Watch Diana's Story
Watch Diana's Story
Diana has been living vanlife long before it became popular. She's been traveling in some kind of camper van since college, drawn to the freedom of getting outside, getting close to nature, and bringing her dogs along for the adventure. Over the years, she's tried just about every kind of RV, from a pop-top and an Airstream trailer to Class A and Class C motorhomes. At 60, she has come full circle.
Today, she travels in a 2024 Noovo Lite, a 21-foot camper van that gives her something she values more than maximum space: the freedom to simply go.
And she still gets a kick out of it.
“Every time I get in that van, I say, ‘Oh my god, I love this van.’ And I have a stupid grin on my face.”
With her dogs Juno and Sarah beside her, Diana heads down the road with the kind of excitement that doesn't seem to diminish with experience. In fact, it may only be growing.
Diana first saw the Noovo Lite at a van show after spotting it in a video online. What caught her attention wasn't a flashy feature or an enormous amount of storage, it was the openness of the layout.
The kitchen and dining area sit together near the side door, creating one large, connected space. For Diana, that matters. She likes to sit down with a meal and still feel connected to what's happening outside, whether that's a campground, a mountain view, or friends gathered nearby. As someone who describes herself as a little claustrophobic, the open, light-filled interior was an immediate draw. She was also struck by the craftsmanship. The design felt elegant without sacrificing practicality, and the details were clearly designed around how someone would actually use the space.
The induction cooktop, for example, sits right beside the door. When Diana cooks, steam and cooking odors can move directly outside or up through the overhead Maxx air fan, rather than linger inside the van. There's no propane for the cooktop, either. The electric system simplifies life on the road and means she doesn't have to plan her travels around finding propane.
That practical thinking continues throughout the kitchen. The 40-gallon fresh water tank gives her plenty of capacity for longer trips, while the upright refrigerator and pantry keep food and cooking supplies accessible without requiring her to dig through cabinets. The refrigerator runs on 12-volt power and can hold roughly a week's worth of groceries for her.
For Diana, those details add up to something important: she can eat well while traveling.
“You can really cook fresh food.”
The Noovo Lite's layout was designed to make the most of its footprint, but Diana says the result feels surprisingly spacious.
The dining area can comfortably accommodate three adults, and the table expands when she needs additional workspace for cooking or eating. Large windows bring in plenty of natural light and give her a view of the world outside.
The bedroom is separated from the main living area, creating a sense of privacy that's unusual in a compact camper van. Diana compares the feeling to a small one-bedroom apartment. If two people are traveling together, one can sleep while the other spends time in the living area without disturbing them. The rear garage provides another layer of flexibility. There's room for a folding bike, paddleboard, extra food, dog supplies, water, and other adventure gear, with a pull-out drawer making it easier to access everything.
It's a good example of what Diana appreciates most about the van: nothing feels like it was added just to fill space. Everything has a purpose.
Diana's adventures tend to revolve around hiking, camping, mountains, and her dogs, so the systems inside the van aren't simply conveniences. They're what allow her to stay outside longer.
The heating and hot water system runs from the vehicle's fuel supply rather than requiring a separate propane tank. The furnace heats the van quickly, and the system can also run on electricity when she's plugged in.
That's particularly important during winter trips. Diana can take her dogs for a morning walk, feed them, turn on the heat, and head out skiing for a few hours knowing they're happy and safe in a warm, comfortable van.
The same philosophy applies in summer. A 12-volt air conditioner helps keep the rear of the van cool, which gives Diana peace of mind when she needs to leave the dogs inside briefly while shopping or running errands. An exterior climate-controlled sticker even lets others know the dogs are being monitored.
For a traveler who considers her dogs family, these aren't minor features. They're part of what makes extended travel possible. They are along for every adventure, and they are safe when they have to stay in the van.
For Diana, planning a trip isn't simply about getting from one destination to another. Her background as a choreographer has changed the way she thinks about travel.
She describes choreography as putting different movements together in a way that tells a personal story. On the road, she approaches a trip much the same way.
“I look for trails that I'd like to see, parts of the world that I've heard about. I want to shape my trip experience, balancing out things like town time with art and food, and exploration of culture and people balanced with remote wilderness.”
The van gives her the flexibility to create that balance. A trip might include a hike, a farmers market, an art exhibit, a meal with friends, and a night beside a river. Each piece becomes an integral part of a larger dance.
And sometimes those experiences follow her home. Through connections she's made while traveling, Diana has met people who have contributed movement material to dances that eventually make their way onto the stage.
For her, the road isn't separate from her creative life, it's an integral part of it.
Perhaps the biggest reason Diana keeps coming back to camper vans is the way they make travel feel uncomplicated.
At 21 feet long, the Noovo Lite fits into a regular parking space. That means Diana can stop at a trailhead, farmers market, grocery store, or art exhibit without worrying about maneuvering a much larger RV. She can also get much closer to the places she actually wants to be than she could with a motorhome: beside a river, in the mountains, or somewhere surrounded by nature.
She's traveled across the country and into Canada multiple times, sometimes spending months at a time in the van. On one trip, she realized just how economical that flexibility could be after spending more on three nights in a hotel than she had spent for the rest of the summer traveling in the van.
For Diana, the value isn't simply financial. It's the ability to make her own decisions about where to go and how long to stay.
“That sense of flexibility, independence, adventure. It allows me to be in the world the way that I want to be.”
Check out Diana’s Tiny Home Tour Video
Traveling alone isn't always comfortable. Diana is candid about that. She doesn't pretend that fear disappears once you've spent enough time on the road. Instead, she's learned to see fear differently.
“People often ask me if I'm afraid of being on the road by myself. I'm always a little bit afraid. If I'm not afraid, I'm not growing and I'm not learning.”
Preparation helps. Research helps. Asking for help helps. But none of those things mean giving up independence. “You can be independent and also ask for help,” she says.
Every trip has taught her a little more about managing the water, electrical system, solar panels, mechanical systems, and everything else that comes with traveling in a home on wheels. And every time she figures something out herself, she comes home with a little more confidence.
“Every time I come back from a trip, I feel so empowered to dump the tanks by myself, to get water, to find places to stay that are safe, to explore.”
That's perhaps the most meaningful thing the van has given her. Not just the ability to travel alone, but the confidence that she can handle what comes next.
Diana's path to the Noovo Lite wasn't about finding the perfect RV on her first try. It was about learning what worked for her. She's owned and traveled in multiple types of RVs, and that experience ultimately brought her back to something smaller and simpler. Her advice to anyone considering van life is to try different types of RVs before deciding what fits. More space isn't necessarily better. It depends on how you want to travel.
And perhaps more importantly, she doesn't think you should wait for the perfect circumstances to begin.
“You have to make a move. Some people will wait and say, ‘Well, I'll wait until so-and-so can go with me.’ Well, sometimes that day never comes.”
Her philosophy is simple: prepare, ask questions, learn as you go, and then get out there.
After decades of traveling in different kinds of RVs, Diana has found her way back to the simplicity that drew her to van life in the first place: a small home on wheels, her dogs beside her, and the freedom to let the dance of the road unfold before her.
And if she could leave readers with one thing, it wouldn't be about batteries, water tanks, or floor plans. It's about making room for the life you actually want.
“If there's anything I could give to people, it is to see how wonderfully beautiful life is and to get out there and enjoy it and to not be afraid. Really take the time to savor experiences and not worry so much.”
Follow Diana’s journey on Instagram @dianastanton and learn more about her work on her website www.dianastanton.com.
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