Mayflower and Mayhem: Interview about their Skoolie Project
June 28, 2022 | Tagged: Interviews
Am excited to be able to introduce you to (and be the first to show an interest in this new adventure) husband and wife, Tyler and Maria Pilgrim of "Mayflower and Mayhem, travel bloggers from McDonough, Georgia, USA and now, proud owners of an ex-US school bus commonly known as a Skoolie.
Readers may have read my interview with my friend Nick from Namibia who bought a Toyota Hilux and is now a full-time nomad, with his 5410Africa project. 54 Countries in 10 years, so you know I'll be showing lots of interest in this exciting project.
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NomadicBackpacker:
So Tyler, you have just acquired a Skoolie. Tell us a little bit about how you found the bus.
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We started looking into Skoolie Life a few years ago but it was just a pipe dream at the time; my job was in no way one that would allow that amount of travel.
I got a new job this last November and it's fully remote. As long as I have internet I can work.
After I got the new job we began diving heavily into various bus groups and Facebook Marketplace looking for school buses for sale.
The Skoolie Community is very established and we actually visited a "tiny home convention" in Macon, Georgia near the end of April to further our knowledge and then about two weeks later, a very promising 'school bus for sale' notice popped up in one of the Skoolie Groups. We chatted back and forth with the guy, asking him a ton of questions, and found out the bus was only about 1.5 hours from our house.
So we arrange a visit, travelled over there and then spent a good few hours inspecting it, paid the guy and drove it home.
NomadicBackpacker:
Tell us about the bus:
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Ours is a 1994 BlueBird TC2000. It's 33 feet long and has the engine/transmission combo of the 5.9 Cummins and Allison transmission, which we were very pleased about because of the ease of maintenance and the sheer amount of replacement parts out there in case something ever goes wrong.
****
NomadicBackpacker:
So Tyler, you have just acquired a Skoolie. Tell us a little bit about how you found the bus.
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We started looking into Skoolie Life a few years ago but it was just a pipe dream at the time; my job was in no way one that would allow that amount of travel.
I got a new job this last November and it's fully remote. As long as I have internet I can work.
After I got the new job we began diving heavily into various bus groups and Facebook Marketplace looking for school buses for sale.
The Skoolie Community is very established and we actually visited a "tiny home convention" in Macon, Georgia near the end of April to further our knowledge and then about two weeks later, a very promising 'school bus for sale' notice popped up in one of the Skoolie Groups. We chatted back and forth with the guy, asking him a ton of questions, and found out the bus was only about 1.5 hours from our house.
So we arrange a visit, travelled over there and then spent a good few hours inspecting it, paid the guy and drove it home.
NomadicBackpacker:
Tell us about the bus:
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Ours is a 1994 BlueBird TC2000. It's 33 feet long and has the engine/transmission combo of the 5.9 Cummins and Allison transmission, which we were very pleased about because of the ease of maintenance and the sheer amount of replacement parts out there in case something ever goes wrong.
We paid $3500 for ours, which we were totally fine with because we were expecting to pay closer to $6000.
Obviously setting up a Skoolie for travel requires an extensive refit it and the costs involved vary considerably depending on how much of the work you can do yourselves and what set up you are after. We plan on up-cycling a lot of stuff to reduce costs.
Our biggest expense is going to be the solar power.
NomadicBackpacker:
Are there any websites or owner clubs out there that you would recommend to others who want to do something similar?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
When we first started investigating this project we did a lot of solo research. We then found a couple of online Skoolie communities, specifically skoolie.net which is probably one of the largest ones out there.
The others we frequent often for advice and research are Skoolie Nation and Skoolie Planet on Facebook. In addition to that, though, YouTube is the best friend of anyone trying to start this lifestyle. There are so many inspirational videos out there, DIY videos, and so much more. Plus, there are many of Skoolie meetups throughout the United States that you can find in various groups.
NomadicBackpacker:
And so to the Skoolie Conversion?
What sort of shape was it in when you acquired it?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We were very fortunate because the bus was in good condition when we acquired it. However, any vehicle that is 28 years old is going to have some issues, but our primary focus was making sure the engine was running well.
There are quite a few things to check any time you're going to inspect a potential school bus to buy (some of which we cover on our website), but a heavy focus needs to be put on the engine, transmission, and tires. All of those things checked out with our bus; in fact, the tires looked about 80% new with no signs of dry rot or damage.
School bus tires can easily cost upwards of a couple of thousand dollars for a full set, so that wasn't an expense we wanted to have to take on.
The specific issue with ours though, were the electrics. Many of the lights and the dashboard not working.
Obviously setting up a Skoolie for travel requires an extensive refit it and the costs involved vary considerably depending on how much of the work you can do yourselves and what set up you are after. We plan on up-cycling a lot of stuff to reduce costs.
Our biggest expense is going to be the solar power.
NomadicBackpacker:
Are there any websites or owner clubs out there that you would recommend to others who want to do something similar?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
When we first started investigating this project we did a lot of solo research. We then found a couple of online Skoolie communities, specifically skoolie.net which is probably one of the largest ones out there.
The others we frequent often for advice and research are Skoolie Nation and Skoolie Planet on Facebook. In addition to that, though, YouTube is the best friend of anyone trying to start this lifestyle. There are so many inspirational videos out there, DIY videos, and so much more. Plus, there are many of Skoolie meetups throughout the United States that you can find in various groups.
NomadicBackpacker:
And so to the Skoolie Conversion?
What sort of shape was it in when you acquired it?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We were very fortunate because the bus was in good condition when we acquired it. However, any vehicle that is 28 years old is going to have some issues, but our primary focus was making sure the engine was running well.
There are quite a few things to check any time you're going to inspect a potential school bus to buy (some of which we cover on our website), but a heavy focus needs to be put on the engine, transmission, and tires. All of those things checked out with our bus; in fact, the tires looked about 80% new with no signs of dry rot or damage.
School bus tires can easily cost upwards of a couple of thousand dollars for a full set, so that wasn't an expense we wanted to have to take on.
The specific issue with ours though, were the electrics. Many of the lights and the dashboard not working.
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Speeding isn't too much of a concern in a school bus but it was a bit worrying because we couldn't tell things like oil pressure and temperature, not to mention we only had one brake light but luckily both headlights were working so we could at least drive it home.
There is very minimal rust on the floor, and the seats had already been removed which saved us a few days' worth of extra work.
There is very minimal rust on the floor, and the seats had already been removed which saved us a few days' worth of extra work.
Since we got it home, we've gotten all of the lights to work and a friend of ours who is a school bus mechanic visited and did a once over, gave us some more maintenance lessons and got the dashboard and gauges working again. Now we can just focus on the rest of the conversion process.
NomadicBackpacker:
How much time do you think you will need to get it ready for the road?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Our goal is to have it ready by this November, though we'll likely not actually formally "leave" until after the holidays. That way we can still spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family here while giving us a couple of months to spend a few nights in it here and there to make sure everything is OK.
Right now, we are almost done with the internal demolition (removing the ceiling and wall panels and old insulation). Then we'll start on the floor cleanup and sealant and some other small bodywork bits we need to finish. Then it'll just be a matter of building out the inside and painting!
NomadicBackpacker:
How much time do you think you will need to get it ready for the road?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Our goal is to have it ready by this November, though we'll likely not actually formally "leave" until after the holidays. That way we can still spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family here while giving us a couple of months to spend a few nights in it here and there to make sure everything is OK.
Right now, we are almost done with the internal demolition (removing the ceiling and wall panels and old insulation). Then we'll start on the floor cleanup and sealant and some other small bodywork bits we need to finish. Then it'll just be a matter of building out the inside and painting!
NomadicBackpacker:
And once it's ready, what's the short-term plan?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Our short-term plan is to slowly work our way down through Florida since we (hopefully) will actually be leaving in the cold months. We chose this for a couple of reasons, specifically because we have family in Florida in case something goes wrong on the first actual long trip, plus it gets us down towards the Florida Keys during cooler weather up north.
NomadicBackpacker:
And the long-term plan?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Long-term is a bit crazier. We for sure know we want to hit the east coast of the United States all the way up to Maine, and that could take us through the summer of 2023. From there, it's a matter of determining the best route we want to take. We did a 10-state Midwest road trip last year which is what kicked off our Youtube channel and website, so we may decide to skirt the northern border and venture into Canada a bit. We know we want to eventually spend time in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, and possibly Alaska (but that's a different ballgame). Once we feel satisfied we've adventured to the places in the States we really want to visit, we'll turn south and start heading through Latin America. If someone were to ask me a lofty goal for where we may eventually make it to, I'd say Argentina and southern South America.
NomadicBackpacker:
Being of no fixed abode in 2022 is a real pain in the butt. Banks and the tax office to name but two just don't have the boxes to click when you don't have an address. From personal experience, it's like, you don't have an address, what sort of criminal are you? As if it's illegal to be without an address.
How are you dealing with that?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Many skoolie families either use a family member's address or, perhaps the more common, is to go the route of a UPS mailbox which actually gives you a physical address for use with various forms, insurance, some driver's licenses, and whatever other documents need an actual address and not a P.O. Box. You can use that as your address, and just have mail forwarded somewhere local if you really need to.
And once it's ready, what's the short-term plan?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Our short-term plan is to slowly work our way down through Florida since we (hopefully) will actually be leaving in the cold months. We chose this for a couple of reasons, specifically because we have family in Florida in case something goes wrong on the first actual long trip, plus it gets us down towards the Florida Keys during cooler weather up north.
NomadicBackpacker:
And the long-term plan?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Long-term is a bit crazier. We for sure know we want to hit the east coast of the United States all the way up to Maine, and that could take us through the summer of 2023. From there, it's a matter of determining the best route we want to take. We did a 10-state Midwest road trip last year which is what kicked off our Youtube channel and website, so we may decide to skirt the northern border and venture into Canada a bit. We know we want to eventually spend time in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, and possibly Alaska (but that's a different ballgame). Once we feel satisfied we've adventured to the places in the States we really want to visit, we'll turn south and start heading through Latin America. If someone were to ask me a lofty goal for where we may eventually make it to, I'd say Argentina and southern South America.
NomadicBackpacker:
Being of no fixed abode in 2022 is a real pain in the butt. Banks and the tax office to name but two just don't have the boxes to click when you don't have an address. From personal experience, it's like, you don't have an address, what sort of criminal are you? As if it's illegal to be without an address.
How are you dealing with that?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
Many skoolie families either use a family member's address or, perhaps the more common, is to go the route of a UPS mailbox which actually gives you a physical address for use with various forms, insurance, some driver's licenses, and whatever other documents need an actual address and not a P.O. Box. You can use that as your address, and just have mail forwarded somewhere local if you really need to.
NomadicBackpacker:
You have 3 children, 10, 4 and 2, what about their schooling?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We were already very fortunate in this aspect because my wife has been homeschooling the kids since our oldest was going into pre-k. The infrastructure is there, and of course, part of the reason we're travelling is for their education, as well. There are so many things you simply can't learn in a textbook or on the computer and we want the kids to be exposed to various cultures, languages, and the wonder this world has to offer.
It's neat, because one of the small additions we're going to be fitting to the bus is an old tiny school desk that was used by my father-in-law which our kids have been using it too throughout their childhood. It's going in as a spot for the littlest ones to sit and colour and also will serve as an end table to our couch in the skoolie.
You have 3 children, 10, 4 and 2, what about their schooling?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We were already very fortunate in this aspect because my wife has been homeschooling the kids since our oldest was going into pre-k. The infrastructure is there, and of course, part of the reason we're travelling is for their education, as well. There are so many things you simply can't learn in a textbook or on the computer and we want the kids to be exposed to various cultures, languages, and the wonder this world has to offer.
It's neat, because one of the small additions we're going to be fitting to the bus is an old tiny school desk that was used by my father-in-law which our kids have been using it too throughout their childhood. It's going in as a spot for the littlest ones to sit and colour and also will serve as an end table to our couch in the skoolie.
NomadicBackpacker:
Despite the popularity of the catchphrase/hype, 'travel the world for free', the last time I checked, they are not giving away gas for free, vehicle license fees or insurance, how do you plan on sustaining yourselves, 2 adults, 3 kids plus one on the way and 2 dogs for when you go #SkoolieLife
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We were very blessed to have landed this job that allows me to work fully remote while providing outstanding benefits and pay. My wife has mentioned potentially getting back into the jewellery making she used to do which could be some supplemental income, also.
Many campgrounds also provided what is referred to as "workamping," which is where a campground allows you free or heavily discounted parking with your own campsite and some payment in exchange for essentially running the campsite or manning the front office. That's also a great opportunity for our oldest, who will start driving on his own and looking for jobs in a couple of years.
On top of that, the Skoolie will be registered as an RV and insurance can be purchased fairly reasonable rates. The worst thing right now will be the price of diesel, so we may just go from campsite to campsite a bit less while gas prices are high.
No matter what, though, factoring in the price of the bus, renovations, potential breakdowns, gas, any campsite fees, and cell service so we can hook up our laptops and works, we would still be paying way less than we would be living in a house with rent/mortgage and utilities.
NomadicBackpacker:
This is a fascinating project. How long do you think you will need before you can set off?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We're really hoping to be done, minus maybe the solar install, in approximately 5 months. Of course, we have a baby coming in September so we're trying to do as much work as possible in the meantime! Either way, though, we are outside working and scrapping away at projects on the bus basically everyday, so progress is coming along nicely. About the solar install, our goal is to go ahead and wire everything up for shore power and generator capability with everything pre-wired for the solar install at a later date when we have the funds for it.
NomadicBackpacker:
Any plans to go beyond where you can just drive? The road stops in Prudhoe Bay and in Panana somewhere. Does taking your Skoolie south of the Darien appeal? Africa? Europe? Asia?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
The Darien Gap is probably the most frustrating part of trying to plan to drive that far south, however, it isn't impossible. It would be a long time before we're potentially at that point anyway, but the cost to ship the Skoolie from Panama to Colombia would be anywhere from $1500-$3000. If that's something we decide to do, we would obviously just plan well ahead for it because it does open up so many options to explore South America. Prudhoe Bay could be cool, even though that's a long way up north, but it does bring up another point.
We'll still do other forms of travelling, too; we would just park the Skoolie in a secure location and maybe take a flight somewhere or a transit bus for a few days. For example, we have family in Puerto Rico, so there's a good chance we'll park somewhere and take flights and cruises into the Caribbean.
As for Europe, Africa, or Asia, we'll have to see when the time comes. I would love to, but logistically and monetarily I don't know how feasible it would be for us, though Skoolie folks do ship their rigs overseas. It's definitely a possibility, we'd love to navigate through Europe on our Skoolie!
NomadicBackpacker:
Thank you for your time. I wish you the best of luck in this fascinating project.
Despite the popularity of the catchphrase/hype, 'travel the world for free', the last time I checked, they are not giving away gas for free, vehicle license fees or insurance, how do you plan on sustaining yourselves, 2 adults, 3 kids plus one on the way and 2 dogs for when you go #SkoolieLife
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We were very blessed to have landed this job that allows me to work fully remote while providing outstanding benefits and pay. My wife has mentioned potentially getting back into the jewellery making she used to do which could be some supplemental income, also.
Many campgrounds also provided what is referred to as "workamping," which is where a campground allows you free or heavily discounted parking with your own campsite and some payment in exchange for essentially running the campsite or manning the front office. That's also a great opportunity for our oldest, who will start driving on his own and looking for jobs in a couple of years.
On top of that, the Skoolie will be registered as an RV and insurance can be purchased fairly reasonable rates. The worst thing right now will be the price of diesel, so we may just go from campsite to campsite a bit less while gas prices are high.
No matter what, though, factoring in the price of the bus, renovations, potential breakdowns, gas, any campsite fees, and cell service so we can hook up our laptops and works, we would still be paying way less than we would be living in a house with rent/mortgage and utilities.
NomadicBackpacker:
This is a fascinating project. How long do you think you will need before you can set off?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
We're really hoping to be done, minus maybe the solar install, in approximately 5 months. Of course, we have a baby coming in September so we're trying to do as much work as possible in the meantime! Either way, though, we are outside working and scrapping away at projects on the bus basically everyday, so progress is coming along nicely. About the solar install, our goal is to go ahead and wire everything up for shore power and generator capability with everything pre-wired for the solar install at a later date when we have the funds for it.
NomadicBackpacker:
Any plans to go beyond where you can just drive? The road stops in Prudhoe Bay and in Panana somewhere. Does taking your Skoolie south of the Darien appeal? Africa? Europe? Asia?
Mayflower and Mayhem:
The Darien Gap is probably the most frustrating part of trying to plan to drive that far south, however, it isn't impossible. It would be a long time before we're potentially at that point anyway, but the cost to ship the Skoolie from Panama to Colombia would be anywhere from $1500-$3000. If that's something we decide to do, we would obviously just plan well ahead for it because it does open up so many options to explore South America. Prudhoe Bay could be cool, even though that's a long way up north, but it does bring up another point.
We'll still do other forms of travelling, too; we would just park the Skoolie in a secure location and maybe take a flight somewhere or a transit bus for a few days. For example, we have family in Puerto Rico, so there's a good chance we'll park somewhere and take flights and cruises into the Caribbean.
As for Europe, Africa, or Asia, we'll have to see when the time comes. I would love to, but logistically and monetarily I don't know how feasible it would be for us, though Skoolie folks do ship their rigs overseas. It's definitely a possibility, we'd love to navigate through Europe on our Skoolie!
NomadicBackpacker:
Thank you for your time. I wish you the best of luck in this fascinating project.