Couple trades in home, car and business to live on bus

They ditched their home, car and family business for a risky sea-change – and though they came within weeks of bankruptcy, this couple pulled it off.

A young couple who sold everything they owned to travel around the world in their bus have revealed they almost went bankrupt in the process.

But now they say they’d rather die than go back.

Content writers Tawny McVay, 34, and her husband Michael, 31, from Montana in the US, made the decision to sell their things and go travelling after realising they were unhappy, despite having a three-storey house, a nice car, and a family gym business, The Sun reported.

“We were classed as successful and should have been wildly happy, but we weren’t,” Mrs McVay said.

Michael and Tawny McVay traded it all in to live on a bus. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

Their bus, Oliver, which they bought and renovated for just under $30,000. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

“In early spring of 2018 we saw a documentary about a couple who converted a school bus into a tiny home.

“We did some research and put our house on the market a few weeks later.

“Within two months, we had sold most of our belongings and had the house and our business under contract.

“We searched and searched for the perfect bus, finally found it, and with everything tied up, we bought the bus and jumped in.”

The kitchen area. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

The family now lives on the road. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

The couple found buyers for their business and home, however both fell through after they’d bought their bus.

“Our house fell through two days before closing the deal, and the person buying our business pulled out,” Mrs McVay said.

“We had to move in with Mike’s parents and it was a very taxing six months. According to the numbers, we were a week away from bankruptcy.”

The couple installed a hammock that clips onto the roof of the vehicle. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

The home comes with a modern composting toilet. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

Thankfully, in December 2018, the couple’s house and business were squared away, and they moved onto the bus full time six months later, documenting their travels on their Instagram account Since We Woke Up.

The bus and renovations cost the couple just under $30,000.

Their bus is a converted school bus from 2004 that they bought from a local company for about $7350 and nicknamed Oliver.

The fully fitted – and stylish – kitchen. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

The cosy bedroom. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

The couple said the renovations set them back $22,000 and they carried them out themselves, with the help of Mrs McVay’s dad and brothers.

“It has a living area with a Murphy bed, a full kitchen with range and fridge, bathroom with a composting toilet, shower and washer/dryer combo and our bedroom,” she said.

The old school bus was emptied and renovated. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

The inside of the bus before the renovations. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

“There’s almost 100 gallons (380 litres) of fresh water, two propane tanks and a solar system with 600W of panels and 600Ah batteries.”

The couple has already covered more than 8000km across the Pacific Northwest region, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

They plan to head to the US southwest region during the harsh months of winter.

“We’ve been very fortunate to not have too many problems while on the road,” Mrs McVay said.

The McVays bought the bus from a local vendor. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

In their downtime, Tawny is learning to play guitar and Michael likes to draw. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

“We have our Great Dane called Apollo to protect us, but thankfully the only thing ever going bump in the night has been the occasional wild animal when we stay in the woods.

“Sometimes it can be tricky finding somewhere to fill up on water or find a place to park the bus when we are visiting bigger cities.”

She said her family and friends laughed when they revealed their plans.

The stylish bathroom. Picture: MDWfeatures/Tawny McVay

“They nodded and went along with it … I suppose they are used to our oddball choices,” she said.

“We have two kids who also travel with us part time when they’re not with their biological dad. We like that we can teach them to follow their dreams even if they aren’t ‘normal’.

“Every lifestyle comes with pros and cons. Having a home on wheels isn’t always an easy choice. It takes determination as you have breakdowns and travel issues to deal with.

“To be honest, as the saying goes, we would rather die on an adventure like this than live standing still.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission