Former Gore-Tex employees Brad and Sheena Van Orden hit the open road in 2011 in a customized 1984 Volkswagen Vanagon named Nacho to discover cultures, food, recreation and friendly faces–and to do some good along the way, too. Now the duo has teamed up with eco-conscious footwear brand Freewaters on a sustainable community water project.
“My jaw hit the floor when when Brad told me that he was a mechanical engineer and that he outfitted Nacho with an onboard water filtration and UV system that is solar powered,” says Freewaters Co-Founder Eli Marmar, adding that the couple epitomizes what the Freewaters ethos is all about: the freedom of travel and road tripping, being global citizens and daring to chart one’s own path in life.
With 16 months under their belt and nearly 1,000 miles logged by land and sea, the Van Ordens are putting the finishing touches to their debut book, describing their travels through South America, and currently cruising through Southeast Asia with plans to head to China, Tibet, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. You can follow their journey on www.drivenachodrive.com. You can help too: Every purchase of Freewaters provides a financial contribution to the brand’s grassroots water project.
