For those of you that donโt already know me, Iโm Johnny. Iโm the owner of the Wanderlust Bus, a 40โ piece of freedom that we have converted into an all organic tiny house. You can find more about that elsewhere, but this is all bigger than that.
When we started this whole thing back in mid-2016, we had just planned to travel the world living a life of freedom. By the time the conversion process was coming to completion, we had found out some very specific things:
A large number of the people who are making this leap are, many times, in way over their head. This process requires a ton of time, effort, money (sometimes), tools (all the times), and space.
Everyone that decides to do this on their own always ends up needing a hand for at least a few projects. And...
Non-traditional RVs are not welcome at typical RV parks so our options to hook up with power are limited and we definitely can not work on anything major while on a parkโs pretty concrete pads.
This is where the idea of Wanderlust Waypoints came from. We are building a place for the skoolie building single guy, the tiny house building couple, or the bus converting family. We want a place where we can put aside labels and preconceived notions and come together as the big nomadic community we are.
We are currently in the infancy of this project but weโve already started laying the foundation for some amazing things to come. Weโve been in talks with some major tool providers who are interested in sponsoring our tool library (more on that below) as well as some other companies who are interested in the project.
We are also looking for investors, both monetarily and those who are interested in investing owned land in exchange for company equity.
Let me give you a brief overview of how we hope to bring this project to fruition.
STAGE 1 - Land Acquisition and Preparation: We will be acquiring land through both private purchase and private donation from a few partners. Land will be
All sites and building areas must be cleared and prepared for large vehicles and must be safe for everyone who visits our sites.
STAGE 2 - Utility Grid Construction:We are trying to keep our operating costs as low as possible in order to keep our membership rates consistent for future members. This is why weโve decided to go off-grid. Utilizing solar, wind, geothermal, water harvesting, composting and any other methods that will help reduce our need on generation of power through fuel. Doing at this point in construction of the project will allow us to be zero consumable power for the remainder of the project and allow for our visitor volunteers to have power and water at their site for the duration of their stay. If the situation allows, we may hook into the grid for sell-back purposes.
STAGE 3 - Communal Building Construction:Communal buildings will be put in place at each location. They will be constructed from our first visitor volunteers at each location. In exchange for use of a construction site, we are offering nomads the opportunity to come, learn, and help. They will also be given a 1-year top-tier membership as a thank you for helping us get the legs under any given location.
Communal buildings at each location will vary and could change based on the land used at each site, but each location will have the following communal facilities.
Restrooms / Showering Facilities: Full stall shower suites with privacy and security
Tool Library: We are currently finalizing partnerships with a number of tool manufacturers to stock a complete tool library with a full range of construction tools as well as a complete welding outfit.
Our tool library will also have a large (14โ tall door) work bay for major projects and can be reserved in advance.
Office / Communal Office: The WW office will be located in a building that will also provide a space for travellers to conduct meetings or simply have a place away from the littles to work uninterrupted. Wifi is available as well as a small computer lab that you may use.
Communal Kitchen / Dining / Rec Space: We have a complete kitchen that is capable of cooking for your whole extended family as well as a communal space to eat your meals (private spaces for more intimate gatherings are also available). The rec space will also reside in this building and we hope to have a wide range of games and activities for kids and adults.
Communal Garden: We plan to have a certified organic garden for communal use. This may turn into having organic livestock as well but that would be well in the future.
STAGE 4 - Site Fitment: Determined fitment for each site will be based on available land. All sites will be fitted with standard 110v power and a water hookup. Construction sites (sites meant for building or converting) will be slightly larger and will have 220v power available for powering larger equipment like welders.
STAGE 5.1 - Park Beautification: Once the majority of the construction is out of the way, we begin the process of beautification. Landscaping, outdoor recreation areas, and other site based additions will be added as we begin opening to general members.
STAGE 5.2 - Park Operational: After all the โiโsโ are dotted and โtโsโ are crossed we will begin operation as a full bus park. We will have one on-site manager at each location for maintenance and to keep a general eye on things.
We are currently constructing the website and will be launching soon. If you have any interest in being a part of this project in any way please donโt hesitate to contact us. We have a need for investors, landowners, skilled volunteers, and we will soon be starting to accept applications for site managers.
We hope that our vision can help bring the dreams of many future nomads to reality and we look forward to seeing your rig at one of our locations very soon.
Village style DIY Skoolie and Nomad Conversion Build Stops for a sustainable community of travelers
