Sometimes, you just need to step away — ditch the noise, the schedules, and the endless stream of notifications. An off-grid tiny house, in my opinion, is the best way to do it. Stripped back to the essentials, it’s a chance to reconnect with oneself and the world outside, to lean into the quiet and let my central nervous system take a beat.

Where does one find the perfect tiny house escape, you may ask? Depending on your location in Australia, there are more tiny home escapes than you may think. Here is how to spend a weekend away from it all, and what it's like to feel the right kind of lost.

Stay

There are more reasons to choose a stay in a tiny home over a run-of-the-mill AirBnB or hotel than I care to count, but the main few for me were not only sustainability and kindness to the planet, but the true escapism in switching off everything – and I mean, everything.

This is why the Into The Wild Escapes tiny house, Tiny Astrid, looks good from all angles. Pulling up to the gate in the all new and electric Volvo EX30 brought back feelings of excitement I felt as a kid when I was about to sleep in a tent in my cousins back yard. Off the beaten path and down a winding, grassy driveway led us to Tiny Astrid, sitting on a small clearing amongst gum and pine, with the Blue Mountain landscapes to set the scene.

Along with the tiny home, there's a fire pit, a barbecue (essential), two large water tanks and a glorious wood-fire spa bath. Taking a trip mid-Summer, I assumed the heat would be stifling. To my surprise, the weather was kind to us with 27 degrees and a light breeze throughout the day and chilly overnight through to early morning. Perfect conditions to take advantage of the spa bath – which was one of my favourite parts of the weekend.

Growing up in rural New Zealand, I know what it means to go camping, but I am not ashamed to admit, 'glamping' has become my preferred way of escapism over camping as I grow older. The tiny home is powered by solar and gas, and there's 3 hours of air conditioning available to use per day if we needed. The bathroom is spacious and I was oh-so-grateful for the shower. Another highlight was the Cultiver sheets on a comfy bed, made for a restful sleep.

Do

A whole lot of rest. There was time to get lost in a book, I was reading Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, a must-read. We took a drive to a local hot spot – the Hampton Halfway Hotel – established in 1863. The aforementioned spa bath was also a great pastime along with sitting around the fire and eating snacks we had packed for the trip.

There's also a hammock provided that fits between two trees close by.

Take

A weekend away in a tiny home means you shouldn't need to bring a suitcase. Along with your food and drinks, some SPF and a hat, two days worth of casual and comfortable clothing (swimmers optional), a couple toiletries and some bug spray is all you need. Boots are also a must if you have a passion for exploration. I do encourage wearing them even for a short wander, as we did see some wildlife including a little snake sunbaking on a rock.

We stopped off at a Harris Farm for everything delicious before making the drive out from Sydney; which also had us covered for road trip snacks. I packed most of my items in my Wynn Hamlyn Woven tote. For SPF I took my La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid Spray SPF 50+. My RUSSH cap is an extension of my head these days and I wasn't going away without it. As far as boots, I have an old pair I use for work in the garden but if I was on the lookout for new ones I'd not look past a pair from R.M.Williams. Lastly, a long drive without sunnies is diabolical, so some big Scudo Shield Bottega Veneta sunglasses are the ticket.

You can book your own stay at Tiny Astrid now and into 2025 for an Australian getaway with Scandinavian style. And if you're looking for more 'off-road' trips, look no further than our list of the best off-grid travel destinations in Australia.