How I survived 72 hours with no phone, no electricity, and nothing to do in a tiny house

A tech-addicted couple with a baby decided to stay in a tiny house in a remote spot with no electricity and nothing to do. What could go wrong?

A new email, a missed call, Facebook notifications, you’re stuck in traffic and it’s fifteen minutes before your next meeting. Sound familiar?

In today’s hyper-connected world our lives are busier than ever and everything feels that it requires immediate attention.

For most of us, our phones are our lifeline, a major distraction and something we simply cannot switch off. As someone who lives and breathes technology, the idea of my phone not working for a few days was a tough pill to swallow, but one that would allow me to have a real break. We decided to break away from the office, the traffic and our smartphones, and go off the grid.

This place really was remote. Picture: Geoff Quattromani

And very tiny. Picture: Geoff Quattromani

In2theWild is an organisation that is setting up tiny houses on locations that give you a feeling of being truly remote while being only a couple of hours from the city. These well-appointed houses operate without typical electricity and water, neighbours and the distraction the internet brings.

Our tiny house for three days — we were given the exact location just days before — was on a property with lots of trees and wildlife and as soon as you arrive you feel disconnected. The bushland, the sounds of the birds, the smell of the gum trees, it’s a lot to take in.

The rooms were a minimalist’s dream. Picture: In2theWild

The simple life. Picture: Geoff Quattromani

The tiny house is exactly that but is fully fitted out and feels rather premium. This isn’t camping, or even glamping. It’s a small home. While they are all slightly different, ours had a small kitchenette with mini fridge, eco-toilet and shower, a comfortable couch and a timber ladder taking you to the double bed above. It has solar panels on the roof, gas bottles for the stove and hot water and a water tank with thousands of litres capacity. As two adults with a five month old, it didn’t feel cramped thanks to large windows and plenty of natural light.

A quaint — but lovely — room. Picture: In2theWild

The stylish bathroom area. Picture: In2theWild

Setting up a camp fire outside was a must-do while a gas barbecue was available for backup. The hardest part of the trip was sitting still, it isn’t something we are used to and it took time to accept the situation we were in. It was excellent to cook on an open fire, grab a couple of drinks as the sun set and read a book (yes, front to back in one trip), talk to one another and even play cards.

With no Netflix or distractions from email or social media we were able to disconnect from the screens and connect with one another in real life.

The rooms were narrow but the views were spectacular. Picture: Geoff Quattromani

After some adjustments, it was worth it. Picture: Geoff Quattromani

While the benefits of disconnecting had its obvious advantages, do pay attention to the seasons before booking, our greatest difficulty with the tiny house in the peak of summer was the heat, and without airconditioning you’re really looking forward to the sun going down. Fortunately, our tiny house was minutes from the beach so we did spend part of the day staying cool before returning home for flame grilled burgers.

After leaving our tiny house and our phones almost exploding from the pouring of notifications once we were reconnected, we agreed it was a proper break that we all needed. We shared snaps on social media but, after the holiday — not during. We reconnected with the world and didn’t really miss anything.