Kel and Jo Naughton’s Big Lap ‘journey’ started back in 2020 at the beginning of the Covid pandemic … a full two years before they actually hit the open road!
It was as the world was bracing for lockdowns that the couple decided to seize the opportunity to start something new.
A designer by trade, Kel said he wanted to put his own stamp on their future grey nomad adventures, and so the couple cooked up a cunning plan.
“We bought a bus, which still had the old school bus seats and all the ‘School Bus’ décor and livery intact,” said Jo. “It wasn’t exactly our idea of home just yet, but we were excited by the potential and, after hours of work removing the seats and stripping back the old fittings, we could finally begin transforming the space into something we could live in full time.”
Kel and Jo are living their dream.
The couple started with an old school bus (left) and transformed it into their dream home (right).
With a firm vision for how they could turn the 12-metre Hino RG197 bus into their dream home, Kel drew up some plans and the pair worked closely with Busfurb in the NSW town of Macksville to bring the vision to life.
“They did an incredible job with the fit-out, and the transformation was incredible,” said Jo. “The kitchen and bedroom cabinets were built by another skilled company, ensuring every detail was just right for our new lifestyle.”
Kel and Jo have adapted well to full-time travel in their home on wheels, lovingly dubbed ‘Barnabus’ and love travelling in style.
The bus’s interior is now luxurious … and just how Kel and Jo imagined it to be.
The time hasn’t been without its challenges though, with Kel’s long-term chronic arthritic condition leaving him with limited flexibility in his joints and unable to drive a manual vehicle.
“So, the responsibility of driving – and maintaining – Barnabus has fallen to me,” said Jo. “I hold a Medium Rigid driver’s licence, and while I wasn’t doing much driving during the early days when the bus was still being fitted out, I’ve now been behind the wheel for several years.”
She says the idea of driving a big rig shouldn’t be daunting … for men or women. “If you’ve been thinking about bus life, don’t wait, you’ll love it,” she said. “The freedom, the adventure, and the opportunity to create a home wherever you go … it’s worth every moment.”
And Kel and Jo are excited about their future on the road.
“As Kel and I travel the country, we’re working online and living the dream we set out to build,” said Jo. “Barnabus isn’t just a bus … it’s our home, our adventure, and our future, and I can’t wait to see where road takes us next.”
WIN A JOOLCA GOTTAGO TOILET
Grey Nomad Members are being given the opportunity to win a Joolca GottaGo Toilet, which normally sells for $349. This ingenious loo actually separates solids from liquids so it doesn’t fill up the solids tank with urine, and thus needs emptying less often.
It’s also the only camping toilet for number 1s, 2s … and 3s! Although it’s one toilet, it has three setups … chemical, bag, and composting.
Click here to find out more about GN membership, the prize, and how to enter.
Members: If you wish to enter, please click here.
Our small setup is perfect for us, it uses very little fuel, we’d hate to be paying the fuel bill for a huge bus. LOL.
We have a 30ft Monte Carlo motorhome on a Isuzu chassis. We bought it 5 years ago from original owners, it had only done 45,000kms. Did some modifications eg long range fuel tank, diesel heater attached to main tank, new toilet, some new cosmetic changes. Living in “our home” Monte for the last 5 years after many years in a hard floor camper. Wouldn’t go back. The extra luxury is nice as we get older.