I want to start the new year by talking about one of my favorite things from last year. It’s something we did back in January 2022, and it became one of the best short trips we ever did. It was a few days’ escape to a tiny house off the grid, surrounded by nature and only a few hours from Berlin.
I’ve been low-key obsessing over tiny houses for a while. That was of course thanks to watching Living Big In A Tiny House videos on lazy Saturday mornings. While I am certain it is not a long-term living form for me, I was fascinated by the idea and by how cozy they often look. By pure luck, sometime at the start of January, I came across the Raus Instagram account. And it was destiny. And absolutely perfect. Especially because their cabins were located around Berlin, and the locations could be accessed also without a car. And this is how the tiny house escape came to be.
Raus is a startup based in Berlin that offers fully equipped cabins in locations outside the cities, close to nature, and (mostly) off the grid. If you ask me, they’re really just 16 square meters corner of heaven. I know this is a quite specific recommendation, as currently they only operate in a few locations around some major German cities. However, if you’re based somewhere else, you can also find plenty of dreamy locations via AirBnB’s explore page. I’ve definitely had my eye on a few locations (even though I haven’t tried any yet).
The road there
I think what made the trip even more special for us, is how we got there, as we partially cycled. We took a train from Berlin Central Station to the train station nearest to the cabin. And we also took our bikes with us on the train. The train trip was only about one or two hours, so rather straightforward. Once we got to the nearest train station, we then cycled for less than an hour through idyllic scenery. We passed through little villages, fields, and forests until we reached the cabin.
Luckily, we had a pretty perfect and also easy bike road for most of the time. We also stopped a few times to take in the views and snap a few pictures. We usually cycle around Berlin only and through city parks, so getting the chance to do it through the “wild” was a beautiful experience that we’re definitely eager to repeat.
The cabins
The cabins are carefully designed for comfort. It’s hard to believe unless you experience it, but the design fits everything you need and more within 16 square meters, without the space feeling cramped. You can see some more detailed pictures on my Instagram posts here and here and also a reel here.
Most of the cabins are off-grid and have a limited amount of fresh water and energy. They encourage guests to consume consciously. From our experience, it was enough and neither was a problem for the 3 days we stayed.
Some of the highlights include a fully equipped kitchen (You only need to bring the ingredients and the rest is there. Even essentials such as drinking water, salt, pepper, oil, coffee, and tea are already waiting for you there.), a fully functional bathroom and a wood stove for extra cozy atmosphere and of course warmth. Everything needed to spark a fire is provided there. They even have a few books and candles on site. So every single detail is thought through in order to provide a perfect experience. You only need to bring food and all that is left is to enjoy your time there.
One more thing to mention is that it’s a contactless check-in. A few days before your stay the team emails you all instructions including the cabin coordinates and recommendations for how to get there. You can also use this opportunity to ask any questions you might have. The great part is that they also share a phone number through which they are also available throughout your stay and even check in with you from time to time.
The experience
Even though somewhat remote and close to nature, the cabins are usually still near villages and on farmlands. On their website, you can choose the degree of remoteness for your cabin and pick one location over another. Our cabin was 10-15 minutes on foot from a village and also nearby a horse farm. Even with this, if you are not accustomed to living in a remote location, I will say you can feel quite isolated. The first night was challenging, especially because we were unlucky to experience to windiest night. Since the cabin is located next to a tall forest, it can sound very scary and also look very dark at night. By the second night and without extreme winds we slept like babies though.
We spent the time there relaxing, reading, sipping on coffee and tea, and also exploring the surroundings. Our cabin was right next to a forest and during the day we ventured for a long walk. There are no screens in the cabin, however, I liked the fact that there is wi-fi. You can choose what you want to do with your time there. Be it to fully disconnect from the city life, stay in bed all day long and soak up the views, read a book or work on your creative project, you get to choose.
I’ll close this by saying that this is by no means a sponsored post. Looking back on 2022 I realized it was a one-of-a-kind experience that is definitely worth sharing. Besides, the photography is so beautiful, I had to give it life on the blog too.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this tiny house escape experience if the locations suit you and I cannot wait to book it again this year.
