Taking a road trip across America is not exactly an unusual thing to do. Of course, when most people drive from one part of the country to another, they usually take a car or even sometimes an RV. But one creative young couple did something way cooler.
Felix Starck and Selima Taibi are originally from Germany, and they have two free spirits and some insane DIY skills. Those shared characteristics inspired a project they're calling "Expedition Happiness." Earlier this year, the couple purchased a regular old yellow school bus for $9,000, and flew to the United States to pick it up and start turning it into a masterpiece.
Over the course of three months, Starck and Taibi transformed the bus into a beautiful, comfortable, and practical mobile home. According to The Huffington Post, the renovation costs ran them between $60,000 and $70,000, which is not too bad when you see the amazing finished product.
The bus is complete with running water and electricity. It has a working kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, and freezer. There's even a composting toilet and shower. Not only is the bus functional and efficient, but the design is also downright gorgeous. Taibi told The Huffington Post, "It can be done a lot cheaper, but for us it was important that it felt like home, so it had to be perfect." And the finished product does indeed look perfect. People all over the internet are impressed with the results. A video of the bus posted to Facebook last month has been viewed over 47 million times and shared over 560,000 times. Take a look below.
Now that the renovation is complete, Taibi and Starck, along with their dog Rudi, are driving the bus from Alaska all the way to Central America. The pair is planning to give the bus away once they reach Panama. To decide who gets the bus, they're holding a raffle. Tickets cost $100 each, and they're expecting to draw a winner in January of next year. The winner will be announced via Facebook Live. On their blog, they wrote, "We really like the idea of somebody getting the bus for [$100] and continuing our expedition." Add "generous" to this couple's list of lovely characteristics.