Inspiring
Man Quits Job and Converts School Bus Into an Awesome Traveling Motorhome
Unemployed but living his dream!
One man, tired of living in the rat race, decided to fulfill a life-long dream of traveling across the country in his very own school bus motorhome.
Patrick Schmidt was an airport worker who finally got fed up with his dead-end job, and opted to get more out of his life. He quit his Seattle-based employment, and moved towards realizing a goal he’d been harboring for a long time.
He bought a school bus and converted it into a traveling home:
Patrick’s 1990 school bus home.
After quitting his job, Patrick acquired the blue school bus for $4,500 and named it Skoolie. He didn’t jump the gun immediately, however. He wanted to see how the new lifestyle would treat him. So he put in 10,000 miles on the bus before settling into it on a temporary basis.
The bus was his window to adventure, and he traveled to 30 states from Las Vegas to Florida in his tiny road warrior dwelling.
Skoolie at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
Skoolie between Billings, Montana and Sheridan, Wyoming.
Skoolie slumming around in between destinations.
He finally drove it over to his parents’ house in Las Vegas, where he and his dad worked on converting it into a fully livable mobile home over the space of three months.
Patrick and his dad at work.
DIY dreams are made of these:
Renovating the 189-square foot bus cost another $9,000, and a lot of knuckle grease. But by the end of their project, the mobile home became a fully functional amenity-filled caravan with a bedroom, kitchen with a sink, fridge, and freezer, a bathroom with hot and cold water, and even air conditioning.
The multi-purpose sink.
The miniscule shower and toilet.
The cozy dining area.
Patrick describes his new lifestyle as a “jobless, perpetually short of money, and living in a tiny home” dream. While he is currently living on the money he has saved in over 10 years of working 9-to-5 jobs, he lives frugally and only spends on the essentials.
The bare necessities of life.
Coming on the heels of spending on renting an apartment he seldom lived in because he was working his butt off to afford the rent in the first place, having a miniature living space he can call his own and move from place to place in his dream come true.
Patrick, who is a veteran of 20 residential moves since the time of his birth, took to living in his converted school bus like a duck to water. For him, his new school bus dwelling is home.
The Skoolielove life.
Patrick plans on journeying through more states over the winter, and is chronicling his adventures on his blog, Skookielove, which promotes the ideals of tiny living.
Are you willing to give up the life you lead to follow your dreams like Patrick has?