From Taiwan to the Open Road: How Marybeth and Brently Built a Life Around Movement

For Marybeth and Brently, adventure has never been something to save for later. The Houston-based couple has spent years building a life around movement, exploration, and the simple joy of experiencing new places together. Whether cycling gravel roads, touring across countries, or setting out on spontaneous weekend trips, they've always believed that life is meant to be lived actively and intentionally. Today, their Noovo Plus has become an essential part of that lifestyle, giving them the freedom to take their bicycles wherever the road leads.

Their love of travel truly blossomed during Brently's overseas assignment in Taiwan, where he led a Dell design center of more than 2,000 engineers. While living abroad opened their eyes to new cultures and experiences, it also introduced them to something that would shape the next chapter of their lives: bike touring.

Although both had been cyclists for years, Taiwan was where they discovered the magic of multi-day adventures on two wheels. As soon as their daughter left for summer break, the couple set off to ride around the island together.

"We couldn't get on our bikes fast enough," Brently recalls.

Those rides became about much more than exercise. They were opportunities to slow down and immerse themselves in their environment. They connected with local communities and experienced the world at a different pace. Their perfect days began with bike rides to neighborhood breakfast spots for fresh dan bing, followed by long climbs through Yangmingshan National Park and meals shared with locals they met along the way. Even a simple stop at a Taiwanese 7-Eleven became an opportunity to sit down with another family, exchange stories, and build connections despite speaking different languages. That spirit of exploration still guides them today. As Marybeth notes, "Freedom is the ability to pursue your happiness in the most unencumbered way possible."

In 2022, Marybeth and Brently completed one of their biggest adventures yet: a bicycle journey from Astoria, Oregon, to New York City. Over 77 days and nearly two months of riding, they crossed the country under their own power, reinforcing something they had always known to be true: the journey matters just as much as, if not more than, the destination.

Naturally, the next step was finding a way to bring those adventures even farther from home. At first, they planned to build their own camper van. They purchased an empty cargo van, designed a layout, and imagined all the places they would eventually go. But as months passed, the project remained untouched.

"We kept saying, 'When the van is done, we'll do that,'" Brently says.

The unfinished build became a source of stress rather than excitement. Brently would walk past the garage and immediately get a headache with the unfinished product always sitting in front of him. Eighteen months later, they realized they were spending more time planning adventures than actually taking them, and they were wasting a lot of time trying to get their van built.

Then, as life often does, they were given a rough shift in perspective. Marybeth suffered a serious accident after falling fifteen feet from a ladder while helping at her daughter's house. She spent four days in the hospital recovering, causing the couple to reevaluate their priorities.

"Life can change in an instant," Marybeth says. "We realized we needed to stop waiting and just get on with living."

That realization ultimately led them to Noovo. After researching numerous builders, they found themselves disappointed by many of the options available on the market. Brently had settled for building his own van because he couldn't find one that met his standards for quality, functionality, and off-grid capability. But upon finding Noovo, he realized this could be the answer to all of their problems. "It was built exactly the way I would have built it myself," Brently explains. "Only I didn't have to spend two years building it."

The decision transformed more than their travel plans, it changed their mindset and attitude towards their future. The stress disappeared, and the adventures they had been postponing suddenly became possible.

For Marybeth and Brently, freedom means simplicity and spontaneity. It means waking up on a Friday morning and deciding to drive somewhere new without weeks of preparation. Freedom is loading up their bicycles and heading to Boulder, Colorado, instead of packing them into airline boxes and navigating complicated travel logistics. It means simplify, streamlining, and having everything they need in one thoughtfully designed space.

Moreover, as Brently noted, "Freedom means being able to say, 'Let's go do that thing,' and getting in the van at a moment's notice."

Their Noovo Plus has made the get-up-and-go lifestyle remarkably easy. Their bikes fit perfectly on the rear rack. The off-grid capabilities give them confidence to explore farther from traditional campgrounds and explore more remote bike rides. The interior offers all the comforts of home while still embracing the simplicity they love about life on the road.

"What keeps us coming back to the van is how easy it makes everything," Marybeth says. "It's a simple way to live."

That simplicity extends beyond travel itself. She laughs that while cleaning a large house can feel overwhelming, but cleaning the van is a joy. Every item has its place, every system serves a purpose, and life becomes a lot less complicated.

The couple has also found something unexpected through Noovo: community. Attending the Noovo Open House in Las Vegas was a defining experience for Marybeth.

"For the first time, I really felt part of a community larger than myself," she says.

That sense of connection only deepened at Peace, Love & Vans, where they spent their days meeting fellow owners, sharing stories, and returning to the comfort of their own van for lunch or a good night's sleep. They found that the vanlife events build relationships, trust, and a support network that they otherwise would not have found. And for Marybeth and Brently, this community has become just as meaningful as the vehicle itself.

Today, their lives revolve around the things that bring them joy: cycling, traveling, spending time together, and saying yes to new experiences whenever the opportunity arises. Their advice for anyone looking to live more intentionally is simple: Put down your phone. Find something you're passionate about. Keep moving. And focus on the things that make you happy.

"Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative," Brently says.

It's a philosophy that has taken them from Taiwan to New York, from mountain passes to van festivals, and into a lifestyle that prioritizes experiences over possessions and adventure over waiting. For Marybeth and Brently, their Noovo isn't just an easy way to travel. It's the freedom to keep seeking the remote rides, the confidence to say yes to spontaneous adventures, and the reminder that there's no better time to pursue what you love than right now.