Story 31 | Architecture Students

Sam & Ryan (@thevoyagerproject)

Sam and Ryan are two friends who recently graduated as Architecture students from the University of Cincintatti, Ohio and are on a trip of a lifetime in a school bus they converted with their design expertise. 

Prior to their life on the road, they were fortunate to have traveled across the country through their school program, where they became accustomed to working and living around the nation in Phoenix, Washington DC, Miami, San Francisco, Sacramento and Chicago. 

As part of their post graduation plan, they figured they should align their architectural education with their passion of living small - so after 6 months designing and countless 80 hour work weeks at a construction company - they built their tiny home on wheels for a road trip of a lifetime.  Little did they expect, that journey transformed from a trip into a full time lifestyle of freedom and self reliance. 

In building their home they decided on a school bus - for its affordability and flexibility for two friends with separate sleeping areas. They built it to be long lasting, reliable and a blank canvas to show off their design skills.

Since embarking on their journey Sam and Ryan have been to Custer State Park SD, Sawtooth National Forest Idaho, The Grand Tetons/Jackson Hole, Mt Rainer, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco & Lake Tahoe. 

They feel new sense of freedom and adventure that amazes them, but they also admit that not everything goes as planned. On their trip their brakes went out and were stuck in a small town for a few days with no idea what the fix would cost. They said it was extra stressful because it’s not just their car breaking down but their home. Even with those challenges, Sam and Ryan agreed that it is all worth it to wake up some place new every morning. 

To afford this lifestyle, they saved up to afford 3 months of travel, but are working on transitioning their home into a mobile design studio that gives them flexibility in location to work with clients across the county.

For more on Tim and Sam's journey to a reformed life, following them on instagram @thevoyaherproject or on youtube at www.youtube.com/thevoyagerproject