Take a Tiny House Vacation

You’re not a true minimalist if you don’t have a tiny house fantasy. You have it all mapped out: You’ll quit your job. Next, you’ll get rid of your current home and all your possessions except a spoon, pocket knife and a pair of convertible shorts. You’ll build your own tiny house out of scrap materials, except for that  top-of-the-line composting toilet you’ve been lusting after. You’ll set up on some kindly benefactor’s unused land. You’ll raise chickens and your own produce. You’ll make the paltry sum of money you need to survive by fishing out pennies at local fountains.

If this is your fantasy, a new hotel called Caravan in downtown Portland, OR (where else?) is giving you the opportunity to test-ride tiny house living before selling your home and kids. All of its three “rooms” are actually 100-200 sq ft tiny houses.

The rooms are not off-grid; they are outfitted with municipal electric and sewer service. And the short stay and concrete lot are not chicken-hatching or produce-raising friendly. And it’s a bit too steep to pay for with scavenged pennies: Nightly rates are $125/night, which includes your tiny house, cooking equipment, bedding and ear plugs (they warn that their central location can be noisy until 2am).

Two of the houses are big enough to fit 2-4 people and the other 1-2. There is a big courtyard at the center of the Caravan complex for chilling out and the occasional performance.

Like the rentable Airbnb tiny houses we looked at a while ago, Caravan gives you a low-commitment opportunity to affirm or squash your tiny house fantasy.

Find more info at Caravan’s website.

• Talking to Jay Shafer About Making the Universal House
• The Problem(s) with Tiny Houses
• Legalize Tiny
• A Tiny House You Might Want to Live In
• Test Drive Tiny Living at this Tiny House Hotel