I don't use my bus often enough. I like to use it to go places, and for me that seems to include two or three days on the road each way, and a few days there where ever I get to, so the time investment is high for a guy still working for a living... I have two or three weekend trips a year, but a three hour drive in weekend rush-hour traffic isn't my favourite thing to do either... So I end up with the bus sitting and getting worked on and such most of the time, with what seems like very sporadic but high quality trips every three or four months... Now, I'm not complaining and this is the start of a 20 year plan with the bus anyway, which includes the RGV or some other handy desert in the winter months at some point... But I wondered, for you non-fulltimers, what your pattern of use is like?
Brian
We spent time living in ours for a while then the heart attack hit and slowed us down, we still head out for a month or two pretty regularily and lots of weekend trips in the meantime, I found that when the lawn needs mowing I can pretty much drive away and my daughter will get it mowed somehow cause when I come back it's all trimmed up again lol. Since poverty set in we do a lot of short trips, we have a site at a park in wisconsin that we give them a night of music for 2 weeks of full hookup and another one at the machinaw bridge, same setup, music for hokkups so the cost is minimal and the bus doesn't drink all that much on those trips.
I am not a fulltimer but retired and we drive from 12,000 to 20,000 miles a year ,I was bored yesterday and drove it to grocery store today a trip to in Mexico 200 miles
good luck
My family belongs to Converted Coach Owners and Great Lakes Converted Coach so we attend around 5 or 6 rallies per summer. We also camp with a big group of friends another 3 or more times per summer. All of these have been within Michigan, with the exception being a trip to Duluth MN. I also spent a week in the bus while I cleaned my Grandfather's house after he moved in with my parents. It (of course!) was also a means for moving the more delicate items! It looks like I'll be taking the bus to Phoenix in January to take my singing group's PA system instead of driving our cube van. It'll stay there for a few weeks in between the January tour and when I return in February for a second tour and then I'll drive it back. I'll probably tow a car too, so we don't have to rent one! I always look for ways to use the bus that are economical. There are times when it just isn't!
Glenn
We were both still working when we purchased this coach (and started converting it). We set a goal of using it at least 1 week end/month (except June, July, & August, when it is just too hot in Florida). Since buying it, we have used it at least one week-end a month, sometime more. Mostly Bluegrass Festivals and Bus Rallies in Florida and 3-5 week out of state vacation trips in the fall.
Since retirement, we are doing longer trips. Last year we left home on 6/15 and returned home on 11/15. Thius year, we left home on 3/5 and have no definate plans, other than we have to be home 11/15 to finish the last details for Bussin' 11. Jack
I bought mine for one reason and that was to go to the Nascar race at Texas Motor Speedway. It was costing us $2000 a race to rent a S&S for the weekend ad with two races, well do the math. As it was sitting I decided to put an ad on craigslist for overnight runs to the casino or parties. A local band read the ad and now they cover all expenses on it and about twice a month they use us to move them around. They travel with a nanny so our whole family gets to go. They are at the point of "you got to fake it to make it." It is fun being with the opening act and the main act is pulling up in their pickup and trailer and we all show up in a bus. The owners of the venues sees this. It is allot of fun and it gets us out on the bus. It's not allot of money but it keeps the tires new and the oil changed. I can think of more things to do with it but I want some weekends at home.
We're both 54yo and still working. What we do in general, every other month we take a long weekend. I take my clothes and stuff to work in my car, then from work go to the bus (it is stored 42 miles from the house-that's condo living in L.A.), take it out of the warehouse and stay in it on Wednesday nite. Then take off on Thursday drive to where ever and then come back on Monday. This gives three full days and really feels like a vacation-plus traveling on Thursday and Monday, avoids the weekend traffic jams.
Am planning a two week get away now. Leaving June 17th and back July 2th. Going up the Cal coast to Holister and staying at the corny Casa de Fruita. Then up to Ukiah for a night at Clear Lake. Over to Lake Almanor. Then down to Reno, then to Lake Tahoe for 3 nights visiting an old friend in from Hong Kong (they have a time share there). We'll go back down through Sacramento then south to Fresno, take a left turn back up the hill to Shaver Lake and stay at Camp Edison for 5 nights with another friend that tent camps. Then back home. I figure about 1600 miles of driving. The nice thing about living in California is there are numerous destinations to go to without leaving the state.
Until my truck conversion is done, I probably won't venture far in the bus (maybe to Texas next summer). So-get out there and use the bus! Good Luck, TomC
Courier 96: 15 to 20 000 km/year. Lots of week-ends to the kids dirt bike races. A couple of rallies. Shopping trips to Calgary and Spokane. Visit the inlaws in Creston, BC. Moab, Utah for spring break with the dirt bikes. Etc.
Hockey team's 102D3: 20 to 25 000 km/year. The league is all over the East and West Kootenays and the Okanagan, and Spokane, Wa. We do charters all year round to raise money and that covers the expenses. I do most of the driving and the maintenance, as a volunteer. At times it feels like too much, but I still enjoy it. (Once a bus driver, always...).
JC
JC, are you coming to BusN' USA this year? We are hoping to make it this time. :)
I take about 4-6 trips a year on the bus travelling about 2500 miles. I am hoping to up that to around 10 trips this year since I am getting much closer to being finished with the conversion. When I have it parked in my driveway I use it nearly every day... ;D
We are supposed to use it?...........After a major heart attack, cancer, and type II diabetis! I use my bus every single day, from searching on the internet for "how to do it's", or "where to purchase it's", to the very small jobs to some over reaching monster tasks! This bus project is always on the back burner what ever I'm doing, it never stops! Now the question is will I ever get to make a trip, you know at this point it doesn't even matter, I've managed to salvage my sanity, for 35 years I managed to work at a job that I loved doing! This bus project, from the boards like this one, to actual time working on it.......filled a very big hole! I'm either very lucky or blessed......or both! Actually using it.....I can't imagine LOL!
;D Most every day, as y'all know we work out of it, and put at least 50,000 to 80,000 on it per yr. We really need should get someone to sponsor our bus with a paint job for a bill board, as much as we are on the road, or parked in front of Walmarts.
We haven't been able to get out too often however I use my bus to occupy my mind and keep me out of trouble. Work on something or other a few times per week helps keep my mind off of work and my day to day stresses. I use the bus every week in this context and saves a bunch on theropy lol
We have set our goal to use the bus at least one weekend per month, rain or shine! We feel it does NO good for the bus to just sit and if we wanted a yard knome we would have gone to HD and got one! We use it sometimes once, maybe twice in a given month. You don't need long trips to use it. We go anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours or so away from home. We usually leave around mid afternoon and get to the park before dark to avoid the working man and school traffic!
Ever since joining other friends that feel the same way, we have used our bus more than ever and we have found what works in our original design and what doesn't so a makeover conversion is in the near future!.
I will also say that ever since using it more, the bus runs better, uses less oil and is just a pleasure to jump in and go without those nervous doubts I once had not knowing if I, or the bus, would make it or not! ::)
Hi Ed, I am hoping to make it to BusnUSA again. Won't know for sure till the night before.
JC
More and more....3 months in Silver Springs Fla winter,,5 steam shows,weekend trips to lake,parts runs,county fair for week..August vacation somewhere,and bus rallies...fall run to gulf coast to eat fish..
I bought my bus to use for trips to national rocket launches with my friends. We go at least once a year and twice some years. One launch is always in Reno, NV and the other moves around every year.
I really have no desire (or money) to do weekend trips to RV parks/campgrounds. I would have liked to take my bus to an event last weekend, but RVs were not allowed.
Being 53 years old and running a business and my wife also running her own business it makes it hard for us to jump in the bus for extended trips. We did get a run to Florida this winter in. Other than that we use it several times a month camping during the summer. What I enjoy about it is the time spent working on it and making it mine. I love working with my hands and that's what I do all day long at my welding business. At the end of the day it is relaxing to work on my own stuff with no pressure. If it takes me several days who cares!! The bus will probably be a never ending hobby for me. Always something to do!! I dread putting it away into storage.
Liz and I are full-timing with no plans for putting down roots in our foreseeable future. However, we have been spending a few days on the road and a month or two at some site, then on the road again for a few. If The Lord wills, all the long distance marathon drives are behind me. We try to keep it to 200 or so miles a stint. Makes for a lot more enjoyable travel and we are more prone to stop and goof-off. =)
IMHO - YMMV
'Chilling in Beaumont'
We were both fully retired until we bought the bus??????
We try to use our bus every other weekend in the summer, mostly going about a 100 mile radius for weekends, then we go to myrle beach every year for a long week, Disney once and going a back to disney again in 2011, I would love to be able to take a month long trip sometime out west. Jason
We started using ours about 1 week a month for ministry trips. Then we rented out our house & full timed for the last two years. Our tenants bought a house so we are moving back into ours this weekend. Now I am thinking about selling our finished (are they ever finished?) bus & buying another one. The wife thinks I am crazy. The kids think I am crazy. My cat thinks I am crazy.
I think they are ALL WRONG!! I just want to do this one the RIGHT way! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
TOM
I use my bus every week to get to the gigs......
Our "local" gigs are about 60-80 miles round trip, we do about 2-3 of those each week.
We are now starting into the "festival" season and we have are booked for about 6 so far. They are usually about 400-600 miles round trip.
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We fulltime in ours and it sits for months at a time. My wife still works and I'm doing the college thing at 60, don't ask!
Last trip we made was to Franklin in March for the Little Texas Bus Rally with Dallas, Cat and a bunch of other nuts! We don't use it enough, but with our situation I'll take it when I can get it.
I wish we could use it more, but until we can it's all good! ;) Best thing we have done was move into it and make it our home.
Before we moved into ours we put over 15,000 km on it annually. That included one 8k+ trip in the winter and several shorter trips through the summer. I doubt there has ever been a month since we bought it 6+ years ago that it hasn't gone somewhere. The trick to using any RV, IMHO, is to have it fully stocked and ready to roll on a moment's notice. That means frozen food in the freezer, socks and underwear in the drawers, dry goods in the pantry and a full change of season-appropriate clothing hanging in the closet. We started doing that with travel trailers 20 years ago and we have put a lot of miles on since then. When all you have to do is throw the cat in, turn the key and go it's pretty easy to go somewhere.
I haven't used my bus since last August. That would be mostly because I'm not living on a small Pacific Island, and my bus in living in Florida.
Bill
Kwajalein
Quote from: PP on May 27, 2010, 07:04:19 PM
We were both fully retired until we bought the bus??????
Too True, Too True!
Agreed, somehow my carefree 'retired' lifestyle is a thing on the past. The wife used to keep a 'honey-do list' now she keeps a 'punch-list'.
At least with
this boss there are some fringe benefits. ;)