I don’t think I’ve ever gotten more questions about a trip than after sharing this picture from my stay with Getaway! Getaway House essentially rents out tiny modern cabins (known for their giant scenic windows) at their campsites outside of major cities all across the U.S.
For $25 off your stay, go to Getaway and use code ‘MEGAN25’ at checkout!
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR FIRST STAY
LOCATIONS
Getaway House was designed as an escape from work and city life, so they’re all within a ~2 hour drive from a major city. Currently, they have outposts outside of Atlanta, Austin/San Antonio, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh/Cleveland, Portland and DC. Since there’s no locations near Chicago (my home!) yet, my boyfriend and I planned it into a trip out to LA.
While this may or may not matter to others (hey, some of us are really into ~aesthetics~), I think it’s important to note that while every cabin is located in a beautiful wooded area, the LA location is the only site with these incredible mountain views. And with that being said, not every cabin at the LA outpost gets a mountain view, so if that’s something important to you (honestly it was my favorite part of the stay) I recommend trying to request it!
ARRIVING
The day of your stay, they’ll text you a keycode and name of your cabin to let yourself in. There’s no front desk or main office and we never actually saw a Getaway employee during our stay, but they do have a field team available by phone in the unlikely event you need assistance — everything you need is already ready for you in the cabin.
THE CABIN
Just about everything you need for a “camping” weekend is available inside the cabin: a small kitchen, hot shower, bath towels, heat, AC, and honestly so much more — they really thought of everything. There’s also some “provisions” like food, snacks, and firewood for purchase (more on this below). You can find the full list of everything available inside the cabin here.
With that being said, here’s what you may want to pack:
FOOD: They provide cooking essentials like oil, salt and pepper for free, so all you really need to bring is something you can cook over the stove or fire. I recommend keeping it simple so you don’t need to bring too many extra ingredients/condiments with you. As mentioned, they do have some food like pasta and oatmeal in the cabin available for purchase, but it’s pretty limited to make a meal out of.
THINGS TO DO: Each cabin comes with a cellphone lockbox (and no Wi-Fi!) to encourage you to disconnect. There’s a set of playing cards and a small collection of books in each cabin, but I definitely recommend bringing some of your own games, books, or other hobbies to enjoy. You can also hike on nearby trails and build a campfire at your very own fire pit.
TOILETRIES: The showers are already equipped with body wash, shampoo and conditioner, so you shouldn’t need to bring much. You’ll just want to pack a toothbrush and toothpaste, and anything else you find necessary in your routine or being out in the woods (like bug spray).
Before we move on, I want to share a quick note about the provisions (things for purchase) available in each cabin. After you check out, you’ll be charged for any provisions you use during your stay. By mistake, we received a bill that included some things we hadn’t actually used. One of the firewood bundles had already been half-used when we arrived (which we didn’t think anything of at the time), but we got charged for it since it appeared we had used it. There were also a couple of other food items that had been wrongly added to our bill. We easily got the extra items removed, but with this in mind, I’d recommend to document (literally just take a picture) if anything seems off when you arrive. It’s not a big concern and they were very kind to work with, but I thought it was fair to make you aware of!
SAFETY
One question I got when I told my friends I was going to stay in a cabin in the woods was safety. Although your cabin is fairly secluded, each outpost has several other cabins scattered around that you can spot through the trees. So, you’ll have your privacy but also peace of mind knowing you do have neighbors nearby. The cabin door and windows have locks, and there’s a landline phone in the cabin you can use in case of an emergency if you don’t have cell service.
Getting away is exactly what we all need from time to time, and I’d dare to say this is one of our favorite trips my boyfriend and I have ever taken. If you’re looking for a unique yet affordable getaway, this should be at the top of your list.
Don’t forget to get $25 off your stay by going to Getaway and using code ‘MEGAN25’ at checkout!
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