Travel Journal | Bye, Bye Bussie

The time has come, or rather, the time has come and gone. After almost three years of bus life, we decided to sell Wander Bus and move into a travel trailer. Wasn’t an easy decision to make, but in all honestly, it wasn’t our decision to make. It was Bussies. For most of 2019, she has been letting us know that the time was coming. We’ve had a few problems that were the prequels to engine problems but we’d hoped to make it through the year before having to transition into a new RV. That wasn’t to be. By the time we left the Gulf Shores area, we knew things were bad. We knew that Wander Bus wasn’t going to make it to 2020. As we continued our travels north, it became clear she wasn’t even going to make it back to the Midwest.

We had to regroup, and we had to do it fast. Not an ideal situation, but one that was manageable and that I tried to be thankful for, even though, frankly, I was a coffee pot full of stress, nerves, anxiety, anger, frustration, and sorrow.

I wasn’t ready to let go of Wander Bus. I was, however, ready for less stress, and my anxiety was at an all-time high, to the point where it just wasn’t a good idea for me to ride in the Bus anymore. Every odd noise, every uncharacteristic sigh or movement from Jason sent me into a tailspin. Bus life was no longer healthy for me. But I was still sad. This was our home. We built this when our babies were babies. It carried the hopes and dreams we clung to in the beginning (and still cling to). It is where we dreamt up RV Miles and the entire network of resources we have now built on the platform. It was Wander Bus that turned us into Our Wandering Family, not the other way around.

Those were big emotions to process, and none of us were given any time to process them. Even trying to talk about it on the podcast was difficult, and a couple of times I couldn’t hold back the tears.

But we had to move forward. The kids needed us to move forward, and we all needed more stability. Within 24 hours of listing the bus, she was sold. I wasn’t ready for such a quick turn around, but there it was. The fact that so many wanted her is a testament to the care Jason put into the design, and well, she was priced to sell and to sell fast.

We chronicled those moments right after the sale (a video I haven’t watched since I created it. It’s just too hard).

Life in Wander Bus wasn’t always “wanderful,” but it was life-changing and life-saving. The places we explored, the comfort she provided, and the sometimes PITA she could be was all part of a bigger plan.

I still can’t look at pictures of Wander Bus without feeling that lump in my throat creep up, but that’s pretty on point for me. I can’t look at pictures of my kids as babies without fighting back tears. I consider it a sign of just how much I loved her and how much she meant to our family.

Today, we are about five weeks out from parting with Bussie ,and we still miss her. We are thrilled to know she is offering comfort to another, but no longer traveling. She’s chilling at a farm in Georgia, and that’s exactly what she should be doing now. She’s earned the retirement, and we’ve earned a little bit of stress-free traveling. We love our new home. It isn’t Bussie, nor should it be. Our family is growing, our business is growing, we are growing, and a new chapter has begun.

Safe travels, Wander Bus. You will always be a part of this family, and we will always love you.