Chaos, children, crises - and a double-decker bus full of dreams

Hey, this is us – the Eckhoffs

Normal? Boring? Not for us. We've been parents for five years – and although we've never taken a vacation and haven't left our home during that time, our lives have been anything but quiet.

How it all began

We met in 2019 – on a car trip to Prague with friends. We spent a weekend together there at an event.

We spent weekends together, then lived in a shared apartment – and quickly realized: living with others wasn't for us. So, in 2019, we moved into our first apartment together. A few months later, I suddenly held a positive pregnancy test in my hands. Unplanned, surprising, I was deathly pale, trembling, crying. But one thing was immediately clear to me: I was having this baby.

The first few months were tough – constant nausea, feeling overwhelmed, and being on sick leave. I had really wanted a home birth, but it was impossible to find a midwife in the city. So, in 2020, our daughter was born after a long and traumatic stay in the delivery room.

The first years – and our biggest challenges

And you know what? From then on, perhaps the most challenging time of my life began. Marcel needed the first two years to settle in, and during that time he struggled with his role as a father . I was alone with everything – breastfeeding, changing diapers, carrying him, sleepless nights. I'm not writing this to speak ill of him, but to be honest. We had, and still have, our challenges. And we talk about them openly.

In addition, there were constant moves – a total of six times in six years:

• 2019: Moving into a shared apartment.

• 2019: First shared apartment.

• 2020: Moved to be closer to my in-laws.

• 2022: Moving to a too small apartment near my family.

• 2022: 6 months later, move to a larger house – there was mold and attempted break-ins.

• 2024: Start of renovation work in the current house.

• 2025: Moving into the current house.

We managed every single move without a moving company – with our own hands, as a family. Our children were involved in everything without exception. We live without daycare, which means we manage our daily lives entirely as a family of four, without any external childcare.

We spent six months renovating, sanding floors (a whole month just for that!), replastering and painting walls, and having custom-made furniture built. We invested about €5,000 in this rental property. And yet, we learned: no matter where we live, there are always things that aren't quite right.

The dream of freedom...

So we asked ourselves: How can we create a home where we are geographically free?

Then I remembered the documentary "Expedition Happiness". I started researching and came across many families who had made tour buses or double-decker buses their homes.

In November I'm meeting up with Micha from Münster – he's converted an old double-decker bus into a rolling café and home. We're very inspired by this: Why not us?

So we bought a double-decker bus – and now we're starting to convert it into our mobile home. The more help and support we receive, the sooner we can actually live in this bus.

Our life? Chaotic, loud, full of children's laughter, sibling rivalry, a long-lasting six-year relationship crisis – and perfectly normal family life.

My secret? Keep going. Never give up.

But Marcel has his strengths too. We complement each other!

Why we share this...

Because we want to show: You don't need to be "perfect" to make your dreams come true.

It takes courage and the will to keep going despite difficulties.

If you'd like to join us – like and share our blog, feel free to message me privately or by email about what you'd like to read. We'd love to have you with us on our journey to a new life.

Best regards, we are on our way to our mobile home.

Social Media: Instagram & TikTok

Donation account: From eviction to new beginnings