Michael Satterfield
TGR Staff
Surfer and graphic designer Tasha Rivard lives in a 2010 Transit Connect in Carbondale, Colorado. She spent much of her free time studying abroad in Australia traveling the Outback in a rented van. After, she moved to Hawaii, where she met friends living in their vans. When she “stumbled across a Transit Connect at a Ford dealership” two years ago in Texas, Rivard began planning her own home on the road.
Rivard’s Transit Connect includes a compact bed that rolls up to expose a workspace with a desk for her freelance design, and art and jewelry projects. A 100-watt solar panel charges a house battery that powers her refrigerator, lights and other electronic devices.
“The whole ‘not paying rent’ thing gives me the freedom to live in places I might not be able to otherwise,” says Rivard. “That has allowed me to go after new job opportunities and live basically anywhere while keeping life simple.”
Like many who call their vans home, Rivard keeps up a gym membership where she can exercise and get a shower. She also has a portable electric shower hooked up to a freshwater tank in the van where she can rinse off after a morning surf.
Van life is very community-oriented, and once you get into it, you quickly realize how many other people are doing it too, says Rivard, who credits social media with helping her create connections with like-minded individuals. Safety has never been an issue either. “You get used to picking the right spots, and you just rely on common sense,” she says.
Tasha Rivard is a graphic designer/artist and digital marketing professional. She is an avid surfer currently based in California. She has produced logos, websites and social media content for a variety of apparel, sporting goods and outdoor products retailers. Follow her van journey at www.tinyvantravels.com, or on Instagram @tinyvantravels. Learn more about her work at http://www.tasharivard.com, or follow her art Instagram @tasha.rivard.
via Ford
