A Noovo Plus for Starry Nights, Open Roads, and Remote Work

Most people take their time deciding what kind of recreational vehicle they want.

For Darin and Lori, it was a dedicated two years of research. They explored everything from trailers and Class A RVs to camper vans. They visited shows, talked with dealers, and watched what felt like a million YouTube videos along the way. They knew they wanted more flexibility for travel and time outdoors, but they also wanted a vehicle that was thoughtfully designed and built to last.

They eventually found what they were looking for in a Noovo Plus. Now, their van, affectionately named Starry Night, gives them another way to travel, a comfortable place to work, and best of all, a reason to stop and look up at the stars.

Finding the Right Fit

Darin and Lori came to van life a little differently than many people. Rather than downsizing from a house or larger RV, or upgrading from tent camping, they simply wanted something more practical for their already travel-heavy lifestyle. Their usual style of travel involved driving long distances, primarily staying in hotels, and moving from place to place for weeks at a time.

A van offered a new way to approach those trips that gave them more freedom, as well as a sense of home while on the road.

“You have different options now of how you want to travel,” Lori explains.

With a van, they could pull into a campsite, make dinner when nearby restaurants were closed, and settle in for the night without having to find a hotel. They could enjoy a campfire, take in a dark sky, or wake up somewhere beautiful and start the day outside.

They still have their car and a home base in Petaluma, California, but now the van simply gives them a better tool for the kind of travel they already love.

After exploring so many options, the decision came down to finding a layout that worked for both of them. Darin is 6’1”, so headroom was an essential feature. Additionally for them, a permanent bed taking up the back half of the van didn't make much sense. They wanted a space they could use throughout the day, whether they were working, eating, or relaxing together, and then an easy-access bed when it was time to sleep.

The Plus offered that flexibility.

Design That Works for Real Life

Darin and Lori are thoughtful about the things they bring into their van and the way they use their space. They chose the walnut and sage finishes and kept the interior intentionally minimal, adding a few personal touches without losing the clean look they liked from the start.

They've made some small modifications along the way, including seat covers, extra cup holders, and caps for the bed rails. Darin also devised a simple way to mount their traction boards that keeps them secure and easy to remove without adding the bulky look he wanted to avoid.

“I’m a big believer in vans. Everything should have at least two purposes,” Lori says.

It's a practical approach to ownership: make the van work for you, keep what you need, and don't add things just because you can.

Their van also carries more than camping gear. Lori brings embroidery and mending supplies, along with pieces she's exploring through her interest in natural plant dyeing. Darin is a multi-faceted artist, with a focus on photography, videography, and writing. His camera gear and laptop are regular travel companions, and the van gives him a place to work wherever they happen to be.

In fact, one of the most useful things about their Noovo Plus has little to do with travel at all.

A Workspace with a View

Darin often works on his laptop, and like many people who work remotely, he has spent plenty of time in coffee shops. But noisy conversations and constant public video calls can make it difficult to concentrate.

The van offers an easy alternative.

Even when they are back at home, he will often drive down to the beach, open the doors, work for a while, and take a walk by the ocean when he needs a break. When traffic nearby makes even a short trip across town frustrating, Darin will often just head out to the driveway and work from the van.

“Even if we did not travel in the van, just having that dream office was worth it right there,” Darin says.

It's a good example of how the van has become part of their everyday life, not just something they use when they leave town. It gives them more options for how to spend a day, whether they're on a long road trip or staying close to home.

And when they do travel, the van makes it easier to embrace the unexpected. On their first trip after pickup, they took their time returning from Las Vegas through Valley of Fire and along California's Highway 395 corridor, stopping through Owens Valley, Mono Lake, Lone Pine, and Bishop. With snow still closing some destinations in April, having a self-contained place to sleep and eat gave them flexibility to find other places to stay.

A Van That Makes Friends

Their Noovo has become something of a conversation starter. People notice it in parking lots, at campgrounds, and along the road, often stopping to ask how they like it or to take a look inside. Darin and Lori are happy to show it off. Their custom license plate reads “NOOVAN,” and they named the van Starry Night, inspired by Van Gogh’s art, their love of the outdoors, and the nights they've spent looking up at the stars.

They've also found a sense of community through Noovo gatherings. They first attended the Tahoe Van Expo the year before taking delivery, where seeing the vans in person led to them putting down their deposit right then and there. Returning the following year with their own van meant reconnecting with other owners and the Noovo team from a different perspective and an even greater sense of belonging. They've also attended Peace Love Vans and Noovo's Open House and love connecting with other vanlifers.

For Lori, the community is one of the important parts of owning a Noovo, alongside the layout and the quality of the van itself.

That confidence in quality was a big part of what ultimately won Darin over. During their research, they watched a factory tour video that showed Noovo's quality-control process, including the green tape used to flag items for attention on the production line.

Rather than seeing the tape as a sign of poor quality, Darin recognized it as evidence that someone was cross-checking the work, identifying issues, and making sure they were addressed. After seeing enough examples of disappointing quality elsewhere in the RV market, that level of attention mattered.

“The fact that they're actually seriously taking care of this stuff and addressing it was a huge plus for me.”

When they visited the factory and saw the vans up close, the decision felt right. The buying process, Lori says, was straightforward and transparent. Working with the Noovo team helped answer their questions and make the decision feel comfortable and supported.

More Ways to Explore

Darin and Lori have only had their Plus for about six months, but they've already traveled along the California coast, explored the Eastern Sierras, returned to the Tahoe Van Expo, and made the van part of their regular routine at home.

They have plenty more plans ahead, including a trip to Alaska and a cross-country drive to Pennsylvania for a family graduation. They're also figuring out how to slow down and spend more time in each place, rather than moving every day as they have on past road trips.

For now, Starry Night gives them the flexibility to choose. They can travel quickly when they want to cover distance, linger somewhere beautiful, work beside the ocean, or stay home and enjoy a quiet afternoon in the driveway, free from distractions.

That's what they were looking for all along: a simple, comfortable way to further enjoy the life they already love. And often the best part is simply stepping outside after dark, looking up, and seeing just how many stars are out there.