No Wi-Fi, unknown location - but tiny house vacation is a hit

New York

A YEAR ago, two former Harvard classmates built three 160 sq ft houses, hauled them to rural locations outside Boston, and made them available for nightly stays with an odd proviso: Guests would plunk down US$99 to book a night in a tiny house, but they would not find exactly where the house was until the day before. It was not a literal blindfold, but the intent was close enough - forcing guests to unplug from their busy, overplanned lives and engender a stripped-down adventure.

It worked: Getaway, as the company is called, is currently booked till July at its three Boston-area houses. (If you are looking for a Saturday night, you will have to wait until December.) The company recently completed a fundraising round - it has raised US$1.1 million in total - and is using the capital to build 10 new tiny houses in the New York City area, where it plans to start operating in June.