Expedition Happiness is a new documentary (available on Netflix) about a couple’s road trip across North America in a converted school bus. The film follows their journey through Canada, Alaska, along the Pacific Coast, and across the desert of the southwest US and Mexico. Their trip didn’t come without setbacks of course, like dealing with a leak and being denied at the US border.
Expedition Happiness stars musician Selima Taibi, filmmaker Felix Starck, and their dog Rudi.
All photos via Expedition Happiness on Facebook
They tore out the seats and refurbished the bus into a cozy loft-on-wheels with a kitchenette, bedroom, shower room, and small bathroom with a composting toilet.
They added cabinets and gorgeous wood paneling on the walls.
Mosaic tiles were placed one by one in the shower.
The final result was more homey than any manufactured RV.
Their stylish kitchen was accented with wood tabletops and vintage-style light fixtures. The bathroom, shower, and bedroom are in the back of the bus.
I love their bus, it was one of my first inspirations to build my own skoolie! I was a bit disappointed in their movie, however. They barely showed the bus build, and once they were done, I don’t think they weren’t realistic in their expectations about life on the road. Mechanical problems happen all the time. They felt like every setback was a huge deal and were super upset. I feel like they probably didn’t do much research before doing this. The drone shots were nice, and I liked seeing their trip in full, more than their youtube videos. I’d give the move a B-.