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The four women who turned an old double-decker bus into a mobile hostel
Without any background in renovating or operating buses, four companies from the Netherlands decided to take all the benefits of hostels, and turn it into a mobile complex.
Along the way, they were helped by instructional videos from YouTube
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Hostel
bus
hotel
women
Eyal Shapira
Tuesday, 12 October 2021, 17:34 Updated: 17:46
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4 women turned an old bus into a mobile hostel (Photo: La Karavana)
In 2019, while Saskia Van Greece from the Netherlands was working in the field of events, she decided to recruit three of her friends for a dream project.
Ever since, Saskia has aspired to work in tourism and travel, and after many years of traveling the world, she fell in love with the hostel concept and dreamed of opening one of her own.
However, she feels that the hostel is a matter of, well, stationary and too limited.
"I didn't really like the idea of being stuck in just one place," she tells Insider.
"Therefore, I decided that the perfect solution to this was to create a hostel that could really move."
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
Locate a two-story bus network for sale
So, she decided to enlist the help of her twin sister Julisa and two friends - Eileen and Lisa.
Together, they decided to set up a hostel inside a bus.
The four located a one-story bus at one of the shopping sites, and purchased it for $ 8,138.
When they got into it, they immediately knew it would be perfect for the ride.
"At that moment we could already imagine the location of the beds, the kitchen and everything," she says.
After the purchase, they took the bus to a street art festival, where they were assisted by artist Timon de Lat, who managed to surprise them and put out an unconventional illustration.
And so, without any background in the field of renovations, they began the design work, while learning the craft while in the process.
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
Bucket, belt and board games
The first step was to replace the rubber insulation around the windows, to prevent leaks. The seemingly simple task took several months. Next, they decided to use the do-it-yourself videos they found on YouTube, as well as local professionals. The four devoted 40-30 hours a week to work, which certainly suited them in terms of career, since at the time they were working in the field of events, and the Corona plague had shut down the industry. During the renovation, they were even required to do a driver’s license that would fit the bus.
And so, after about a year and a half of work, their mobile hostel was ready to go. The entire renovation project cost them about $ 40,000, but at the same time they received $ 17,000 after conducting a crowdfunding project online.
The bus features a unique kitchen located on the lower floor, which has two refrigerators, with the sink actually being a tin bucket and the cabinet handles being straps of belts found in a thrift store.
A large seating area was designed in the back of the bus.
Here the four sometimes play board games and have dinner together.
The bus also includes a toilet, and a dividing wall separating the living room from the bathroom.
On the second floor, there are nine bunk beds.
Each bed has a curtain for privacy and a reading lamp.
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
Going out: Shifts in pairs
The four do not live on the bus continuously and regularly, but change shifts between themselves. Thus, they are with the guests and drive for them. Each time, two of the four are on such a shift.
The mobile hostel, which was inaugurated very recently, has been named La Karavana. If you are interested in booking a place, you can do so in one of two ways: you can rent all seven (out of nine) beds and go on a trip with two of the companies, or just rent one bed and go on an existing trip, together with strangers. Just like in a regular hostel. The price for a weekend bed is $ 464, and for a week stay you will pay $ 990.
It is also worth knowing that it is not possible to order just one night, and all meals are vegetarian and included in the price. The price also includes various activities along the way.
According to them, the bus is still not making a profit, due to the high cost of insurance, but they are optimistic about the future. In the coming weeks they are taking out their third trip, hoping to leave the Netherlands in 2022.
"I'm proud of us, for creating this bus," says Saskia.
"Even though we had no previous experience in renovating buses or operating them. It proves that nothing is impossible."
To the homepage of the mobile hostel:
https://www.lakaravana.nl/
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A post shared by La Karavana (@lakaravana)
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