Family of eight ditch their home and possessions to travel America on a bus they bought on eBay

Meet the Chardoulias family of eight who get by on just ?1,150 a month living on their converted bus. FAMILY-OF-EIGHT ditched their belongings to move on to a bus they bought on eBay for TEN-THOUSAND-POUNDS ? even though family warned their kids would be KIDNAPPED or MAULED BY BEARS. Owners of Cedar Bend Labradoodles, Whitney (29) and her husband Andrew Chardoulias (35) from Muscatine, Iowa, USA, moved to the beach in South Mississippi in September 2014 when Whitney fell in love with the idea of travelling. Taking care of five children, she spent pockets of time browsing through Instagram feeds where she was totally inspired by families who had converted school busses and travelled the country. When she brought her desires up with her husband, Andrew quickly bought into the idea and they started working towards achieving their dream. When they first told everyone, others were not in favour and even her own mother was certain that great harm would come to her and her family, but determined to prove them wrong, they rid themselves of a third of their belongings, stored the rest at her parents? house and moved on board their ?48,300 ($63,000) home on wheels in July 2019. When not travelling, the bus sits on land at Whitney?s parents? farm. During the day the couple work on their dog breeding business while the children attend school, but next year the couple are hoping to start home schooling so that they can travel more frequently. Due to cold nights the family are now temporarily all sleeping in the farmhouse at night while sorting out the insulation on their bus, but as soon as that is fixed they intend to get back on the bus full time.
Whitney, Andrew, and their children now spend their days travelling America on a converted bus (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)

When Whitney, 29, and her husband Andrew Chardoulias, 35, first told their relatives they planned to give up their homes and jobs to travel the country on a bus, they were told it was a terrible idea and that their kids would be kidnapped or mauled by bears.

They didn’t let that stop them.

Whitney had fallen in love with travelling ever since she started browsing Instagram feeds of families who lived in converted school buses.

When she brought up the idea with Andrew, he was immediately on board, and they quickly started working towards achieving their dream of packing up and taking their five children – plus Andrews daughters, Brenna and Bria, who live with their mother so join when they can – on an adventure around the U.S.

They got rid of a third of their belongings, stored the rest of their possessions at Whitney’s parents’ house, and moved on board a bus they found on eBay for £9,970 and renovated for £15,300 so it could serve as their perfect mobile home.

The family have already covered five thousand miles on their bus
They bought the bus for £9,970 on eBay (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)
The family spent ?48,300 on their bus which still needs further work to make it warmer at night and in winter. FAMILY-OF-EIGHT ditched their belongings to move on to a bus they bought on eBay for TEN-THOUSAND-POUNDS ? even though family warned their kids would be KIDNAPPED or MAULED BY BEARS. Owners of Cedar Bend Labradoodles, Whitney (29) and her husband Andrew Chardoulias (35) from Muscatine, Iowa, USA, moved to the beach in South Mississippi in September 2014 when Whitney fell in love with the idea of travelling. Taking care of five children, she spent pockets of time browsing through Instagram feeds where she was totally inspired by families who had converted school busses and travelled the country. When she brought her desires up with her husband, Andrew quickly bought into the idea and they started working towards achieving their dream. When they first told everyone, others were not in favour and even her own mother was certain that great harm would come to her and her family, but determined to prove them wrong, they rid themselves of a third of their belongings, stored the rest at her parents? house and moved on board their ?48,300 ($63,000) home on wheels in July 2019. When not travelling, the bus sits on land at Whitney?s parents? farm. During the day the couple work on their dog breeding business while the children attend school, but next year the couple are hoping to start home schooling so that they can travel more frequently. Due to cold nights the family are now temporarily all sleeping in the farmhouse at night while sorting out the insulation on their bus, but as soon as that is fixed they intend to get back on the bus full time.
Renovations cost £15,300 (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)

The bus, which also needed to have its engine and transmission changed for a cost of £23,000, now has a full kitchen, living room, toy room, a bathroom with a tub, a king-size bed, and three bunks, plus extra sleeping space on a sofa that opens into a double bed.

It’s 45 foot-long and eight-foot wide, giving the family 360 sq ft of space – as well as the great outdoors to play with.

When not travelling, the bus sits on land at Whitney’s parents’ farm. During the day the couple work on their dog breeding business, Cedar Bend Labradoodles, but next year they plan to start home-schooling their children so they can travel more frequently.

The family support themsleves through their own dog breeding business. FAMILY-OF-EIGHT ditched their belongings to move on to a bus they bought on eBay for TEN-THOUSAND-POUNDS ? even though family warned their kids would be KIDNAPPED or MAULED BY BEARS. Owners of Cedar Bend Labradoodles, Whitney (29) and her husband Andrew Chardoulias (35) from Muscatine, Iowa, USA, moved to the beach in South Mississippi in September 2014 when Whitney fell in love with the idea of travelling. Taking care of five children, she spent pockets of time browsing through Instagram feeds where she was totally inspired by families who had converted school busses and travelled the country. When she brought her desires up with her husband, Andrew quickly bought into the idea and they started working towards achieving their dream. When they first told everyone, others were not in favour and even her own mother was certain that great harm would come to her and her family, but determined to prove them wrong, they rid themselves of a third of their belongings, stored the rest at her parents? house and moved on board their ?48,300 ($63,000) home on wheels in July 2019. When not travelling, the bus sits on land at Whitney?s parents? farm. During the day the couple work on their dog breeding business while the children attend school, but next year the couple are hoping to start home schooling so that they can travel more frequently. Due to cold nights the family are now temporarily all sleeping in the farmhouse at night while sorting out the insulation on their bus, but as soon as that is fixed they intend to get back on the bus full time.
For now the family have parked the bus in Whitney’s parents’ garden (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)

‘I’m a mum to four children Quincy, seven, Fletcher, four, Rowe, two and River, one,’ says Whitney. ‘ When Andrew used to be in the Air Force and our daughter, Quincy, was two we spent four and half months in Biloxi, Mississippi.

‘I grew up inland in Muscatine, Iowa, and never really saw the ocean or a beach before. Our place was right by the beach and I loved it so much and dreaded coming home.

‘I had seen other families on Instagram living in a converted bus and travelling the country and I was so envious. I remember telling Andrew I didn’t want to be old and grey and wishing we had travelled more. I told him about the busses and asked him “why not us?”

It is sometimes difficult finding places to hide things from the children especially since they are now big enough to reach all areas of the bus. FAMILY-OF-EIGHT ditched their belongings to move on to a bus they bought on eBay for TEN-THOUSAND-POUNDS ? even though family warned their kids would be KIDNAPPED or MAULED BY BEARS. Owners of Cedar Bend Labradoodles, Whitney (29) and her husband Andrew Chardoulias (35) from Muscatine, Iowa, USA, moved to the beach in South Mississippi in September 2014 when Whitney fell in love with the idea of travelling. Taking care of five children, she spent pockets of time browsing through Instagram feeds where she was totally inspired by families who had converted school busses and travelled the country. When she brought her desires up with her husband, Andrew quickly bought into the idea and they started working towards achieving their dream. When they first told everyone, others were not in favour and even her own mother was certain that great harm would come to her and her family, but determined to prove them wrong, they rid themselves of a third of their belongings, stored the rest at her parents? house and moved on board their ?48,300 ($63,000) home on wheels in July 2019. When not travelling, the bus sits on land at Whitney?s parents? farm. During the day the couple work on their dog breeding business while the children attend school, but next year the couple are hoping to start home schooling so that they can travel more frequently. Due to cold nights the family are now temporarily all sleeping in the farmhouse at night while sorting out the insulation on their bus, but as soon as that is fixed they intend to get back on the bus full time.
Whitney and Andrew plan to start home-schooling the kids so they can spend more time travelling (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulia)
The bus includes a fully fitted kitchen
Despite only having 360 sq ft of space, the bus has everything the family needs (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)
The bus is 45 feet long and eight foot wide
The family love journeying to new places (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)

‘He bought the idea and when we told friends and family, they were against it at first. My mum was especially convinced that our kids would be kidnapped or mauled by bears. They have all come around to it now though and our friends think it’s really cool.

‘Finally on July 21, 2019 we moved onboard.’

So far the family have covered nine states and travelled over 5,000 miles. Once they fix some mechanical issues and a problem with insulation on the bus, they’ll be back on the road once more.

Their life is unconventional, but the family love every moment.

The family say that this kind of life is for everyone
The family say anyone can do the same (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)

‘Our kids have been excited every step of the way and we’ve covered more than 5,000 miles now across the states of Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kentucky and Indiana,’ says Whitney.

‘Sure, sometimes it’s been difficult not having a consistent schedule, and it was hard to get our two-year-old to take normal naps while travelling, and our four-year-old struggles with change.

‘We have quickly learned not to cram too much into each day. We narrowed this down to one outing in the morning and one in the afternoon. Any more than this and our kids were overtired.

The whole family took part in renovating the bus to make transform into a beautiful home. FAMILY-OF-EIGHT ditched their belongings to move on to a bus they bought on eBay for TEN-THOUSAND-POUNDS ? even though family warned their kids would be KIDNAPPED or MAULED BY BEARS. Owners of Cedar Bend Labradoodles, Whitney (29) and her husband Andrew Chardoulias (35) from Muscatine, Iowa, USA, moved to the beach in South Mississippi in September 2014 when Whitney fell in love with the idea of travelling. Taking care of five children, she spent pockets of time browsing through Instagram feeds where she was totally inspired by families who had converted school busses and travelled the country. When she brought her desires up with her husband, Andrew quickly bought into the idea and they started working towards achieving their dream. When they first told everyone, others were not in favour and even her own mother was certain that great harm would come to her and her family, but determined to prove them wrong, they rid themselves of a third of their belongings, stored the rest at her parents? house and moved on board their ?48,300 ($63,000) home on wheels in July 2019. When not travelling, the bus sits on land at Whitney?s parents? farm. During the day the couple work on their dog breeding business while the children attend school, but next year the couple are hoping to start home schooling so that they can travel more frequently. Due to cold nights the family are now temporarily all sleeping in the farmhouse at night while sorting out the insulation on their bus, but as soon as that is fixed they intend to get back on the bus full time.
But Whitney warns of the importance of doing your research before committing (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)
The children have enjoyed every step of the way. FAMILY-OF-EIGHT ditched their belongings to move on to a bus they bought on eBay for TEN-THOUSAND-POUNDS ? even though family warned their kids would be KIDNAPPED or MAULED BY BEARS. Owners of Cedar Bend Labradoodles, Whitney (29) and her husband Andrew Chardoulias (35) from Muscatine, Iowa, USA, moved to the beach in South Mississippi in September 2014 when Whitney fell in love with the idea of travelling. Taking care of five children, she spent pockets of time browsing through Instagram feeds where she was totally inspired by families who had converted school busses and travelled the country. When she brought her desires up with her husband, Andrew quickly bought into the idea and they started working towards achieving their dream. When they first told everyone, others were not in favour and even her own mother was certain that great harm would come to her and her family, but determined to prove them wrong, they rid themselves of a third of their belongings, stored the rest at her parents? house and moved on board their ?48,300 ($63,000) home on wheels in July 2019. When not travelling, the bus sits on land at Whitney?s parents? farm. During the day the couple work on their dog breeding business while the children attend school, but next year the couple are hoping to start home schooling so that they can travel more frequently. Due to cold nights the family are now temporarily all sleeping in the farmhouse at night while sorting out the insulation on their bus, but as soon as that is fixed they intend to get back on the bus full time.
The children love travelling (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)
The bus has enough space for the whole family to sleep on
Whitney and Andrew support their family through a dog breeding business (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)

‘The best thing about this journey is travelling and seeing our children experience new things. Every time we get back ‘home’ they ask us when we are leaving again. Also I love only having to clean 360 sq. feet each day, though I must admit I don’t enjoy doing the kids’ bunks.

‘For a large family it’s been very good for our budget too and I would guess that we spend only around £1,150 ($1,500) a month.’

Whitney would recommend bus life to other families, but warns of the importance of research and not rushing into massive life changes.

The bus is all set for Christmas
Yes, they’ve got room for a proper Christmas setup (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)
When not travelling the bus stays stationary on their parents' farm land
Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulia
The bathroom is spacious and even includes a full size tub
The bathroom, complete with a tub (Picture: MDWfeatures / Whitney Chardoulias)

She says: ‘If you want to live in an RV, bus, van or tiny home, don’t buy the first one you see. Do your research and talk to people. Talk to those who have walked this road before and absolutely get a professional outside mechanic to look at the vehicle before making any final purchase.

‘I think everyone starts this process by thinking that they could never do this and that it’s just not possible for them for whatever reason. I think it’s possible for anyone who really wants to do it.

‘You just have to overcome one obstacle at a time.

‘You will hit bumps with anything you do in life all you have to do is figure out a remedy for them and move without ever giving up.

‘We consider ourselves incredibly blessed. We simply love our bus and we can’t wait to experience more adventures in it.’

Do you live in an uncoventional home? Get in touch to share your story by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk

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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/26/family-eight-ditch-home-possessions-travel-america-bus-bought-ebay-11962099/
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