I’m “that” friend.
You know, the one who is always reading the self-help books or shoving crystals in her bra. The one who tries making her own deodorant while wearing an Albert Einstein graphic t-shirt. The one who totally forges her own path and somehow makes it all work.
Personally, I like to think I’m a cross between a hipster millennial, a driven entrepreneur, and a bohemian world traveler.
And I always have fun, exciting, BRILLIANT (in my person opinion) ideas that I eagerly tell my friends about when they pop into my head. I’d say 6 times out of 10, I actually do something with them.
So when I told my husband, Kyle, in May of 2017 that I wanted to live in a school bus, he thought this was one of those remaining 4 out of 10 times that I was going to let it drop.
Nope.
You see, I have thisthing I like to call “chasing the goosebumps.” When I’m listening to a song, reading a book, or looking up information on my computer, I’ve noticed that I literally get goosebumps when I stumble across something exciting or an idea that I should explore further.
And when I was sitting on the couch watching a tiny house show on TV and a school bus conversion was featured, those darn goosebumps went WILD! I sat, in utter awe, as this couple completely transformed the interior of their school bus into a beautiful traveling loft on wheels. In that moment, I knew I had to do it.
Kyle, on the other hand, was not so convinced.
“Christiana, that thing is only SIX FEET TALL on the inside!”
“Do you realize that’s only 264 sq. ft?”
“Where the heck would we get a school bus anyway?”
“We literally wouldn’t fit!”
Mr. Practical admitted the idea was cool, but couldn’t get beyond the fact that we were WAY too big of people to be living in THAT tiny of a home.
But I was determined.
After doing a bit of research, 2 weeks later we found ourselves standing at one of the most respected bus dealerships in the country testing out buses. Let me tell you that I do not believe in coincidences, but it just so happened that this place was only a 20-minute drive from our house! As we talked to the owner of the bus lot, tried out different buses, and had a sneak peak of someone else’s school bus renovation that was in progress, I snuck a glance over at Kyle to find him sitting in the bus driver’s seat with a huge smile on his face.
“Are we really going to do this?” he asked.
That was all I needed. I knew, just knew, that this was the next big adventure for us. So on June 17, 2017, we bought a school bus to turn into our tiny house on wheels. Kyle at 6’7” and yours truly at 6’5” will officially be big people living in a tiny home!
As soon as I share with people our plans to convert the school bus into a 264 sq. ft. home on wheels, they instantly have a million-and-one questions. In case you’re feeling the same way, I wanted to answer a few of them for you!
Are you going to raise the ceiling?
We already have! The interior of the bus is now 8’2”, so I can actually put my hands in the air without touching anything!
Where are you going to park it?
We can park it loads of places! State and national parks, RV resorts, friend’s houses. Our bus is going to be fully off-grid capable with a composting toilet and solar panels, so as long as we have water, we don’t have to be hooked up anywhere!
Will it have everything a house has?
Yes! Full bathroom (toilet, sink, shower), full kitchen, bedroom, and living space. We even have a garage and a guest bed!
Where are you planning on going?
Where aren’t we planning on going would be a better question! Our goal is to see the whole country and even travel into Canada and Mexico.
How long will you be on the road?
We really don’t have an end date in mind. If we want to travel for a year, we’ll travel for a year! If we want to stay on the road for 5 years, we’ll do that! It’s all about the journey for us.
What will you do for work?
My life coaching business is 100% online, so as long as I have a wifi hot spot I’m good to go. My husband helps me behind-the-scenes with my business as well, and pretty soon we’re going to be doing some collaborations together. Basically all we need is internet, a computer, and we’re set!
What about all of your stuff?
We sold or donated 90% of our stuff several months ago. Long story short, the “things” we had weren’t making us any happier, so we downsized and now only have what will fit in the bus. It was so freeing!
Why did you want to do this?
We realized that life is too short to live by someone else’s rules and ride it out until it’s over. We want to explore and feel alive versus just living. This is an adventure our souls were craving!
Are you going to get sick of each other in such a small space?
Nope! We’ve been together since 2010, and if there is one thing we’ve learned about each other, it’s that we can be in a small space together. I personally LOVE small spaces, so as long as we can go outside, workout, or do other activities, we’re good to go!
What are you most looking forward to?
Meeting people and hearing their stories. I love connecting with strangers and learning about their way of life, so being able to travel the country and experience new people and cultures is something I’m most excited about!
If you want to follow the renovation and our journey, feel free to follow me on Instagram @christianaghill and @bigpeopletinyhome to follow all adventures!
XO,
Christiana
