When we started this school bus Airbnb back in March, we had no idea what was in store for V and me.
We thought we would be able to wrap up the conversion in about three months. Back in that spring of 2017, we expected to finish the project in time to go on a tour of the country, attending the Burningman art festival in August, spending a few weeks on the road and finally bringing the bus to Huntington Beach where we would rent it out as an AirBnB while we left the country to visit Australia for a wedding and some surf.
If you’ve been following along on this journey via our YouTube channel, you’ll know our plans were laughably optimistic. Burningman came and went while we worked on the bus, then the weeks between the art festival and the Australia trip passed. V actually left me with the bus while she flew out in time to make her sister’s wedding. I was left alone to finish the bus.
So I pushed on for another month or two. Finally, all the systems were in and the bus was ready to go. Again, I had problems with mechanical stuff. The fuel pump needed to be replaced and the bus needed to be registered legally. I wrapped those two projects up in Reno while I watched my parent’s house while they were out of the country.
That’s where this video comes into play.
What Now
Now the bus will become an AirBnB property in Southern California. That’s the goal.
You see, when I started, I wanted to drive the bus around to national parks and work online from the comfort of a dusty road. Now, I just want to leave the bus behind and start recouping a bit of the investment.
While driving from Reno to LA, I realized the bus has a new oil leak and the power steering leak became progressively worse. It seems that the more time I spend with the bus, the worse the problems get.
Therefore, it makes sense to allow the house to start taking care of its self.
The next few videos will be about getting the bus ready for a vacation rental. Once that is complete, I plan on having a point where we have no plans.
I’ve planned my life out for the last 5 years. It’s time to create an opportunity where I can wake up one morning and think, “Today we are free to do and go wherever it is that we want to.”
Recent Thank You
Mom and Dad -Mom your emotional support has fortified me through some very challenging times. Dad, if you didn’t teach me to build stuff, this project would have been 100% impossible.
Lauren – You’re a best friend sis’. Also, you’re able to sew like a pro, despite being an am. 😀
David Vu – Your excitement to take on business challenges and work with V and I is a life saver.
Scott Siller – Thank you for reaching out via the YouTube comments and supporting me in the Nevada Vehicle Registration process. I was afraid of the process until your calm explanation made it feel like a simple hurdle to jump over.
The Kinsinger Family – Thank you for keeping me at your Thanksgiving dinner. It was an absolute delight.
I have watched ALL your videos and thank you for them! I am curious what speed did you average on your trip and what was your top speed? Have you figured out how many miles the bus gets to the gallon?
Thank you for all that you have done in sharing these videos!
Thank you for the kind comment, Karen. It is lovely to hear from you. I’m happy that you enjoyed the videos.
The bus does 65 mph on the flat ground quite easily. When we were climbing the big mountains (close to Topaz Lake and Mammoth CA) we would often slow down to 45 mph. The bus is quite good at going downhill quickly though. Our top speed was 78 mph going down.
Thank you for watching!