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Inspiring School Bus Conversions – Ideas and Examples

  • By Kate Moore
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From the US to Argentina and Australia, conversion bus builds can be seen all over the world.

Because of the school bus length, these conversions are one of the most spacious ways to travel at a fraction of the cost of a big RV. And some people think of them as one of the best campers for van life.

With hookups or without, these inspiring bus conversions are both creative and functional. We hope these builds will motivate you to go on your own big adventure!

skoolie bus conversion interior design
diy skoolie interior camper build

With a classic American school bus build, @thevoyagerproject has one of the coolest red white and blue conversions we’ve come across. This bus has gone all over the US and has a light and clean wood interior.

inspirational diy skoolie bus conversion @alwayshomebus

The layout that @alwayshomebus has built into their bus looks cozy and has tons of seating. This couple was able to build their retired school bus on a tight budget and still come out with a great looking build.

skoolie bus kitchen design
custom diy skoolie bus conversion design layout

@trebventure transformed their 1999 blue bird school bus into a modern tiny home for the whole family. Our favorite part about this build is the minimalist kitchen and mini wood stove for heating.

school bus conversion build @finnleywest

@finnleywest has a colorful and warm wood interior. What we like about this conversion is the all of the organization and storage space. This bus looks just like a tiny home but it’s certainly more mobile!

building a diy skoolie bus conversion adventure
living in a diy skoolie bus conversion

@bilby_the_bus is owned by two Australians out of Melbourne. The bus was a low-budget build and is electrically powered by the sun! We love the roof deck and platform to store surfboards and make extra space to hang out.

School bus build diy conversion @the_marley_bus

Another Australian conversion is @the_marley_bus which is built out of a 1994 Toyota coaster. We like that this build has such a cool personality on the inside as well as all the counter space!

modern skoolie bus conversion design
cool layout in a diy skoolie bus conversion

@nomadicmillers are a family of five that adventure in their bus! With all of those people, organization is a key component of this conversion. The retired school bus comes with a full kitchen and sets of bunk beds in the back to fit the whole family.

diy conversion bus to live in @navigationnowhere

@navigationnowhere has a simplistic and practical bus build that is perfect for adventure. We love the attention to detail in this build and how the green color scheme on the inside wraps right around to the exterior.

roof top platform on top of a diy skoolie bus conversion build
reading in a custom school bus conversion build

A miniature bus is still quite spacious! @sasquatchthebus makes the perfect adventure vehicle because it’s small enough to go up the really windy roads but large enough to hold anything you need. The roof deck on top is our favorite part of the build – looks like the perfect place to sleep under the stars.

Surfing couple in a school bus conversion @panamericanbus

The @panamericanbus is one of our favorite adventures to follow on instagram. This couple has taken their cool conversion bus from America all the way to Argentina and has really cool experiences to share. We love how they used every inch of storage and figured out a unique way to store surf boards inside!

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Kate is the lead content creator for ParkedInParadise.com and has spent over two years living in a camper van conversion. She has traveled through 48 US states and writes about van life, camping and RV living.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. I am curently now saving to purchase a schoolie i figure 6 months from now ill have close to 5,000 $ yo start.research in buying the bus7. Fingers crossed.!

  2. Great ideas, thank you! Ideas of future articles -> information about 4×4 conversions for schoolies and about potentially increasing lift pros/cons. Just throwing that out there as I hunt for said info (-:

  3. We are buying a retired school bus to convert to an rv. Do you know how or where I can get insurance coverage? State of Utah. And what type of license is required to drive it without passengers?

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