Richard Tilford and Elizabeth Hensley
Over the past year and a half, Richard Tilford and contributing writer Elizabeth Hensley have been zigzagging around the United States in Little House on the HWY, their 1996 Thomas International School bus conversion. In this interview, they share about their life on the road, how they make ends meet while traveling and what’s next for their journey.
Cindy Sharp
Elizabeth Hensley and Richard Tilford show off their map marked with M&M’s showing the routes they have traveled. [Cindy Sharp/Correspondent]
Snowbirds & RV Travelers: What is your previous/current occupation?
Richard: I used to work in hotels and hospitality. I also used to be a school bus driver, so I have my CDL class B license. I worked on a cruise ship in housekeeping in 2010 and that’s where I met Elizabeth.
Elizabeth: I also worked in hospitality until I decided to go back to school. I was a student from 2012 to 2018. I got my associates and bachelor’s in communication studies and my master’s in American studies. I just finished a teaching assistantship at Kennesaw State University when we set out on the road.
R: As far as a current occupation, I’m self-employed and make some money online.
E: We are now monetized on YouTube, so that’s an income stream. I’m also a writer I work for three online publications including Snowbirds & RV Travelers Magazine while we travel full-time.
Richard and Elizabeth in White Sands, New Mexico
When did you retire?
R: We are not retired, but sometimes I call this my ‘mid-life retirement’ [laughs]. I wanted to work a little bit less but slow down and simplify my life.
E: Yes, we are both 33-years-old. We’re still in our prime to work, so we’ll probably go back to work in a traditional sense at some point.
Why did you choose to go full-time?
E: I learned about living off the grid and minimalism from Richard and it came at a good time in our lives because I was finishing up school.
R: We wanted to be more mobile, not be tied down to one place so by going full-time RV-ing we could go anywhere.
E: And for me as a writer about American culture, it felt like I hit the jackpot. I wrote my thesis while we were traveling on the East Coast of the United States. Then we went out West after I graduated.
R: [To Elizabeth] And they said you could do it online, so we decided to go to other places and you did it online.
E: Yeah, and that’s the main part. Because nowadays we can be connected and also be nomadic. Everything that we do now is online, so we can travel full-time as well.
Cindy Sharp
Elizabeth Hensley and Richard Tilford travel around the country in their tiny bus home, “Little House on the HWY.” [Cindy Sharp/Correspondent]
How long have you been full-time RVers?
E: For over a year-and-a-half. We started August 1, 2018, four months after we bought our rig.
What type of RV do you own and why?
E: When we first thought about living nomadically, we looked at RVs. We liked the Rialta and looked at other Winnebagos and traditional RVs, but they were too expensive for us. Then we found that people were converting school buses, and we felt like we could do it. So, we bought a 1996 Thomas International school bus that we converted into our tiny home on wheels.
R: The ‘why’ is probably because I used to be a school bus driver, and we got it for a good price ($2500 USD). Once we took all the seats out and started building it up, it became like a blank canvas. We could create whatever type of space we wanted. It was fully customizable.
Richard & Elizabeth Working the sugar beet harverst in North Dakota
Do you work part-time on the road?
E: Yes. In addition to working online, we also work seasonal jobs. We worked the sugar beet harvest in North Dakota throughout October. We also worked at a Christmas tree village in Eustis, Florida.
R: With those work/camping types of jobs, we stayed in our vehicle on the property in our bus.
E: It's nice to have a job that is temporary because you work just for a couple of months, then make enough money to fund your next adventure and meet a lot of nice people along the way.
What is/was your favorite destination?
R: I don't think destination-wise I have a favourite, but I enjoy exploring new places. I do like the desert. I like the freedom I feel out there. I also liked Wyoming and Montana. Hebgen Lake was a cool spot.
E: Taking the bus to the Pacific Northwest in the late spring was awesome because it was very green and we didn't encounter a lot of rain, but it was still misty and pretty. I also liked going up the coast into the Northeast in the fall because we hit Salem around Halloween and Maine, and we got to see the trees change colours.
Elizabeth and Richard at Hebgen Lake, Montana.
What are your current travel plans?
E: We’re in California right now but the adventure we’re saving up for is to go to Alaska. That will be our 49th state on the bus.
R: Before we do that, we are going to go through Utah because we haven't been there yet either. On our way to Alaska we are going to stop in Oakridge, Oregon, for The Bus Fair, which is an event happening June 19th & 20th, and then after that, we hope to continue north to Alaska. We have t-shirts on Bonfire.com to help us fund our journey.
Do you commonly stay at RV parks or do you commonly boondock?
E: We boondock.
R: We're like parking lot surfers. We've stayed at Cracker Barrel restaurants, rest areas and truck stops.
E: A lot of people travel to their jobs to work. We travel somewhere to sleep. We sightsee during the day and find a spot to we feel safe to park at night.
Little House on the HWY interior.
What is your favourite RV Park and why?
R: Waiiaka RV Park in Yreka, California.
E: My cousin and his wife worked there as camp hosts. That’s also a good one because it is next to Rain Rock Casino. We stayed there for a couple of nights. Waiiaka is a very nice facility with laundry, showers, and it's dog-friendly.
What are some of the advantages/disadvantages of full-time RVing?
R: One advantage is not having to pay for a building, either paying for rent or a mortgage. Another advantage is trying to cut down all of our bills. If you have less stuff, you pay less to keep it, and that’s an advantage of minimalism, paying less.
E: Our expenses are on sliding-scale because if we're traveling a lot one month, it will cost almost as much as rent did. But if we stay put, it can be inexpensive. For example, when we were working on the Christmas tree farm for one month, we walked to work so we only filled up on diesel one time ($300 USD). One of the disadvantages is that leading a nomadic lifestyle can be exhausting because we're always moving.
R: Sometimes we feel like we don't have any personal space.
E: We also show our house at tiny house shows and while it's great to share our home with everybody, sometimes we feel like we have a lack of privacy.
Taking the bus to New England in autumn.
Would you recommend the full-time lifestyle?
R: I would say 'Yes'! I recommend the full-time lifestyle because you get to create your own life and schedule. In a way, each day is a new adventure.
E: I would also recommend it. It's something that makes life seem a little more fragile and precious. Even if you don't do it forever, having that experience of traveling full-time and bringing your home with you is memorable and special.
If you have any questions, you can always ask. You can follow Little House on the HWY’s on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.