At the age of 27, Danielle purchased a used Chevrolet Express school bus for about 5,000 euros and converted it into a fully functional home. The bus, which she found on Facebook Marketplace in September 2021, had 320,000 kilometers on the odometer and cost her around 5,500 dollars. Over the next three years, she spent approximately 30,000 dollars—about 27,600 euros—on converting the bus, with nearly 21,800 euros going toward labor and materials. Solar panels, insulation, and plumbing added up to around 3,300 dollars. Danielle did most of the work herself, despite having no prior experience with electric tools. She installed a double bed, a kitchen with two induction plates, a shower, a refrigerator, dry toilets, and a roof hatch for ventilation. The project was physically demanding, and Danielle admits to having a moment of emotional exhaustion during the process. “I think I cried that day,” she recalls, referring to a particularly tough day spent alone in the cold, assembling large pieces of particleboard on the ceiling. Her decision to live in a mobile home was influenced by the high cost of housing in the United States and her childhood dream of a nomadic lifestyle. While she still has to manage expenses like fuel, insurance, maintenance, and sometimes a parking space, she values the freedom of not paying rent to a landlord and being able to travel anywhere. In France, used school buses and transport vehicles are commonly available on the market. For example, 12-square-meter Renault Trafic models can be found for between 5,500 and 10,000 euros, depending on their age and mileage. Smaller Renault Trafic or Master models are also available for between 1,900 and 2,500 euros. The choice of vehicle depends largely on the desired living space and the weight of the vehicle. Some French families, like the Roadcats Family, travel in old buses equipped with everything needed for daily life with children. Another family converted an old school bus used in the Calvados and Vendée regions into a 30-square-meter home for six people, as reported by La Maison Écologique. However, living in a converted bus in France involves more administrative steps than in the United States. To legally use an old bus as a home, it must go through a validation process known as “reception à titre isolé,” which is handled by the Regional Direction of the Environment, Planning, and Housing. The process involves removing the vehicle from the public transport category and classifying it as a VASP caravan, the administrative category for campers. The type of driving permit needed depends on the vehicle's weight. For vehicles under 3.5 tonnes with up to nine seats, a B permit is sufficient. For vehicles between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, a C1 permit is required, and for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes, a C permit is necessary.