Episode 100: The Making of a Skoolie with Ryan Dean

Sep 25, 2023

“You’re living someone’s dream, but at the same time, chances are you’re living someone’s nightmare. Not everyone’s going to want the same thing as you and that’s okay.”

— Ryan Dean

On our 100th episode, Ryan Dean, Podcast Producer of Inspire Campfire, Creator, Entrepreneur, Adventurer, and Inventor of Peace KEYper - a self-defense aid that uses your standard house key, joins us to share his story of converting a school bus into an RV that he lives and travels in full-time with his fiancé Beatriz. Ryan also discusses:

2:10 - What is a skoolie?
3:00 - An RV vs a Skoolie
6:10 - The inspiration to convert a school bus
8:10 - The exact moment he decided to pull the trigger
9:15 - Where he bought his school bus
12:25 - Picking up the bus and driving it across the country
17:50 - Did he experience any fear or doubt when he first bought the bus
18:50 - Where he worked on the bus
19:30 - What work he did and what he hired out
22:10 - Turning the bus into a home
24:35 - Special tools needed during the build
25:50 - Finding help to finish the build
27:30 - Enjoying the process
28:30 - Is the end result what he hoped for
29:45 - Getting his fiancé on board with the idea of bus life
30:40 - Things they have been able to do with the bus so far
31:40 - Lessons learned during the build process
32:40 - How they make money on the road
35:00 - Where his entrepreneurial spirit comes from
36:40 - What’s been most inspiring for him listening to all of the stories on Inspire Campfire
39:10 - A souvenir from Bhutan that lives on the bus
40:00 - Reflections from Scott on the podcast
41:50 - Advice for people who are inspired to convert a bus but are hesitant to start
43:30 - Who’s going to play him in a Hollywood movie about his life?