Victoria Price had been working for NBC for less than two years when the worldwide quarantine brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic hit. As her work ramped-up in the news station, her health suffered… big time. And yet, if it weren’t for one hawk-eyed viewer, Victoria never would have noticed.
Victoria Price was unaware that her health was compromised. Her entire Florida news team was working long hours, day and night, with no intentions of slowing down. If she wanted to keep her position, she’d have to keep her composure. In fact, she prided herself on it.
Instagram
“As a journalist, it’s been full throttle since the pandemic began,” Price said on her Instagram. “We were covering the most important health story in a century, but my own health was the farthest thing from my mind.” That is, until a viewer chimed in.
Instagram
After a long day of newscasting, Price logged into her email to discover a message from a concerned viewer. Her words for Price were so jarring that the news anchor was quite concerned.
Pete/Flickr
The woman writing the email noted that Price’s neck looked abnormally swollen. While she wasn’t a doctor, the viewer told the news anchor she might want to visit a doctor and get her throat checked out. Of course, Price was skeptical.
Instagram
At first, Price hoped the viewer was mistaken. She wasn’t feeling ill, after all. Sure, her throat was a bit sore, but her job was to speak all day long. A little hoarseness was expected. Still, she decided to give her doctor a call.
Instagram
Price explained to her doctor that she had no symptoms other than a swollen throat. Her doctor informed her that, even though she was mostly asymptomatic, she should pay him a visit. Frightened by his foreboding words, Price set up an emergency appointment right away.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Price showed up to her doctor’s office, masked-up and ready for anything. He took a look at her thyroid and, after a few moments, confirmed her fears; Price had developed thyroid cancer in the middle of her neck. The news got even worse.
Instagram
While cancer is typically a disease that develops within our bodies, there are certain types that can be seen from the outside. The most common of these visible cancers could be hiding right under your nose. Well… perhaps a little lower than that.
The most common symptoms of thyroid cancer include a swollen neck, pain up to the ears, and trouble swallowing. However, these can also be signs of a standard sore throat. Bad news kept piling up.
Thyroid cancer can spread like wildfire. Once past the thyroid, it can spread far enough to cause irreversible damage. Unfortunately, Price’s cancer had already begun to spread into her lymph nodes — but had it gone too far?
PickPik
Thankfully, Price’s doctor said she was lucky. Her cancer had just begun its attack on her lymph nodes, which means the viewer might have caught it just in time! However, there was still a chance of complications, as Price was going to need throat surgery.
bradleyolin/Flickr
Thankfully, Price was very positive about her outcome. She was expected to only need one surgical treatment with no chemotherapy or additional procedures. To help calm her nerves, she decided to post about her diagnosis on social media and was instantly bombarded with questions!
Facebook
Price received tons of love and personal stories from her followers, plus an array of inquiries regarding her diagnosis. One user pointed out that they couldn’t see the lump at all, to which Price responded with an insightful point.
PickPik
“It’s not super obvious unless you know what to look for,” said Price, who then took a photo from a new angle. This helped her followers fully understand what the viewer saw — and what to look for themselves. So, how did Price’s surgery go?
Instagram
On the day of her surgery, Price posted a photo of her self in recovery, enjoying a popsicle. “Aside from a little stiffness, soreness, and weakness, I’m feeling pretty great,” she said. As she healed, Price continued sharing about her experience on Instagram. She even claims that the surgery was the easiest part!
Instagram
“Prior to my thyroidectomy, a lot of people told me “the surgery is the easy part!” I didn’t understand that at first. Now I do.” Price gave her followers a crash course about her months-long process of recovery, even sharing some not-safe-for-work photos. Her prognosis?
Instagram
“It’s not a death sentence, but it’s a life sentence,” says Price, who will forever be in recovery. “I’ll be on levo and need to balance these levels for the rest of my life… I may be scarred, but I ain’t scared.” Thankful to still be alive, Price has some words of advice.
Instagram
“Take care of yourself. Take care of each other. That’s the moral of the story. A little kindness went a long way for me. Don’t forget that your health is your wealth!” Her words have resonated all over the planet. People are finding ways to address their health, especially amidst the pandemic.
Instagram
Italy, of course, was one of the hardest hit countries in the world when the coronavirus first reared its ugly head. In just the span of a few months, the country saw its case count leap to over 200,000, with death totals quickly eclipsing 30,000.
Laura Lezza / Getty Images
Quarantine measures were put in place almost immediately, forcing a nation known for its love of full tables and crowded spaces into months of isolation. Yet the Italian people never lost hope, confident they’d weather this storm together — but apart.
Antonio Masiello / Getty Images
Sure enough, early June saw the daily case rate drop to its lowest point since the outbreak began, and slowly, quarantine and other public restrictions were eased. Italy was healing, though this “new normal” would bring with it a new slate of challenges.
Alessandra Benedetti – Corbis / Getty Images
Chief among them were two things no true Italian can go without: food and drink. Between strict occupancy regulations, social distancing measures, and the general unease over public spaces, how were restaurants and bars supposed to keep their customers safe and satisfied?
Laura Lezza / Getty Images
Enter the buchette del vino. This unassuming little wooden door doesn’t quite seem like the kind of thing that could save the entire Italian food and beverage industry, though some 500 years ago, it actually did just that.
GiorgioMagini / Getty Images
In the wake of the Black Death, relatively large outbreaks of plague continued to pop up throughout Europe, ravaging populations even hundreds of years later. One of those outbreaks was the Great Plague of Milan of 1629-1631, which wiped out nearly 25 percent of northern and central Italy.
With Italy’s economy tanking, merchants needed to find a way to provide food and drink to locals without, you know, giving them the plague. Luckily, their means of doing so had actually been around since 1559.
That year, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de’ Medici decreed that Florentine families could sell their wine stores directly out of their homes as opposed to through inns and taverns. Naturally, wealthy Italians jumped at the opportunity to cut out the middle man, though they weren’t doling out the wine themselves.
David Silverman / Getty Images
Instead, they had small, ornate windows installed in the sides of their palaces. If a passerby fancied a drink, they simply knocked on the tiny wooden door, handed a well-paid servant their glass or bottle, and were delivered a nice taste of local wine.
Associazione Buchette del Vino / Wine Window Association
From there, these “wine windows” began popping up all over Tuscany, with records showing there were at least 150 in use at one point. But when the plague returned and Italy’s sanitation standards were reevaluated, buchettes del vino became more than just whimsical wine drive-thrus.
Because of the need for limited contact between persons, windows such as these were installed in shops across the region to serve customers without risk of disease. Shop owners even wiped down each glass and every coin with vinegar in order to halt the spread.
Atlantide Phototravel / Getty Images
Yet while buchettes del vino did serve their purpose during plague times, they gradually fell out of use as outbreaks became a thing of the past. Most of the windows were sealed over the years while others were destroyed by war and natural disasters.
As time passed, the story of these wine windows was mostly forgotten, their faint outlines in the brick facades of Florence serving as the only reminder of a long lost age. But in 2015, one group of history buffs decided to give the buchettes del vino the recognition they deserved.
Through the Associazione Buchette del Vino — or, Wine Window Association — three local Florentines began working to preserve and restore these unique pieces of the past. And sure enough, that’s exactly what they did.
La Nazione
Using small plaques, the WWA designated a number of buchettes del vino as historic sites so that younger generations could enjoy this relatively unknown part of Italian history. Yet with the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, many began appreciating these wine windows for a different reason.
Simona Sirio / Getty Images
With social distancing measures still in full swing in Italy, some buchettes del vino have actually returned to operation — wine, however, isn’t the only thing being served.
Some shops have taken to offering a full bar menu, handing out everything from Aperol Spritzes to intricate cocktails. Even coffee shops are getting in on the fun, turning their wine windows into makeshift drive-thrus that’d rival even Dunkin’.
Associazione Buchette del Vino / Wine Window Association
Food is even available at some buchettes del vino, with everything from bakeries and ice cream parlors to full-fledged restaurants handing out to-go orders. Yet could the revival of this ancient tradition really help Italy to get back on its feet?
Vivoli Gelateria
So far, the answer seems to be a resounding “yes,” as the unusual nature of these wine windows makes them the perfect photo op. In fact, they’ve even become a viral sensation, inspiring other shops around the globe to follow suit.
passion4food4fashion
Unfortunately, not all restaurants have the luxury of a buchette del vino built right into the their walls — as a result, savvy restaurateurs have been forced to get creative in the time of coronavirus.
Vivoli Gelateria
It was March of 2020 in Ransäter, Sweden, and Linda Karlsson and her husband Rasmus Persson were in the midst of quarantine with their young child. With no end in sight, things were getting cooped up on their homestead.
Linda Karlsson
Even though the couple lives on a large farm property, they were accustomed to connecting with other people. Both Karlsson and Persson work in broadcast radio, and the sudden change to isolation at home had been unusual.
Bord för en / Facebook
One afternoon, Karlsson heard a knock on the door. It was her parents, who’d come to pay a surprise visit and alleviate the lockdown boredom. But Karlsson was torn: she wanted to see them, but worried about their health.
Donal Skehan / Facebook
Her parents were both over 70, placing them in the high-risk age bracket for coronavirus. Karlsson wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if her family accidentally transmitted the illness to her parents, so she told them to stay outside while she made food.
TheLocal.se
That afternoon, she set up a table in the garden for her parents, and passed dishes and food to them through the window, so they could stay healthy. While they enjoyed dinner in Ransäter’s pastoral outdoor environment, Karlsson got an idea.
Visit Värmland
Ransäter wasn’t a large town — just a small incorporated area where city folk spent their summers. Its biggest draws were its nature trails, peaceful views, and river rafting activities, and its quality of outdoor life was refreshing.
60North Sweden
As Karlsson and Persson watched the grandparents dining, it occurred to them that this no-contact, al fresco experience might be something others would enjoy. Karlsson envisioned a single table, with a pulley basket in which a three-course meal would be delivered. So they got to work.
Linda Karlsson
Before Persson was a radio host, he worked as a professional chef, and now was the time to lean on his expertise. For the starter course, he planned råraka — Swedish hash browns — with vegan kelp caviar and sour cream.
Bord för en
For drinks to go along with the dishes, the couple joined forces with cocktail connoisseur Joel Söderbäck. He curated three non-alcoholic beverages: a ginger beer with strawberry and cucumber; a soda with plum cordial; and an iced tea with elderflower, lemon and arrak.
Joel Söderbäck
For the main course, Persson designed a series of tasters, to give diners a wide palette of Swedish flavors. One bite would be a yellow carrot-ginger puree with serpent root ash. Next to it would be a dish of browned hazelnut butter, and a sweet corn croquette.
Bord för en
After finishing the savory bites, Persson planned to send out a fresh, grown-up twist on a classic Swedish children’s dessert. He’d combine blueberries — soaked in gin — with iced buttermilk and homemade beet sugar muddled with viola flowers.
Linda Karlsson
Now that the courses were planned, the tough work of building a pulley system began. Karlsson broke ground at a spot a good distance away from the house, and began assembling an A-frame shape to hold the end of the pulley rope.
Bord för en / Facebook
When it was safe to socialize, Persson’s dad came out to lend his handyman skills, too. They got the frame securely planted in the ground, and then strung a wire and guide rope from the frame up to the house.
Bord för en / Facebook
The other end of the pulley would attach to a window. Luckily, the house came equipped with two kitchens — they would use the auxiliary one, which lay just inside the pulley window, to cook only the guest’s food, ensuring no contamination.
Bord för en / Facebook
With the table and chair set up, and the pulley and basket system working, Karlsson and Persson felt they were ready to begin taking guests. They set up a website and got the word out to locals and a few press friends.
Rasmus Persson
The little restaurant promised to serve only one person per day, and before long, their first diner was booked. When arriving at the house, diners were to follow a sign around to the table in the field.
Bord för en / Facebook
Persson could see through the window when the guest had arrived, and packaged each course carefully in the picnic basket. Each course had to be packed in a way that the guest could assemble it themselves, or else it would spill all over the basket.
Guests rang a bell attached to the pulley when they were ready for the next course, and at the end of the meal, they could choose what to pay. “There shouldn’t be a price tag…too high for anyone to enjoy this,” Karlsson said.
Word spread fast of the great food and innovative experience, and soon, Karlsson and Persson’s home project was being written up in major publications like CNN, Insider, and Food & Wine. They decided to call their restaurant “Bord för En,” meaning “table for one” in Swedish.
Bord för en / Facebook
What will happen to Bord för En when coronavirus passes? Given that it’s so calming to enjoy a meal in nature by oneself, we don’t think Karlsson or Persson will let their new establishment fade away. They’re just one couple making huge changes during the pandemic.
Bord för en / Facebook
Under normal circumstances, a trip to the grocery store is a simple chore for anyone. However, things were far from normal for Karen Eveleth and her neighbor Renee Hellman. In fact, things were far from normal for anyone.
Markham Review
For 71-year-old Renee, avoiding the grocery store was a matter of life and death. See, because of her age and medical conditions, she was at a particular high risk during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Hellman has COPD and heart problems. These underlying conditions, combined with her age, made it even more crucial for her to stay indoors and practice social distancing to avoid the infectious virus. Of course, this presented some problems.
US Airforce
The elderly woman still had to cook for herself and eat, but the challenge of obtaining food was becoming dire. She had been isolated in her house for weeks and her supply of food was slowly running out.
ABC News
With no family in the area, Hellman didn’t know what to do. Luckily, her neighbor of ten years had an idea after she saw a story on the news about dogs comforting people in hospitals.
Susan Ryan
“I thought, ‘Wait a second, I have a dog that could help,’” Eveleth told CNN. She called up Hellman and offered to get her groceries, as she knew she was isolated and didn’t have a way to re-up on much needed food.
Good Morning America
Eveleth headed home with groceries for Hellman. Instead of dropping them off at the front door, she decided she would enlist a very special delivery method. This way, her elderly neighbor would get her groceries and an added bonus.
CNN
This is where Eveleth’s 7-year-old golden retriever named Sundance came into the picture. More than an adorable face, retrievers are programmed to, well, retrieve things, making them the fetch champions of the dog world.
Karen Eveleth
Eveleth knew Sundance could handle this task. So, she got to work training him to walk next door with groceries for Hellman, and it didn’t take long for him to get the hang of it. Soon, Hellman was getting daily deliveries from Sundance.
KKTV
The pup brought over chicken, flour, vegetables and premade meals in bowls for the older woman. All delivered with a smile for nothing but a few pets. “I make meals for her also and Sundance brings back the empty bowls,” Eveleth told CNN.
The Union Journal
“Every day we send something back and forth. He’s just happy to do his job,” Hellman said, and to see his favorite treat waiting for him after he completes his daily errands. Sundance is a born helper, even outside being Hellman’s delivery boy.
KKTV
“He is a humble hero. When he hears something drops, he knows I’ve got to get that for mom because I have a bad back. He also gets the mail. I have the carrier leave the box open. Sunny has two siblings, but delivery and pick up is not in their DNA,” Eveleth told CNN.
CBS 58
Sundance is not the only neighbor who has gone out of their way to check in on Hellman during the pandemic, but it’s hard to believe he isn’t the cutest. Along with her groceries, Sundance offers her something else that is just as important.
ABC 11
Being completely isolated for weeks on end can be damaging to one’s mental health. Especially in times of crisis and anxiety. When Sundance arrives at Hellman’s front door, even if it’s just for a moment, she has a companion.
Good Morning America
When human connection is scarce, animals can be a much-needed lifeline for many lonely people. Having a dog has been known to lower blood pressure and reduce stress and anxiety levels. During times of self-isolation, many people have caught on to this trick.
Bev Sykes / Flickr
While many of the major shelters in cities like Los Angeles and New York City have closed, dogs and cats have been welcomed into the homes of hundreds of thousands of Americans at an incredible rate.
Much like the therapy dogs that have been used in hospitals, or brought onto universities during exam weeks, it is a well known fact that dogs simply make every situation better with their wagging tails and infallible joy.
University of Fraser Valley / Flickr
As for Sundance, he’s just doing what comes naturally. Of her personal hero, Hellman can’t help but gush. When speaking of the golden retriever, she smiled and said, “He is a fun one.”
KKTV
So what if your groceries come with a little bit of slobber around the edges? Sundance is just one of the many ways people around the world are coping with isolation and quarantine.
CNN
A lot of adults have grown out of nightlife once starting a family, but an extended quarantine will make anyone jones for a night out on the town. For Jo Bowtell, that was her whole business. The 40-year-old still hit the pub most nights, and not just for a pint.
Jo Bowtell
She was the head honcho at Noel’s Arms, a popular tavern in the village of Melton Mowbray. Though your typical pubs were dime a dozen across England, there was something about Jo’s place that kept customers coming back again and again.
SWNS
The warm atmosphere, live music, and friendly staff made Noel’s a personal hangout, not just a place to buy drinks. Jo employed a number of fantastic staff members, all of whom were tremendously proud of their work. None of them had any inkling it would all be taken away.
The Noel’s Arms Freehouse
One March night in 2020, the employees closed up after another packed musical performance. Collecting tabs, sweeping up floors, exchanging farewells — this would be the last time they went through their regular routine before disaster struck.
Mikebobuk / YouTube
COVID-19 swept through the entire world that spring, and Jo’s quaint county of Leicestershire was no exception. Society came to a grinding halt, leaving the the devoted staff of Noel’s Arms in dire straits.
Tim Dennell / Flickr
With the populace of Melton Mowbray ordered to shelter in their homes, Jo had no choice but to close her pub for the foreseeable future. Her own family was fortunate enough to get through the pandemic financially, but she feared for her bartenders.
Gretchen Robinette / Gothamist
So reliant on nightly tips, her bar staff had no way to make ends meet. They could join the legions of other displaced workers waiting for unemployment to kick in, but that fragile safety net could only catch so many of them.
Bizuayehu Tesfaye / Las Vegas Review-Journal
Jo was at a loss. Obviously she understood the need to keep everyone physically isolated, but she still wished there were a way to keep Noel’s Arms going. The bar owner saw just how badly people craved community.
Jo Bowtell / Facebook
That much was evident, whether Jo was looking out her windows at the sad zombies shuffling — six feet apart — down the street or at her friends complaining on social media. It seemed everyone was keeping busy with one activity in particular.
Richard Howell / Melton Mowbray / CC BY-SA 2.0
Drinking. Shacked up alone, folks all across the village were knocking back bottle after bottle. Jo only wished there were some way to at least bring the imbibers together. Once glance at her computer gave her an idea.
Dimension Films
Jo set up an impromptu video call with key members of the Noel’s Arms team. Everyone had computers and booze, she pointed out, so why didn’t they recreate the pub in another form. Understandably, there was some skepticism at first.
SWNS
But with no better alternatives, Jo and her colleagues set up The Virtual Pub on Facebook. There, the bar could host performances, encourage conversations, and share a drink, albeit from different places. They sent out hundreds of invitations to Noel’s Arms regulars and waited for a response.
The Virtual Pub / Facebook
As luck would have it, Jo’s patrons loved the idea. Old friendships were rekindled, plus members of the group were kind enough to send financial contributions to the pub staff. Soon, however, the page got out of control.
Jo Bowtell — SWNS
Sure enough, Facebook users who’d never even heard of the Noel’s Arms were intrigued by The Virtual Pub. They wanted to get in on the action. With the click of a button, more “customers” than Jo ever could’ve imagined poured in.
Ryan Unger
The bar veteran almost didn’t know how to handle the tens of thousands of additions. “It has completely blown up. We’ve got 3,000 members just waiting for approval — it’s like there’s a queue at the door to get in,” she described in amazement.
Even while vetting certain members, interactions in The Virtual Pub did get a little unruly from time to time. Fortunately, Jo hired a couple “bouncers” to keep everyone in check and, on occasion, toss out troublemakers. The pub took a new twist or turn each day.
Wikimedia Commons
One day a debate broke out in regards to the best way to fold your toilet paper — an appropriate topic, given some patrons’ tendency to hoard the stuff. But even the squabbles were a part of that community feeling.
Some members got really into it and decorated corners of their own homes like a mini pub. Jo never could’ve foreseen the scope of her Virtual pub, but she understood why it meant so much.”
Ron Norris / Facebook
“Everyone is buying into it as they can sit at home and be entertained as if they are in the same place,” Jo explained. “It is a haven.” Of course, some drinkers prefer their personal bars to be a bit more…real.
The Noel’s Arms / Facebook
For Jayne Tapper, her husband Paul was her entire world. She wanted nothing more than to maximize their quality time together, but one nasty habit was driving them apart. Jayne was fed up.
Caters News
Paul had a good job as an engineer, standing out as one of the most accomplished blokes in Southern England. What he got up to after business hours, however, made Jayne want to scream.
Rather than zipping back to their home in Newton Abbot, Paul regularly took a detour to a less wholesome destination. He’d meet his mates in the parking lot, and then they would get down to what they did best.
Drinking! Paul and his buddies knocked back pint after pint at the pub. The mischief never got out of hand, but it irked Jayne that her husband spent more time at the local watering hole than he did at home.
And when the engineer did make it back to their cozy domicile, he was shocked to find his wife in such sour spirits. Paul recalled that he found himself “in the doghouse” on a regular basis. Still, he had no plans to change his behavior.
Jayne, meanwhile, was desperate for a way to see more of her husband. It wasn’t that she was anti-social. In fact, she loved entertaining friends and family. The beleaguered wife wondered if she could pull Paul back home.
Previously, Jayne toyed around with the idea of opening her own restaurant or bar. But after hearing about the difficulties of getting such an enterprise off the ground, she decided it wasn’t worth the financial risk.
George’s Pub
Still, was there a more feasible middle ground? Perhaps, but that wasn’t the question on Paul’s mind. He was too busy wondering, when he got back home one night, why his beloved was having their entire backyard leveled!
But Jayne wouldn’t spoil the big surprise. Even as the lumber came together as a building frame, she wouldn’t reveal what she had in store. Obviously, this was no ordinary garden shed.
The construction became increasingly elaborate. Paul got a little miffed at Jayne’s radio silence, especially since the project was costing them close to £20,000. But the day of reckoning was just around the corner.
Caters News
With the flip of a “Come In, We’re Open” sign, Jayne unveiled her big secret. She built a pub in the backyard! Paul barely knew what to say at first, but he knew one thing: he wanted to go in.
Playing off of her husband’s favorite catchphrase, Jayne called it The Doghouse Inn. Fortunately, the door was big enough for both two-legged and four-legged customers to venture inside. Paul was stunned by what he saw.
Caters News
Blowing away your average man-cave, The Doghouse Inn was the pub of Paul’s dreams. Fun knick-knacks, impressive hardwood features, and a cozy interior made it the perfect place to enjoy a cold one. And this bar packed way more than just a mini-fridge.
Caters News
As a mother of three (adult) children, Jayne knew how to be prepared for any situation. That’s why she stocked the Doghouse with a full bar, guaranteeing that even the pickiest drinker could find a beverage of their liking.
And Jayne planned on inviting tons of people over too. Though she wanted her hubbie to spend more time at home, she looked forward to chewing the fat with their favorite neighbors and drinking buddies. After all, there were a surprising number of activities in the pub.
Besides the usual dartboards, cards, and board games, Jayne went out of her way to grab a true classic. She installed a genuine Space Invaders arcade cabinet, taking Paul back to his gaming prime in the 1980s.
While the Doghouse cost a pretty penny, Jayne was savvy when it came to certain purchases. Instead of commissioning new seating, she bought a couple pews from a shuttered church for next to nothing. Plus, she predicted the whole venture would save them money.
Caters News
Paul fell into a rut of going out and blowing tons of dough at the bars every night, but now the Doghouse could be his primary haunt. He was pretty sure the bartender there would give him freebies now and again.
TripSavvy
Paul immediately made himself at home in The Doghouse, which even had a beer garden for when the British summer would finally appear! When he asked Jayne how she made this all happen, it turned out she’d combed the web for other DIY inspirations.
Jayne learned about other innovators, like Jesse Lipskin, who made treasure out of another man’s trash. Jesse wanted to go out and explore the world while providing for herself in a way that didn’t harm the planet. Unfortunately, this dream looked to be miles and miles away.
Instagram / thebustinyhome
Her current situation had her bogged down in a New York City office. The crowds, litter, and concrete were wearing her down. One night, however, a movie gave Jesse a monumental idea.
Orlando Sentinel / Joe Burbank
She devoured the documentary Garbage Warrior, which detailed the work of eco-architect Michael Reynolds. He advocated a lifestyle that repurposed old materials in order to exist more sustainably. This got Jesse thinking.
LivingCircular
What if she could live out on the road? If Jesse got permission to work remotely, she could go wherever she pleased, never tethered to one place. She started looking at some RVs, but most of those clunkers just didn’t fit her vision.
New York State Fair
When scrolling through eBay one night, she devised a crazy plan. Jesse came across a 1966 bus for sale, and she wondered if she could turn it into her dream home. Of course, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park.
The old Greyhound was over 50 years old, but it looked like it could’ve been 100. That’s why it was only listed at $5,000. Jesse realized it would require a ton of work to make it livable, but she didn’t listen to the naysayers. She made the purchase.
One factoid that motivated Jesse was that her bus was the same model driven by Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in Speed. Jesse’s vehicle, on the other hand, wasn’t going anywhere for the time being.
The Hollywood Reporter
The battered Greyhound was barely road-worthy, let alone a viable home. It sat idle in Jesse’s driveway longer than she’d like to admit. Finally, she knew she had to get started on her big project. Otherwise, the bucket of bolts would rust there forever.
Instagram / thebustinyhome
So Jesse dove right in. She’d undertaken some DIY projects before, so she had no problem tearing out the old interior and assembling the wooden frames for the cabinets and furniture.
Instagram / thebustinyhome
One year passed by, and then another. The bus-home started to take shape, though Jesse understood she’d need a little help fitting it out like a proper house. Crafty as she was, she didn’t have any experience with plumbing or electricity.
Instagram / thebustinyhome
With a little help from her friends, Jesse outfitted the Greyhound with all the proper amenities. She’d have light, running water, and — most importantly — WiFi. From there, she had to make it look sleek, both inside and out.
Instagram / thebustinyhome
With the proper furnishings and a ton of white paint, the 1966 bus finally looked like it was beyond the scrap heap. Jesse invited her friends and family to inspect the final product, and they could hardly believe their eyes.
The three years of renovation really paid off. Stepping through the door, you would almost forget that you were inside an old bus! The 400-square-foot interior was incredibly chic and modern, with enough decor to make it feel personal.
ABC News
Aside from looks, the Greyhound contained all the essentials of any home. Jesse built a full kitchen, ideal for cooking a gourmet meal. In all likelihood, she’d be eating better on the road than she ever did in her apartment!
Instagram / thebustinyhome
Naturally, the Greyhound also featured a full bathroom with a shower. Just because Jesse planned on living out on the road didn’t mean she had to be roughing it, after all.
Instagram / thebustinyhome
Impressively, she managed to cram a ton of storage into the narrow bus. Because she planned to be driving through every terrain and every type of weather, Jesse included a closet capable of holding her entire wardrobe.
Instagram / thebustinyhome
With a luxurious bedroom at the tail end, the bus turned out better than Jesse ever hoped. She exclaimed, “It was a labor of love, and I felt a true sense of accomplishment once everything came together.”
Instagram / thebustinyhome
Jesse absolutely fell in love with her new lifestyle. Each morning she’d wake up in a different part of the country, her view perfectly framed by her personal library and velvet curtains.
WUSA9
The adventurer wound her way all over America’s highways, working remotely while leaving enough time to explore her surroundings. After countless journeys, however, she found herself starting to miss her stable home.
After years of fun and hard labor, Jesse decided to part ways with her beloved bus. In 2018, she put it up for sale with a $149,000 price tag — a true testament to all the improvements she made.
Fortunately, the Greyhound found a second (or third) life as a mobile AirBnB. It has no shortage of customers either. Tons of people are curious to try out the mobile lifestyle, though a few are embarking on awe-inspiring DIY projects of their own.
Martin Hill and Iona Stewart liked the sound of a mobile bus. The UK couple planned an outdoor trek through Europe, so it didn’t make sense for them to book a series of hotel rooms. They didn’t exactly want to rough it on campgrounds either.
After a few beers one night, Martin mulled over buying a big RV. But then a more creative thought popped into his head. What if he and Iona built their own mobile home? Martin went on eBay and found exactly what he was looking for: an old bread truck.
Fortunately, Iona was all for Martin’s plan, especially since they got the truck for less than $5,000. Still, there was no denying that it was in pretty rough shape. Could they really turn this old scrap heap into a livable vehicle?
Most people wouldn’t have dreamed of attempting such a daring renovation, but Iona and Martin were the perfect pair to pull off this stunt. They drew up plans for their truck house and bought all the materials necessary to turn it into a real home.
Facebook / Iona Stewart
A talented artist, Iona was in charge of interior decoration. She figured out the best arrangement for all the furnishings and added certain touches to make the house feel more like a home.
Facebook / Iona Stewart
Meanwhile, Martin handled the actual construction aspect. Installing the hardware, electricity, and plumbing into the truck proved to be quite a tall order, but that didn’t stop him from having some fun while he was at it.
Facebook / Iona Stewart
Iona also enjoyed herself as they worked their way closer to the final product. Once the basic bed frame was up, she broke out her killer Dracula impression. Or maybe she was just exhausted and needed a nap!
At the same time, they put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into their project. Construction took four months of full-time work. Martin and Iona could only hope that all their efforts wouldn’t be a bust.
At last, the time came to unveil their tricked-out truck. With a fresh coat of sleek gray paint, it definitely looked like it could handle Europe’s most mountainous roads. But would it be comfortable enough for Martin and Iona to kick back and relax in?
The transformation was unbelievable. The cold and empty truck trailer now looked like it came straight out of an interior design magazine. On top of that, Martin and Iona managed to split the limited space into four separate rooms!
These travelers didn’t need to worry if there were no restaurants nearby because they had a fully-stocked kitchen on their hands. With a fridge, stove, oven, and microwave, they could whip up any recipe they wanted after a long day of hiking or snowboarding.
Their attention to detail in the kitchen was impressive too. Just take a look at the trendy hardwood countertops and tiled walls. Most homes would be hard-pressed to have interiors that are so sleek and up-to-date.
Although the entire length of the “apartment” was only 28 feet long, Iona and Martin still had plenty of room for visitors. Iona’s mom and dad even dropped by for a visit. You can’t diss the house-truck idea once it’s got the parental seal of approval!
Facebook / Iona Stewart
All the inhabitants — whether the couple had guests over or not — were guaranteed to stay toasty thanks to a stove that heated the entire truck. This feature was especially useful as Martin and Iona spent a lot of time in the Alps. That’s also where they met years ago.
On the other side of the trailer, these two had a bedroom that would rival accommodations at a five-star hotel. “It’s amazing what you can do. We are not exactly slumming it,” quipped Martin, clearly proud of his handiwork.
In addition to the space under the bed — where Iona liked to pretend to be a vampire — the couple included storage spaces just about wherever they could. That way, they could bring along all their cold weather and athletic gear without it clogging up the living room.
When nature calls on a wintry night in the Alps, you’d hate to have to pull over on the side of the road. Thinking ahead, Martin and Iona fitted out a full bathroom. It’s pretty impressive that they somehow included actual plumbing in a bare-bones truck trailer.
Iona also squeezed in plenty of her artwork throughout each room to give their house on wheels a little more character. With any luck, the wolf in this painting would be the only one they come across on their travels!
Of course, the couple didn’t spend all their time inside their luxury vehicle. They had too many scenic views and hiking trails to explore. Hopefully, they had enough wall space to hang up all the fantastic photographs they took during their trip.
Facebook / Iona Stewart
All in all, Martin and Iona spent an additional $25,000 refitting the old truck into a home. However, it was certainly worth the cost: they now had a dream home they could take anywhere! And it sure beat the heck out of an RV.
Facebook / Iona Stewart
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