Have you ever been on Instagram and seen someone renovating a van or bus into their own tiny home? I love the thought of these miniature homes, but when thinking about it practically, I can’t help but wonder how they’re able to cook in the vehicle. The answer from the Boys with the Bus, experts in this area was simple — they often can’t! This group renovated their own bus, and are now in the middle of their very own cross-country road trip. They’ve struggled a lot with their cooking ventures throughout their time in their bus. What do you do when you have no heat sources in your portable home for weeks on end? Well, you have to take the approach the boys do for most things since starting this adventure — get creative.
Who are the Boys with the Bus?
This group started posting videos on Instagram in May of this year, and quickly blew up for their clear passion and connection with each other. When asked why these people came together to work on specifically a bus, the answer was simple — why not? Of the group, I talked with Kevin Han, Benjamin Siegel, Ben Rhodes-Kropf, Sebastian Romero and Justin Chen. Han explained, “It started as our senior project. We wanted to work on something different from the more traditional school projects and go out with a last hurrah as a group before college.” Once they realized just how feasible the idea was, it really took off. But they had no clue what they were actually getting themselves into.
How do the Boys with the Bus cook on the road?
The biggest obstacle for a bus full of high schoolers traveling all over the country is feeding themselves. Cooking on the bus was… complicated, to say the least. While they tried to stock the bus with plenty of appliances, once they were on the road, nothing ended up working. This led to a lot of fireside cooking. Rhodes-Kropf served as the group’s resident cook most days. His biggest piece of advice? “You have to use a lot of butter!” While they were generally unprepared, trial and error became their best friend.
Grocery shopping was similar, as it ended up turning into a free-for-all most of the time. When entering a grocery store, at first they would simply divide and conquer, shopping for what they thought each might like. But as the group got more used to shopping for bus life, they made some key observations for the specific food they should buy. Some of these were pretty basic — salads and cold cut sandwiches were two of the simplest things to make and store, with a working fridge thankfully on the bus. Some were more specific to their experience, such as needing to be careful with the types of drinks they buy. Celsiuses, they learned, will explode if sitting in the fridge for too long due to their carbonation. They also had a funny situation with a batch of mocha that had been left sitting in the fridge for too long. It ended up spilling everywhere while the bus was undergoing renovations, turning them away from the drink in the future.
How do the Boys with the Bus budget on the road?
Rhodes-Kropf also served as the group’s accountant, an expert of Google Sheets. At the beginning, money was one of the biggest concerns for the group. With feeding so many teenagers, they often had to be strategic about the type of food they were buying. For example, they had bought a lot of oatmeal at the beginning of the trip. But with no appliances, they didn’t have hot water or a microwave to make it. They also didn’t want it to go to waste, though, so Sebastian recounted eating a lot of cold water and oatmeal. A big reason for these cut corners was halfway through their first leg, the bus actually broke down, which was a pretty significant drain on their wallets. “Fixing a bus is a lot more expensive than buying one,” said Rhodes-Kropf. However, their success on social media provided them with a very convenient solution — brand deals. Their most recent brand deal has been with Instagram, which they’ve admitted to liking a lot more than TikTok, ultimately, due to its focus on community engagement. They specifically point to Story Comments as a helpful feature for their goals, allowing their mutuals to comment advice and feedback on Instagram Stories.
They also never let budget restrictions stop them from enjoying a little treat every once in a while. To keep everyone in good spirits, the bus was always stocked with everyone’s favorite snacks. Rhodes-Kropf’s favorite is half sour pickles, and both he and Chen are partial to Cheez-Its. Chen also loves Chex Mix and Romero’s go-to is Takis. Han had the biggest sweet tooth on the bus, loving Mike and Ikes for the road. And the whole group agreed that Monster energy drinks were a necessity.
What’s next for the boys?
Half of the original group have decided to take a gap year before going to college, so they can finish the second leg of their bus journey. On the trip, they plan to visit more landmarks, like the Grand Canyon and some National Parks. From there, they want to expand off of the bus. As Ben said, they want to figure out “what else they can build.” From a raft to a houseboat, the bus has given them the patience and experience to begin whatever they decide.
At the end of our interview, I asked the boys what their favorite moment throughout this whole experience was. They all pretty much agreed on what could be considered a disaster for a less optimistic group. At one point during the trip, a huge thunderstorm hit the bus. The boys decided to turn it into their own party, though, inspired by the crashing thunder and constant lightning. They all got completely drenched and blasted music, trying to hear it over the storm. And afterwards, they all sat on top of the bus, drinking bus-made smoothies, basking in the comfort of each other’s company.