I am planning on getting a school bus and converting it myself to travel. I am from Arizona and have a few questions about basically everything.
- What is a good size bus that is large enough to fit at least 2 people, a dog and a cat without being too large for certain roads and turns in places like Central America? I am thinking a 20-25ft long bus would be good. Or is getting a full sized bus worth it?
...... I have found go as big as you can I would say max 30-35ft seems to be the magic number for government parks and etc
- I am planning on taking this bus around the world and am wondering if anyone has any experience with shipping a bus across the Darien Pass from Panama or all the way to Europe and Australia? Are there many hoops to jump through? What are the costs? Is there a size limit?
....... shipping a bus you would need very very deep pockets buy a van in Europe and do quick conversion then sell it.
- I have heard getting insurance for a skoolie can be very hard to do especially if you built it yourself. Is that true? Does anyone have experience with getting insurance for it in Arizona? What is the cost to look for? What would be too exuberant of a price so I know?
..... Not much more then any orther RV that I have heard of or seen
- How do you know how much weight you can put into the bus? Also how do you plan it so you distribute it evenly?
....... a lot you not likely max it out with a conversion unless you build rock walls and cement floors. I did not worry about weight disburtion.
- What is parking like? If you have very little money is parking hard to find to spend the night in the US, Canada, Mexico, or Central America? What are ways to do that?
..... there is countless threads on this, but for overnight parking I would look at truck stops Walmart rest stops to name a few. Long term but your own land.
- What permits (if any) do you need to cross borders with a Skoolie? How long can you stay in foreign countries with your vehicle? Do you have to get insurance from that country as well? If you want to stay longer than standard 90 days how can you extend the time you can keep driving your bus there? Mostly looking at Canada, Mexico, and Central America for now with that.
- What about safety? Is it dangerous to drive and park your bus in Mexico or Central America? Is it worth the risk or not?
...... No clue on permeits lots of bus end up down there and it will be titled as an RV my guess would be none... not worth the risk very unsafe I have herd.
- What is the average cost you should spend when on a budget for a bus? Should you go with the $2k options or splurge for a $10k one? What should you ask or look for to make sure it is a quality bus?
....... you spend what you want I have about 13-14k in mine find one fresh off the route with no visible rust or major oil leaks
Okay, haha, that is a lot of questions. Sorry guys! Whatever answers you have will be great.

Thanks so much!