By Rebecca Drew
MEET the family who spent more than £23K converting their iconic American school bus into an off-grid mobile home complete with extended ceiling as they travel around the country, raising their daughter as they go.
Incredible images show the 1992 AmTran Genesis bus’ spacious interior complete with a fully functioning kitchen and wood burner. The exterior shows the self-sufficient solar panelled roof which provides the bus which can function for two weeks completely off-grid with its energy.
Stunning pictures show happily unemployed Luke (28) and Rachel Davis (26) originally from Oswego, Illinois, USA enjoying their life exploring the great outdoors in their bus with their two-year-old daughter, Charlotte. So far, the family have visited 31-states and have clocked up 20,000-miles.
“We are a growing family that loves to spend time together, traveling, exploring, and making friends on the road,” said Luke.
“So far, we have gone through all of the east coast, most of the south, south east, and we are pecking away at the west.
“Life is satisfying, every day is Friday on the bus. Sometimes that comes at a cost but overall life on the bus is an adventure in itself.
“Charlotte, our almost three-year-old daughter loves the bus. She has become amazing at making new friends wherever she goes.
“For us as parents it doesn’t seem to pose any challenges that can be blamed on the bus, just the usual toddler stuff.
“Travelling is something I never thought I’d be able to do so that has been awesome. More than that I love that the three of us get unlimited time together.
“I used to only see my daughter a few hours a day during the week, thanks to my job. Also meeting people and making friends on the road is one of the coolest things about this lifestyle.”
The conversion of this school bus into an incredible home took 18 months to complete.
The family are currently exploring the Grand Canyon and hope to buy a plot of land to live sustainably and off-grid. Their day starts when they are woken up by their daughter.
“Extending the roof wasn’t exactly necessary for us but having the 8′ ceilings makes the space feel much bigger and more open than the original bus interior,” added Luke.
“We dream of eventually buying land in whichever state we deem the best and parking the bus there while we build our own off-grid home.
“Charlotte usually wakes up first, makes her way up the stairs to our loft and climbs on our heads until we wake up.
“We have a family breakfast every day and next would be our activity for the day which just depends on whether we are checking out a new city or enjoying nature.
“After lunch Charlotte takes a nap for a few hours and this is our quiet time and can usually be spent outside the bus. Then we all hangout until we are ready for dinner, usually cooked in the bus.
“Often a family walk or bike ride after that which is followed by bedtime for Charlotte. The rest of the night is just Rachel and I unwinding from the strenuous life we live.”
Luke and Rachel say that anyone is capable of doing the same as and say people are shocked when they see the interior.
“If you want to do this, you can, don’t listen to negative people. It takes hard work and persistence to get here but I think it’s possible for anyone that will work for it,” said Luke.
“Well the unfinished exterior sets the bar pretty low for what people expect so when they actually see the inside they are pleasantly surprised. Then they start asking lots of questions.”
For more information see www.instagram.com/midwestwanderers
