical system. Will this work or set my bus on fire?
 |
| Photo of tire sidewall with DOT J3J9 1001 |
In the course of my education I learned that buses have birth dates, well really birth weeks. All tires sold in the U.S. have a 4 digit DOT number indicating their week and year of manufacture. So in the photo above the DOT 1001 means that the tire was made in the 10th week of 2001. Feel free to share this to spice up your conversations.
Tire birth dates are important for RVing because the tires often age out from UV rays before they wear out their tire tread. So I ask a potential seller the birthdate of their tires before I ask about tire tread.
While my friends are dutifully impressed with my new knowledge, they are universally concerned about my safety. I understand. They don’t know anything about full time RV living.
There are many different groups who have RV meet-ups. They host lots of gatherings and some are only for women.
One of the RV Boot Camp instructors is a woman who travels alone and she provided many specific ways of staying safe especially when dry camping (aka boondocking) in the wild.
I could be just as worried about my safety just staying at home. In the past year I’ve had friends die from medical issues or just hit by a car because they were riding on the street due to lack of an accessible sidewalk.
 |
| Photo of the Milky Way by photographer Carrie Ann Lucas |
As poet Mary Oliver asks, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
For me the answer is have one last grand adventure.
I will be posting here everything from the specifics (bus details) to the experiences.
Please join me for Rolling Joy.
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