Hi there!

We’re Shelby and David from Aimless Travels. Instagram, Website

We have the opportunity of going anywhere in North America that we choose.

The flexibility that it gives us is really one of our favorite parts!

Our least favorite thing about living in the bus is how many things are constantly going wrong.

There is always something new to fix or repair.

About our bus and us:

Back in November 2018, we purchased our bus “Charlotte” from North Carolina and brought her all the way back home to New Jersey where we
converted her for about 10 months.

Charlotte is a 2002 Thomas Built, retired US Air Force bus. At only 28 feet, we felt that this medium bus was the perfect amount of room for us and our adopted dog, Django.

Some cool things to note about our build: Our bus is equipped with 1400 Watts of solar, radiant floors, a diesel & propane heater, a recirculating shower (personally built and engineered by David), and 130 gallons of freshwater for optimal off-grid living even during cold, winter months.

2018 was a difficult time for both of us.

I (Shelby) was battling depression and anxiety, as I had absolutely no idea what direction I wanted my life to go.

While in school to obtain my Master of Science in Global Sports Business from Rutgers University, I didn’t know what career path I wanted to pursue. 

I wanted something more than a 9-5 job, especially at this age. David, on the other hand, had a full-time Application Developer job for the past 3 years.

While it was a great paying job, he wanted to develop and pursue his own business instead of working for someone else. To put it lightly, David and I both felt stuck where we currently were.

He quit his job in May 2019 and worked full-time on the bus until September 15 . I, on the other hand, had a remote job and worked as a Coach for an incredible gymnastics program called Scarlettes. We worked out our savings and my jobs to get this conversion done!

Why a bus?

A few years back, David was originally considering a van conversion but wasn’t sure if he wanted to live by himself, in such a small space, so suddenly. I remember watching Expedition Happiness and a few YouTube bus conversions before thinking, “This is a lifestyle I can get down with”.

Buses are well-made, reliable, and have more space.

The coolest thing about living in a bus is that it’s your space that you had the creative freedom to make completely into your own.

 Everyone’s build is different which is what makes each one so special and unique.

Additionally, we have the opportunity of going anywhere in North America that we choose. The flexibility that it gives us is really one of our favorite parts!

What makes you happy?

Our least favorite thing about living in the bus is how many things are constantly going wrong. There is always something new to fix or repair. Since we’re always on the road and moving, things just go wrong, whether it’s with the physical bus or its systems. It’s important to remember to be patient and flexible for when the unexpected happens.

We have met people that are super supportive of what we’re doing and others that are confused as to why we would ever consider doing this.

I think a lot of the world (especially post-graduates) think that you need to work that 9-5 job because that’s what society tells you to do.

One thing that I love so much about this community is that we are proving all of those “nay-sayers” wrong. Your happiness is completely dependent on how you chose to live. We may not have all of the money in the world, but being able to have the freedom to travel, chase snow storms during snowboarding season, and chill in the most remote locations is what makes us happy.

What more could we possibly need?!

Sharing what we know

We created the Aimless Travels blog and social media accounts in January 2018.

Originally, it was just a fun way to document our travels, which we were passionate about long before we decided to purchase a bus.

Now, our goal for the site and our social media channels is to showcase the beauty of North America, demonstrate the importance of sustainable, off-grid living, and educate others that you can live your dream no matter how young or old you are.

Our website has recently been undergoing several re-designs as we are offering more Skoolie Build, Lifestyle, and Travel content, information that we noticed wasn’t out there during our build.

We want to see this amazing community continue to grow and what better way to do so than supply useful resources to help people get there?

To read more about us, you can visit our Website.

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