Are you thinking of attending Burning Man next year? That’s how the Blue Bus adventures all started when filmmaker Nick Cahill and his girlfriend Jessica bought a ’88 Thomas school bus! They loved it so much they kept working on it and are planning to take it more seriously on the road. We did a little interview with them, check it out.

Why did you decide to buy a bus ? What model / year is it ?

Originally we bought the bus for Burning Man and decided to turn the old blue 88 Thomas built bus into a tiny home. As we were building the bus into such a multipurpose piece of living space we were thinking about how the bus should be multipurpose for us to use too. Not only will this be our adventure mobile, but also a tiny home.

Do you live full time in the bus ?

We do not, but we would like to try an extended period of time in the future. We’ve already taken it to Burning Man for a week-long trip that allowed us to live in “luxury” that protected us from the brutal elements of Black Rock City, NV. We haven’t had the opportunity yet to take our bus out on the road for a longer trip since seasons changed and we’re now in the snowy winter months.



It seems you’re still restoring the vehicle, what was the latest work you did on it and what is the next one ?

We are. The latest interior build we completed was adding fabric to the back bed/seating cushions. We had custom made foam to fit the dimensions of our convertible bed that required custom-made fabric cushions sewn by Jessica. Our next major project is going to be building new engine and transmission. We’ve been having some mechanical problems on the past few trips and we want a bit more of piece of mind as we travel.

How many miles did you put on the bus so far ? Do you stop at campsites or do you sleep anywhere you can find ?

We’ve put a few thousand miles on the bus. When we travel we aim mostly for national forests where its free to park anyplace and camp out in the bus legally.

What do you love the most about your bus?

We love the smiles, waves, and honks we receive each time we drive the bus. Our bus brings happiness to people. We love the flexibility of travel the bus provides us. As long as there’s a road to lead us to our destination, we can travel anywhere and live more than comfortably in the bus. We have comfortable seating for long road trips. A bomb sound system to throw our own dance party. Interior LED lights that provide a rainbow of color to accompany the sound system. We have a rooftop party platform that allows us to view our surroundings from above the ground and provides extra storage space.

How is your parallel parking game going?

Surprisingly, parking is easier than you’d imagine. Since our bus is a smaller frame 33 passenger hauler, our dimensions aren’t much bigger than your full size truck. Anywhere a truck can park, we can too!

Which was your favorite place you’ve visited so far?

Black Rock City, NV. Unforgettable experience!

What is the worst thing about driving a bus?

The shocks are a little beat up on the bus and don’t really provide a smooth ride. Thankfully our seating has some extra cushioning to help with the bumpier roads. At times, there can be an annoying rattling noise, but we’re able to turn up the volume of the stereo to mute those out.



What is the road trip of your dreams, if it can be anywhere in the world?

We’d like to one day travel to South America and adventure throughout that area. But if it could be anywhere in the world, and getting our bus to the destination wasn’t a hassle – perhaps we’d transport our bus to Thailand. We fell in love with that place two years ago and would love to visit there again with the amenities our bus provides.

Follow Nick and Jessica here !

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Cahill Films