I lived in a converted school bus with my partner – we had to stop when our baby got motion sickness, I miss the freedom
A DIY-SAVVY dad has revealed how his daughter’s motion sickness impacted his family’s life on the road.
He said the comfort of their converted school bus felt like living in a house after working tirelessly to make it homely.
Isaac Turner, 37, from Oregon, boasts almost 88,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he embraces van life.
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, he revealed that he initially moved into a van after abruptly losing his housing.
BON VOYAGE
“I bought a 95 G20 van,” Turner said. “I don’t remember what I paid for it, it might have been five grand or less.
“I didn’t own a power tool. I had no skills whatsoever.
He had two weeks to build the van and move in “with no experience or tools, but I figured it out.”
Turner said he learned everything he needed to build the van from a blog because there weren’t many van lifers on YouTube at the time.
The decision to live in a vehicle drastically reduced his expenses and allowed him to go from working full-time in retail to just two days a week.
He began to use his free time to seek adventure and post on social media as another stream of income, and now he’s a full-time YouTuber.
HOUSE ON WHEELS
Turner said he was still working full-time in retail and living in his G20 van when the idea of living in a school bus caught his attention.
He remembers being unable to stand up in his van.
He was captivated when a 40-foot school bus with party lights pulled into the Planet Fitness parking lot where he was crouching.
However, it wasn’t until he met his partner Jaylena that he began to seriously start looking for a vehicle with more space.
“I checked out a bus and as soon as I walked in, it didn’t feel like a vehicle,” he said.
“It legit felt like a house and like instantly my mind changed to where I didn’t want a sprinter van.
I was living in a small bus and then we got pregnant so I built a bigger bus to kind of accommodate for the whole family.
Isaac Turner
“I wanted a school bus. When you’re living in a vehicle, that little bit of space adds up.”
Turner said it was important when converting the bus to make it as “self-sufficient as possible” because it wouldn’t be parked on their parents’ driveway.
Also unlike when he was living in a van, he no longer wanted to rely on Starbucks toilets and Planet Fitness showers.
“I wanted a lot of those comforts of the house, but it was just in a bus,” he said.
“My school bus was very not stealth at all. It had graphics all over the side of it.”
He rarely had any issues parking the bus because he chose locations that were surrounded by nature rather than in major cities.
SPEED BUMPS
He and Jaylena moved into an even bigger bus when they found out they were expecting their first child together.
“I was living in a small bus and then we got pregnant so I built a bigger bus to kind of accommodate for the whole family,” Turner said.
“When I built that bus, I did everything I could to make living life as easy as possible.
“I knew we were gonna have a child and I had no idea what that was gonna look like, so I didn’t wanna make living life difficult.
“When I was in the van I had a little portable single burner and my fridge wasn’t great.
“I didn’t have a freezer so I didn’t cook a lot. I would just go to McDonald’s and get an egg McMuffin.
“I was always traveling and if I wanted to use the restroom, I’d go to Starbucks and get a coffee.
There’s something about having no bills, there’s a freedom to that, having all your stuff with you
Isaac Turner
“When I was in a bigger bus that had more space, a freezer, an oven we cooked a lot more. We had a Keurig.
“The more difficult something is, the more likely you’re not going to do it.
“The cooking is difficult you’re not gonna cook as much, when taking a shower is difficult you’re not gonna take a shower as much.”
HITTING THE BRAKES
Turner said that despite loving the explorer lifestyle, he has since bought a house following the birth of their daughter.
He misses getting creative with the vehicle they were living in and having the ability to visit anywhere spontaneously.
“There’s something about having no bills, there’s a freedom to that, having all your stuff with you,” he said.
“When you have a house or an apartment, you’re tied to the mortgage or rent or whatever it is, you’re tied to the stuff.
We can’t even drive 18 minutes to the grocery store without her puking up everything in her stomach.
Isaac Turner
“You can’t just walk away, you can’t just leave forever, right? The stuff has to be accounted for.
“Another thing that’s overlooked is we can just decide to go to California today, right now.
“The second I put the key in the ignition and I start driving, I could be there for two weeks and then be like, let’s go check out Arizona, and the barrier of entry is just turning the ignition and filling the fuel tank.
“That’s it, versus living in a house, it’s like, we could drive there for a week or two, but we’re not going to leave this house.
“I miss that freedom.
“But one of the reasons we bought this place too was because our daughter developed extreme motion sickness.
“We can’t even drive 18 minutes to the grocery store without her puking up everything in her stomach.
“When we built our last bus our plan was to travel to all 50 states, but the motion sickness was not accounted for.
“It’s just an unforeseen circumstance that affects your life. You’ve just gotta roll with it.”
GIVING THE BOOT
Turner has built and sold nine vans while helping other people with their projects.
He has owned more items than the “average van lifer” because he started running his business out of a shop.
However, he has always tried to keep his personal belongings to a minimum in his living spaces.
Technically van lifers are homeless.
Isaac Turner
“When we got this house, there was nothing in here and I was of the mindset that I just want the bare necessities of whatever I need,” he said.
“So whenever I need to leave, I just get rid of it and walk away.
“But, you know, the lady wants to start decorating, keeps dragging stuff in here.”
Is it legal to live in a vehicle?
Social media is full of people sharing their experiences living in a vehicle using #vanlife.
However, it isn’t as idyllic as it may seem at first glance with an estimated population of over 100,000 people living in their vehicles.
Living in a vehicle is legal in most states, according to the online resource Auto Insurance.
However, loitering ordinances and trespassing regulations can make it a stressful living arrangement.
Mark Horvath, founder of Invisible People, says vehicle residency is a “growing crisis.”
Horvath told The Nation that unhoused people in a survey brought up issues with only being able to park for limited hours, registration, and vehicle ownership requirements.
BOXED IN
Turner said his mom was “very against” the family living in a van and would joke that they were homeless.
He believes older generations have a traditional outlook whereas friends and people his age think living in a vehicle is “cool.”
“Technically van lifers are homeless,” Turner said.
“They’re sleeping on the same streets but what really defines homeless?
“The only time I’ve ever had a problem is when I’m in the damn city.
“I was on a city street because I just needed a place to sleep or something, and this dude just rolled up to me banging on the window.
“Because here is some person living in a vehicle on the side of the street and boom, automatic – oh, there’s a homeless person.
“I mean technically it’s the same thing, you’re living in a vehicle on the side of the street.
“But there is a difference. It’s a hard, weird gray area.
“But to the average person that’s what it is, if you’re a person living in your car on the side of the street, that’s homeless. That’s the definition in their mind.
“I think homeless is like an umbrella term but most of those types of people aren’t there by choice.
“They had a financial situation, they got caught up in drugs or something and it led to them basically having no money and no options or mental health.
“And then you’ve got the van lifers that are millionaires living there by choice because they want to travel.
“I remember when I had my first shop this homeless person rolled up in their RV in the street across from the shop.
“I don’t care. I had no problem, but all the businesses next to us all had a problem with it.
“But for me, the problem only started happening when they started leaving their bags of trash on the side of the street.
“Their garbage just started piling up and then it just got gross.
“I don’t think this just goes in the van life or homeless, but it’s like being a good human being.
“If your actions affect other people in a negative way, it’s just not good no matter what it is.
“Whether you are that million-dollar van lifer or not.
“You don’t have to leave your bag of poop on the side of the sidewalk, somebody’s got to clean it up.”