A couple transformed a 20-year-old school bus into a mobile home and traveled the country's parks: 'It's not for the lazy'

Scott Heltz had always hoped to give up his day job one day, buy an RV, and explore the country. When the New Orleans-based electrician met his partner, Shaquita Riley, in 2019, he finally found someone to do it with.

But Riley had a slightly different idea. She suggested buying an old school bus and converting it into a mobile home, or a "skoolie." Heltz, who loves building things, was intrigued. There was more room to rebuild and customize an old bus than an RV. Within six months of meeting, Heltz and Riley bought a 2004 school bus for about $3,000.

"The biggest thing for me was traveling," Heltz, 55, told Business Insider. "I always wanted to travel."

Heltz estimates the couple spent about $40,000 renovating the bus over the course of three years. They cut off the roof and raised it, installed new sheet metal, and tore out the old interior, replacing it with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, eating area, and lots of colorful art.

"The day I put the toilet in the bus, my wife ran out and bought a mattress, and she never spent another night in the house," Heltz said.

The couple left New Orleans in 2023 and haven't looked back. Since then, Heltz and Riley — and their two dogs and two cats — have traveled the American West, mostly working and camping in state and national parks. These days, they're living in their bus in southern Arizona and hoping to settle down.

They're not alone. A growing number of Americans are giving up their brick-and-mortar homes and traveling the country in RVs and skoolies, working in exchange for a place to park and a modest hourly wage. Some are older people retiring on the cheap, others are families looking to expose their kids to the country, and still others are living in vehicles to avoid high rents or homelessness.

Heltz and Riley left New Orleans in 2023 and plan to settle in southern Arizona after a few years of work camping in parks across the West. Courtesy of Scott Heltz

Skoolie life isn't for everyone

Heltz stressed that the skoolie life isn't as glamorous as some influencers and others make it out to be. There are mechanical issues to deal with, insurance can be expensive, and living in tight quarters and working menial jobs in parks can be tough.

"There were times when I definitely questioned why I was cleaning toilets instead of doing something that I was made to do," he said.

The lifestyle also came with a significant pay cut for Heltz. But the bus hasn't given them much trouble, and their expenses have been relatively low.

"Bus life got real romanticized for a while," Heltz said. "It's not for the lazy. It's not for people that aren't self-sufficient."

He added, "It's not just throwing a futon in a bus and driving around the country and seeing things. You've still got to live. You've still got to survive. You've still got to pay bills."

Are you work-camping or finding creative ways to save on housing costs? Reach out to this reporter at [email protected].

They're not planning on living in the bus forever. Last year, the couple, who aren't legally married but plan to wed this year, bought 20 acres of land in Douglas, Arizona, a small town on the border of Mexico, where they want to build a container home and live off the land. Riley wants to become a turkey farmer and raise a slew of other farm animals, while Heltz wants to build his own solar power station so they can live largely off the grid.

Heltz stressed that the skoolie life isn't as glamorous as some influencers and others make it out to be. Courtesy of Scott Heltz

They've cleared the area where they'd like to build the house, and they've built a driveway, but they're still working on getting a well on the property — a crucial feature in the southwestern desert.

In the meantime, they're living in their bus in an RV park in Sierra Vista, Arizona, about 50 miles from their property. Heltz is working for an RV dealer, where he repairs vehicles. He's hoping he'll be able to start his own business repairing mobile homes. Riley recently completed her BA and is working towards becoming a therapist.

"We'll see how it goes. It's kind of day by day," Heltz said. "But we do have a plan."