Jay told Insider he always dreamed of living and traveling in a renovated school bus, and Kels was easy to convince.
So in 2019, they purchased a 2001 retired school bus and completely gutted and renovated the vehicle themselves.
In January, the couple set out on their journey.
By November, the couple decided it was time to re-renovate. They spent five days completely transforming Bessy.
The couple had a handful of reasons why they wanted to do a mini-renovation so early into their skoolie adventure.
First, Jay was itching for a project.
"I just love building. Give me a project and I'm like the happiest guy alive," Jay said
Second, a list quickly formed of things the couple wanted and needed to fix. Whether it was an uncomfortable couch or missing storage baskets, the couple told Insider that small issues became major annoyances in their tiny space.
"I think when you're living in such a small space, every square foot is so valuable," Kels told Insider. "We really just reevaluated."
They took a pit stop in California and decided to make some major and minor changes to their bus Bessy.
They estimate they spent $800 on the renovation.
"It was such a drastic change for such a low budget," Kels said. "I think it's more 'us' than it originally was. It feels more comforting and more like home now."