When you decide to ditch the traditional house or apartment for a home on wheels, you might be surprised at how many options there are to create your new mobile abode. If you don’t know much about the nomadic life, your first thought is probably to find one of those drivable RVs that come equipped with a move-in ready living area, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom space. After all, why go through the extensive work and take the time required to complete a bus conversion when you can choose a quick and easy solution instead?
Well, quick and easy doesn’t always mean better. While an RV can be a good fit for part-time travelers, they’re not typically designed for full-time life on the road.
Here’s why a converted bus is a better fit for the vagabond lifestyle:
Customize your living space.
Built-in RV features may make the transition to mobile living less work on your part, but they’re not always conducive to the needs or preferences you have for your home. When you opt for a bus instead, you have the ability to choose your home’s layout, furnishings, and amenities according to your ideal lifestyle.
Need a desk area to work your remote job online? No problem! Or, are you a foodie who needs more kitchen space to master your next recipe? With a bus, you have the flexibility to design your space based on how you plan to use it. Plus, it’ll feel a lot more like a home instead of temporary accommodations for a camping trip.
You’ll have more space on a bus.
RV interiors are typically sectioned off, designed more for meeting basic needs rather than providing a comfortable living area. Most people who want to relax while camping use the great outdoors as their living room (as that’s sort of the point of camping).
When you’re living in a vehicle, however, you likely will want enough room to move around and lounge inside when you need to or feel like it. Once you remove the seats from a bus, you’re pretty much left with an open floor plan to build out as you see fit. This gives you far more space to work with compared to an RV.
Buses are safer and more durable than RVs.
As we’ve already mentioned, RVs are designed to be used just a few months out of the year. They’re also not designed to travel as long or as frequently as a bus. As a result, an RV isn’t as safe for drivers or passengers and will begin to deteriorate sooner and more quickly with prolonged use.
Buses, on the other hand, are commercial vehicles specifically constructed with built-in safety measures to protect a larger number of passengers in the event of a collision. They’re also intended to be driven constantly for many miles at a time. This means a bus will hold up better to daily travel in various, sometimes rough, terrain and weather than an RV, making it the safer option for your family’s home.
Buses are cheaper.
It is true that you could purchase a small RV with all of the essential amenities you need for less money than it would take to buy a bus and pay for a conversion. When you consider what you’re getting for the price though—and that you’ll be living in this vehicle full-time—a bus conversion comes out on top as the more cost-efficient option.
If you want an RV with the same amount of space and levels of durability and safety as a bus, you’re talking upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the vehicle alone. That’s not including the cost of what you need to make it suitable for full-time living (linens, dishware, etc.) and any customizations you want to make. In comparison, you can get a used school bus for less than $10,000. Additionally, a bus can be customized with amenities that don’t require constant power, such as a solar system or composting toilet, which means you don’t have to pay to stay at a campsite to power your utilities every night.
Find the perfect bus to transform into your full-time home at Northwest Bus Sales!
Our inventory includes a wide range of new and used models, including school buses, coach buses, shuttle buses and more. Experienced mechanics are on hand to ensure every vehicle we sell is safe to use and of lasting quality.
Contact our experts today so they can match you with the best bus for your conversion!
