- People think I'm probably really bummy
or maybe I don't have a job,
and I can tell if I have interactions,
sometimes with police officers
or someone who wants me to move the bus,
the way they look at me,
is as if maybe I'm a little bit beneath them or something,
and that can really hit you hard.
My name is Deanna and I live in a converted shuttle bus.
I've lived in Tahoe for four years
and just in the last year I moved into the bus.
So a normal day for me looks like waking up,
I feed my dog, Luna, and then I'll make my coffee,
kind of just tidy up and make sure the bus is ready to move.
(relaxing music)
Once that's done, I move to my new spot,
where I either will work or just hang out for the day.
A lot of times I'll try to park by the lake,
just 'cause it's a nice view and it's fun.
And then in the evening time, I move again.
Overall, I spent 40 grand on the bus.
The biggest expense was the bus itself,
which I bought for 15,000.
The actual build took about eight months
and I did it in the middle of winter
on the side of the road.
(peaceful music)
All right, I wanna just take you through the bus
and show you around.
So these are the original bus doors,
I ended up putting a remote on them,
helps them open automatically.
I've got a pantry above the driver's seat,
which basically just has all of my dog stuff
and their treats, toys.
Over here, I just have some shoe storage.
This is my living room area and also my workstation.
So I'll use this to put my laptop
and I use my other monitor there.
I've got a lot of kitchen storage,
just my utensils, cups and plates.
And then down here is my refrigerator.
It comes out on this drawer, it's half-fridge, half-freezer.
It runs off of 12 volt, which is really efficient.
And then these are my dogs water bowls,
I have them on these mounts
so they don't move around while I drive.
Here's a little bench seat,
and then this is kind of like my little plant area.
I just put these lights in to hopefully help them grow.
And down here's my propane locker.
It's important to have these for safety,
so if there's any propane leaks,
it will be vented out the bottom of the bus,
instead of inside.
It's a propane furnace.
My control station,
so I've got this thing that tells me
the temperature inside or outside, time, the humidity.
This control is my inverter, which is my power system.
This shows me how much battery power I have,
and this is a CO2 alarm.
Here is my closet,
I've got plenty of storage up here,
all of my other storage down here, and my laundry basket.
I've got even additional shoe
and miscellaneous storage in here,
which is a step I use to get up into my bed.
And up here, I've got a queen size bed.
I've got plenty of storage up above the foot area.
And then I have this door that leads into my bathroom,
least glamorous thing of living in the bus
is definitely the toilet situation.
Not actually using the toilet, but having to clean it.
I have my shower, which is a recirculating shower,
which means it recycles the water,
and I'm able to only use 12 gallons for about a week.
And down here is my tankless propane heater,
which runs my shower.
When you live in a bus like this, something that's small,
it really simplifies your life.
And at times it can force you to address things
that you maybe didn't even realize you were avoiding.
I love just that having that time of self-reflection
and being able to think, "Am I happy in life?
Is this what I wanna do?
Is this important to me?
Is this worth my time?",
and being able to let go of things
that maybe don't serve you anymore.
This lifestyle definitely forces you to do that.
My biggest advice to someone looking
to do the same thing as me or something similar,
is just to really learn as much as you can.
Living like this has really changed my outlook
on sustainability and my day-to-day lifestyle choices,
like water conservation and power conservation,
because everything that you have is limited.
We don't have unlimited access
to things like you do in a house,
and it really makes you think about what you're using,
how much you're using.
And if you really embrace those things,
this lifestyle can benefit you for years to come,
even when you're not in it anymore.
(upbeat music)