Single Woman Lives, Works and Travels in a School Bus That She Turned Into a Mobile Home

Annette is an ingenious woman who travels and lives full-time in a skoolie that she turned into a mobile home. She started converting the bus in 2019 and moved into it in April 2021. She goes around every American state to photograph vulnerable people for her non-profit organization, using the studio inside the bus.

To make this place a safer house to live in, a few cameras were installed in front of the bus alongside a doorbell. These are welcome measures when you're uncertain about the area you're going to park and sleep in the next night. The side of the bus also has an outside shower to which a shower frame with a curtain can be attached. To enjoy the weather outside, Annette added four hooks on which she can add a hammock that can be attached to a tree or another bus and enjoy some quality time with other bus people.

There is plenty of storage on the outside thanks to a large toolbox that goes into the bus, secured with a key lock. Another storage box is present at the tail end of the skoolie, serving as storage for the electrical cables and water hoses. A bike rack with a bike on it is also sitting nicely at the front end, for those times when she cannot take her bus around.

Stepping inside, we get into a fully functional kitchen with a sink, a two-burner propane stovetop, an oven, and even a full-size retro refrigerator. All the water that comes from the 65-gallon water tank is filtered through a Berkey water filter. There is lots of storage space, due to the small pantry next to the oven and the many upper cabinets.

A bathroom is on the other side of the kitchen and has a sliding door. The minuscule bathroom is painted black and only has space for a shower cabin and a toilet. To save water, the shower head has an on/off button, so she uses the water only when needed.

The living room is just an extendable couch with drawers underneath and decorated with many cozy pillows, but it is good enough for the guests to sleep in. The ceiling is adorned with a few hooks on which she can attach her gym equipment or hammocks.

Since this bus is used for both living and working, a workspace was also arranged. On one side, we find a makeup corner with a Hollywood LED light mirror, and on the other side of the bus, it's the space where she runs her business from. On the table, there are two large jars with duck rubber toys and wristbands for people who come on the bus to buy them, with profits going to charity.

It is at the rear end of the bus where the magic happens. The photography studio consists of a rear wall that was painted black. The reason for this is that after taking a picture, the people in it can personalize the background using an iPad.

What is truly amazing here is that the photo studio, or to be more specific, the black wall can be folded down and a magical bedroom appears. The bedroom has a two-person bed with a thick mattress that also absorbs the sound and is mounted high enough so that the person staying in it can look directly outside through the rear windows. The wall here has been painted in a wonderful rainbow design.

The bus only cost $7,200 (€7,225) without all the amenities. It runs off-grid with 570-watts solar panels, a 250-amp hour battery, a 3000-watts inverter, and a diesel heater.