Just Right – Ford Transit Connect Makes Living on the Road Easier

The tiny home trend is here to stay and provides the green-conscious a way to live in comfort with a minimal footprint, both literal and environmental. While many tiny homes require an additional capable vehicle to tow the home from place to place, a group of entrepreneurs yearning for flexibility and work-life balance have turned to a classic platform to create mobile live/work spaces that are both personal and economical.

Ford recently highlighted a few inspiring women who are using the flexibility that’s baked into the Ford Transit Connect van to make life on the road a little bit easier. Check out Ford’s release, below, then let us know what you think in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

ROAD WARRIORS: ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMEN DISCOVER LIFE ON THE ROAD CAN FEEL JUST LIKE HOME, THANKS TO FORD TRANSIT

When Teri Lou Dantzler returned home from her New Zealand vacation in 2016, one of the first items on her to-do list was researching vans.
That’s because Dantzler, a landscape photographer and grandmother, had just spent her holiday camping in a large vehicle, or “camper-vanning,” as it’s known in some parts – and loved it. After deciding to purchase a Ford Transit, she spent the next four months working with her father to outfit the vehicle with everything she needed to accommodate long road trips to capture the best photos around the U.S. – a bed, workspace, refrigerator, freshwater system and plenty of storage – and documented the whole thing on YouTube.
Living in vans – once upon a time a lifestyle dedicated mostly to surfer dudes – is now expanding to include women like Dantzler. In fact, more and more women are tricking out vans and taking their lives on the road, choosing Ford Transit and Transit Connect as platforms on which to build their own homes. Women buying Ford vans cite their lower costs, reliability, safety and security, and serviceability through Ford’s extensive North American dealer network as key purchase considerations.
“Now, I can live out on the road for extended periods of time,” says Dantzler, who also added solid maple cabinetry and purpleheart wood inlays, power inverter and solar panel to recharge the battery to her Transit. “In between venturing to unique photo locations, I do meet-ups and conduct live photography classes – all from my home on the road.”


Freedom is ‘Incredible’
For Rebecca Gross, a former Air Force captain and champion cyclist, it’s easy to be productive out on the road. Eight months out of the year, Gross depends on her 2017 Transit cargo van to get her to cyclocross and mountain biking events. She says the freedom is incredible.
“It’s always an adventure,” says Gross. “I’m happier having control over my time. I can coach and work on the road – anywhere I choose – then stop when I want and go for a ride.”
It took just a matter of days and a few hundred dollars in materials for Gross and a friend to outfit the Transit for her home on the road. She built a platform bed with storage underneath, a counter and another storage system for cycling gear and personal items.
“On a cyclist’s budget, the Transit is a lot more affordable option,” says Gross. “The dealer was surprised to hear what I was planning to do with it, but personalizing the van just the way I wanted was really fun.” She estimates the cost was $10,000 less than competing vans.
Equally important to Dantzler and Gross is the extensive Ford dealer network across North America. With more than 3,200 Ford and Lincoln dealers and more than 675 commercial vehicle centers in the United States, Ford Transit owners enjoy significantly greater access to service.