Tiny cars, tiny phones, tiny computers, tiny dogs, and now tiny houses. Everything seems to be getting smaller. There’s a certain cuteness and convenience to all things tiny. The tiny house trend is in full swing with shows on HGTV being extremely popular. Shows like “Tiny House Hunters” and “Tiny House, Big Living” exude the idea of getting the most for your money.
The tiny house trend has taken to the trees. Treehouses are no longer play-forts just for children, but indulgent hideaways for adults. My favorite show to watch when I want to escape the troublesome world is “Treehouse Masters.” The host, Pete Nelson, is enthusiastic about trees and a visionary with his designs. He gleefully embraces the trees he’s going to be building in and incorporates childlike wonder into his constructions. The show is in its fifth season on Animal Planet, and my inner kid is jealous of every cozy cabin and slumber-party pad built for the clients.
I wish I lived in a treehouse.
Spending a night in a treehouse is just enough to get the experience points. It’s easy to find an assortment of treehouses near Atlanta using Airbnb. Many listings for rent are in the quiet mountains of North Georgia. The treehouses are of course small, but that’s apart of the charm. They are reasonably priced, say from $50 to $100 and many of the treehouse hosts on Airbnb are accommodating and helpful.
My friends and I stayed in a treehouse in Helen, Georgia during a lazy weekend in Winter Quarter. We set aside our projects and mid-term worries to take a relaxing girls’ trip. The treehouse we booked had no electricity, no water, and an outhouse for a bathroom! So with this in mind, we packed plenty of blankets, gloves, beanies, pillows, fire wood and fuel, toilet paper, flashlights, ingredients for s’mores and junk food.
The experience was an amazing retreat from loud and busy Atlanta. Even though the freezing night temperature made teeth chatter, it was worth the cold to stand by the small fire and gape at the hundreds of stars on the black canvas above. When it got too cold, my friends and I packed in the one-room treehouse and piled on the bed comprised of two twin beds pushed together. It was like a junior high slumber party. The billows of blankets and closeness of bodies kept us warm.
In the morning, I woke up early with a clear head. On a typical weekend during the quarter, I’m groggy and use the weekend as an excuse to sleep until 2pm, but the woods outside called me to take a morning walk. I left my friends behind to doze in the treehouse. It was serene save for the birds chatting and the trees moaning in the wind, and I even stumbled upon a “Bear Crossing” sign. Thankfully there were no bears.
When I walked back, my friend Ivana exclaimed she had the best sleep ever, and we enjoyed Lucky Charms for breakfast, which we totally didn’t also eat for dinner…We packed up our belongings and headed into Helen to check out the German inspired town.
Driving back into the city left me looking over my shoulder towards the Appalachian Mountains. I felt refreshed for the next week of classes, but I couldn’t wait to start planning the next treehouse trip.
Spring break is just around the corner and I recommend treehousing for anyone looking for a mini-vacation. Spring break is the tiniest break we get; so, every students’ goal should be to get the most out of it. Leaving town for a whole week and traveling to faraway beaches can be challenging, but driving a mere hour or two away can make space for a truly relaxing vacation. I think actually getting away from the Atlanta scene, where work occupies every thought, is a key component of taking a real break. So, why not book a treehouse trip on the easy-to-use, more economical and interesting Airbnb site/app; now you can enjoy the view from a higher altitude.