Couple sell everything they own and risk bankruptcy to travel the world on a bus

SAM November 22, 2019
The McVays now both work online as content writers. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
Tawny and Michael sold their three-storey house and gym business to move into an old school bus (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)

Tawny MacVay, 34, and her husband Michael, 31, had a family gym business, a three-storey house, and a nice car. But they weren’t happy.

They decided to make a change, selling everything they owned so they could buy a bus and travel the world.

But overhauling your life isn’t so simple.

While the couple found buyers for their home and business, both fell through after they had bought their bus, meaning they were near bankruptcy and had to live with family for six month.

They didn’t let that roadblock stop them from pursuing their dreams of a new lifestyle. In December 2018 they managed to sort out their finances and get to work on turning an old school bus into a home.

The bus, which Tawny and Michael call Oliver, was originally a 2004 school bus they bought for $5,000 (£3,900). Renovations – including creating a kitchen and adding a cosy bed, set them back $15,000 (£11,700).

This is what a school bus looks ike without school kids or seats. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
They bought the old school bus for $5,000 (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)
The McVays bring their two children when they aren't with their biological father. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
Renovations cost around £11,000 (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)

In May 2018, they moved aboard full-time. They haven’t looked back since.

‘We owned a business, a three-storey home and all the usual means of measuring success,’ said Tawny. ‘We were classed as successful and should have been wildly happy, but we weren’t.

‘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.’

Here you can see the bus starts to take shape. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
The bus now has a full kitchen, a living area, and a bedroom (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)
When the McVays sold their home and business at first they both fell through and they almost ended up bankrupt. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
Nice, right? (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)

The couple’s bus now has a living area with a Murphy bed, a full kitchen with jobs and a fridge, a bathroom with a composting toilet, a shower, a washer/dryer, and a bedroom.

It’s powered not just by petrol but with solar panels stuck on top.

So far Tawny, Michael, and Oliver, have journeyed more than 5,000 miles, travelling through the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, and plan to head south to avoid the cold through winter.

The pair sleep and relax on the bus, jumping off to take their Great Dane, Apollo, for walks and stopping in cities to fill up on water. They now both work as writers, too.

As we said, it’s not an easy ride, but the couple are so glad they packed up things and joined the bus life.

The McVays catching up for breakfast in the morning before starting their work as writers. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
Both now work as writers (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)

‘We’ve been very fortunate to not have too many problems while on the road,’ says Tawny.

‘When we told our family and friends what we were going to do they laughed. Mike and I are pretty impulsive people and also don’t stay inside the societal norm box. They nodded and went along with it I suppose they are used to our ‘oddball’ choices.

‘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’.

The McVays say that if you feel like you're standing still in life then maybe bus life could be for you. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
The couple say they’d rather die than go back to their old lives (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)
The McVays are able to park their bus almost anywhere they like in some of the most beautiful locations. THIS successful couple SOLD EVERYTHING to live the bus life and narrowly escaped BANKRUPTCY on the way but they say they would rather DIE than go back to their old lives. Content writers, Tawny McVay (34) and her husband Michael (31) from Billings, Montana, USA, had a family gym business, a three story house and a nice car but they weren?t happy. After watching a bus life renovation video in Spring 2018, they started to do a little bit of their own research on tiny homes on wheels. Just two months later they put their home on the market and sold almost everything they owned including their family business. They found buyers for their business and home but both fell through after they?d bought their bus. This put them in a very difficult position. Struggling to make ends meet, they had to live with family for six months and Tawny and Michael were a week away from bankruptcy. Finally, in December, 2018 their house and business were squared away and they could look forward to living life on the road. They call their bus Oliver and he is a 2004 RE International school bus which they found at a local company which cost ?3,900 ($5,000) and renovations set them back ?11,700 ($15,000). In May 2018, the McVays made their dreams a reality and excitedly moved onboard full time. MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay
They’ve travelled more than 5,000 miles (Picture: MDWfeatures / Tawny McVay)

‘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. If you understand that, if you feel something when we say that, bus life could be for you.

‘People who say ‘I wish I could do that’ guess what? You can! We don’t have special skills, we had no experience before we got started, we learnt as we went on and with help from others with experience.

‘All it takes is the determination and the desire to push through no matter what.’

MORE: Debt Diaries: I ignored my parking fines until I was $30k in debt

MORE: Couple pay off all their debts and move into a renovated bus to travel through North America



source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/22/couple-sell-everything-risk-bankruptcy-travel-world-bus-11198934/
Top rated Digital marketing. From $30 Business growth strategy Hello! I am Sam, a Facebook blueprint certified marketer. Expert in Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, Google Ads, YouTube Ads, and SEO. I use SEMrush and other tools for data-driven research. I can build million-dollar marketing strategy for your business.
Learn more
SAM

Posted by SAM

Post a Comment

0 Comments