Curbed article about skoolies

[Janet H]

https://www.curbed.com/2019/3/6/18246221/camper-conversion-skoolie-vanlife-tiny-house

Interesting read.

 

[Rogue1bus]

Good post. Thank you

 

[plfking]

That was a good piece, but better written than researched. I wish she would have interviewed more people who had a positive outlook on the lifestyle.....just seemed kinda negative overall to me.

On a positive note, someone needs to tell Roger (aka Dog Rescuer) that his bus made the cover photo......loud and proud.

 

[EastCoastCB]

That was a good piece, but better written than researched. I wish she would have interviewed more people who had a positive outlook on the lifestyle.....just seemed kinda negative overall to me.

On a positive note, someone needs to tell Roger (aka Dog Rescuer) that his bus made the cover photo......loud and proud.

Didn't seem too negative to me.
Sounds standard really.
Glad they mentioned the difference between living in a bus and being homeless in a bus. BIG difference!

 

[Drew Bru]

I got the same impression as Don. It was an article written by someone in the early(ish) part of their adult life, about people in the same stage of their lives. A time when the need to justify and reaffirm your personal life choices is strong.
It would have been nice to hear from people who made the choice for different reasons, and at a different stage of their lives.


Kristen

 

[Biscuitsjam]

That was a good piece, but better written than researched. I wish she would have interviewed more people who had a positive outlook on the lifestyle.....just seemed kinda negative overall to me.

Agreed. The people seem somewhat directionless, with poorly maintained/constructed skoolies, and no real plan or skill with homeschooling. Lots of anecdotes of broken washing machines, people complaining about lack of community, "I don't give a shot if my child learns anything," people sitting at a rest stop begging, etc. All well-described powerful negative images.

The author tried to find some balance and mentioned some positives also, like spending time with the kids, working less, and having fun experiences, but these weren't fleshed out with anecdotes about kids reconnecting with parents, "this one time camping, we saw...", debts paid off, etc. Without anecdotes, they don't seem real to the reader.

 

[MarkyDee]

I found the article depressing, and I think that's the impression the author wanted to leave.

 

[brokedown-SKO]

Skoolie folks come in all shapes and sizes, not all of them are going to be positive ambassadors. The article has gotten a lot of discussion on facebook and people have been giving the author feedback and offering to participate in a revisit of the topic. As it's written it reads like we're a bunch of spoiled anti-vaxxers.

 

[EastCoastCB]

I found the article depressing, and I think that's the impression the author wanted to leave.

I only ever see overly-positive stuff written. I thought it was a nice change.
I like the young guy's video about how its scary to drive a bus. Well- don't put twenty grand into it without driving it!

I've met several anti-vaxxers FROM this site.
I think the author did a great job of summing up the YouTube generation's take on "skoolies".

 

[MarkyDee]

I only ever see overly-positive stuff written. I thought it was a nice change.
I like the young guy's video about how its scary to drive a bus. Well- don't put twenty grand into it without driving it!

I've met several anti-vaxxers FROM this site.
I think the author did a great job of summing up the YouTube generation's take on "skoolies".

If an article is overly-positive or overly-negative, then I'd say that it wasn't researched well enough before it was written. Truth like this is very rarely at the extremes.

However, I'd agree with saying that it can be depressing if "the bus life" was forced upon someone that didn't necessarily want it. From what I read it seemed that was a significant cohort of the people the author polled.

I think the author did a good job of summing up the general population's take on "skoolies". Many "skoolies" today are (more or less) modern-day equivalents of gypsies - and history has shown how "settlers" have treated "roamers"....

 

[Native-SKO]

I seemed to have missed reading anything about those that were not fulltimers. There are a lot of us here and out in the wild that are not living in their skoolies that think of themselves as skoolies. Perhaps the event that drew the author out to interview was geared towards fulltimers.

 

[Mark_In_MA]

Its an interesting read.


I feel like it's an incomplete picture of the skoolie life, and that's what gives it a little bit of a slant. Part of that is by automatically considering skoolies are part of "van life"- whatever that is. I'm not sure i see a negativity as much as a little bit of a sadness. People are bored in a regular 9-5 office job, so they see a few people living the skoolie life on instagram, and decide to jump on in without doing their research first. Then a year or so later, they realize they overpaid of their conversion, and they've exchanged being bored for a solid 8-10 hours a day for wondering where they're going to park and get water 24/7. Not bad people, just people with poor planning.

 

[PoisenedLily]

I honestly don't know why anyone thinks that's a good article. Actually in a Facebook group I'm in one of the people she "interviews" for this "article" is livid as he was misquoted AND misrepresented.

The authors overall tone is negative and I get the distinct impression she's looking down her nose at anyone who dare live in a Skoolie.

It comes off to me as if a spoiled brat wrote it and was negative about it because she she couldn't get away for a drink.

I'm not sure HOW anyone could think this was a good article because she shed light on the negative part of Skoolie life? She basically just made the entire movement seem like white trash.

 

[Budbrother]

Good read indeed, I think you need to have the gypsy blood before you become a road warrior. I am 60 years old and lived all over north America, I am a Canadian catastrophe adjuster, so were ever there is a disaster I end up there. I decided to check out places before they get hammered so I bought a bus, I am also a prospector, in Canada, you can become a Free Miner and buy a placer claim and work it all summer, then head south and enjoy a warmer winter. What could be better, when people look at me and criticize my world I just feel sorry for them because I have been there now I am here and happy. nough said! Peace brothers and sisters

 

[#1FordFan]

Does anyone here know who owns the _C_ool Bus?

I was wanting to talk to you last July 13th when you were camped in Ironton Colorado. I was camped about 1/4 mile away to the south. You were very close to the corkscrew trail off RT550 (AKA the million dollar highway)

 

[Sharee100]

I REALLY hated that article. It was very disrespectful of skoolies. Generally speaking, the people I have met on this website and other similar sites are nothing like the people mentioned in that article. People here who are full-timers come across as intelligent or at least creative thinkers. They are friendly and eager to share with others.

 

[ThemadTurk]

LOL Me and the wife always have the conversation as to what people think when we roll in driving "Lucile" but people always want to check it out and tour it. We haven't had any bad experiences and hope that we don't, lol i'm way to old for that BS!!! lol And once they find out that she is an office manager for a group of plastic surgeons and even though i'm bearded and scruffy looking, im an under cover something or another (cant say exactly) and that we have a converted Bluebird school bus cause THAT'S WHAT WE WANT! iIt's all been positive so far

But i did get a negative impression from the article. I wish i would have had one when i was a young man.