This gorgeous treehouse is worthy of traveling overseas to visit.

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From repurposed airstreams to tiny houses, get inspired to head out on the road with one of these drool-worthy vacation rentals.

Apps like Airbnb, HomeAway, Vacation Rental by Owner, and more are making it super easy to get away from it all and find quirky vacation rentals. Not too long ago one had to be a super sleuth with a lot of time on their hands to find places that went beyond the mainstream motel and hotel chains when traveling. Now, if you’re looking for someplace off the beaten path or someplace that is uber-sustainable, it’s a cinch. It’s super simple to find unique places to stay whether you just to get away for a night in the next town over or stay a month on the other side of the country.

Get inspired to get away from it all by these quirky and sustainable vacation rentals and plan your next trip!

7 Unique Vacation Rentals

1.  El Cosmico

El Cosmico is a 21-acre nomadic hotel and campground in Marfa, Texas. The vacation rentals include renovated vintage trailers, safari and scout tents, Sioux-style tepees, a Mongolian yurt, and tent campsites. The property also offers several communal spaces including a hammock grove, an outdoor kitchen and dining area, and a stage. There are also wood-fired hot tubs, as the burn ban allows, and bikes for exploring the town of Marfa.

2. Tiny House Vacations

Tiny House Vacations is a website devoted to connecting owners of tiny houses with travelers who want to find and book tiny and small vacation rentals throughout the world. This tiny Texas home is a beautiful Victorian house that comes complete with a hot tub and is custom made from period-reclaimed building materials. There’s even an herb garden!

3. Net-Zero Passive House

Located in Portland, OR, and featured on Airbnb, this rental is certified as one of the most energy-efficient homes in the United States. As a passive house, it is heated primarily by the sun and day-to-day activity. What little energy is used is offset by rooftop solar panels, enabling the home to be net-zero energy. It’s also super chill inside.

4. Tipi Hideaway in the Catskills

Found in the Catskills in southeastern New York State, the Bellfire Tipi is on a 10-acre property bordering open land and miles of forest. Designed with privacy and tranquility in mind, the tipi is nestled between a seasonally-running creek, maple trees, and a wildflower field for the ultimate in glamping.

5. Off-the-Grid Lava Viewing Tiny House

This totally unique 400 square foot 2-story off-the-grid house is just 1500 feet from the ocean (with no structures between the water and the house), It is also part of a neighborhood comprised of mostly tiny houses that sit on some of the newest land formed in the country–a lava field in Kalapana, Hawaii.

6. TreeHouse Point

Located just 30 minutes from Seattle along the Raging River, TreeHouse Point offers an opportunity to sleep amongst the trees. Turn off the technology, escape from everyday stress, and enjoy the rejuvenating powers of the Pacific Northwest high above the ground!

7. El Capitan Canyon

With a goal of protecting and sharing the beauty of the California coast by nurturing the environment and the history of the Canyon while allowing guests to enjoy a relaxing Santa Barbara beach camping experience, this camp offers a variety of accommodations.  The camp provides what is called “Southern California Nature Lodging” in the way of cabins, safari tents, and yurts.

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Tent with Bike Image via El Capitan Canyon

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So, this may not be your typical tiny house, but it’s awesome all the same. Check out the treehouse that was designed to house families.

This treehouse isn’t from your dreams — it’s a reality. The Nest is a treehouse that’s been made especially for family living. The space is beautiful and full of plenty of places for people to hide away and relax. Watch the video tour of the treehouse below.

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The post You’d be Crazy Not to Want to Live in This Treehouse [Video] appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you haven’t experienced it yet, the time is now. Learn how to build a treehouse and why they are completely awesome.

Adults and kids are both enamored with treehouses. Who among us didn’t secretly long for our our tree topped fort/clubhouse as a kid? And can you really say that desire has diminished now that you are grown up? Of course, as adults we dream of a calming, soothing tree-topped oasis complete with hammocks and a mini fridge full of gin and tonics and margaritas (tree house hotel, anyone?).

Image: Caelie_Frampton

Well, it’s never too late to make that dream a reality. For those of you who are lucky enough to have a backyard full of luscious, strong and healthy trees, why not make it your springtime project to build a great tree house? You can say it’s for the kids, but we will really know that it’s for you, too.

Image: Bohman

There are 4 considerations before you can even get started with your project.

• It’s probably a good idea to have an expert take a look at your trees–you want to make sure that the tree you want to use as your foundation is healthy (and will remain so) and can hold the weight of the structure you want to erect.
• Another consideration: will you need a building permit? I know it might seem like a silly idea to get a building permit for a treehouse, but it’s a good idea to follow all local laws and regulations whenever constructing any structures on your property.
• In that same vein, give a call to your homeowner’s insurance as well. If your house among the trees falls on your house or there is an accident with someone (or you) falling, you want to make sure that you are covered.
• Finally, if you are building a treehouse for children, make it low to the ground 5-7 feet off the ground is high enough for kids to get the experience without adding unnecessary risk.

Image: PhotKing ♛

The next step is to find your plans. Here are some great tutorials and plans for how to build a treehouse.

1. Cabin Style Treehouse – this project utilizes several trees as the foundation.
2. Kid-friendly Treehouse – a simple, kid-friendly treehouse how-to.
3. Family Handyman – building tips and advice for attaching and furnishing your treehouse.
4. Treeless Treehouse – don’t have any trees? Here are tips for building a treeless treehouse.
5. Inexpensive Treehouse – here’s a project that costs under $300 and even has a cool hatch-like door.
6. A-frame Treehouse – plans for building an a-frame style house.
7. Grown-up Treehouse – gorgeous inspiration for creating a grown-up treehouse.

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Top Image: mollystevens

The post How to Build a Treehouse (Because They’re Basically the Coolest Houses Ever) appeared first on EcoSalon.

No laptops allowed.

We live in an over-connected world of smartphones, social networking, and 24-hour news cycles. Sometimes, you just need to get away from it all. Whether you dream of a wood cabin in the forest, a cabana on an empty beach, or a treehouse outfitted in sustainable materials, there’s a zen retreat that’s sure to fit the bill. Let this collection of images inspire your next escape.

(above) Minimalist Retreat, Leiria, Portugal

Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

Hudson Passive Project, Hudson Valley, New York, USA

Desert Nomad House, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Minimalist Country Retreat, Corcovado River, Portugal

Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos

Asilomar Retreat Complex, Pacific Grove, California, USA

Stealth Barn, Norfolk, England

Summerhouse, Sweden

Temple, Kyoto, Japan

Palm Island, The Grenadines

Mesa Cabin, Utah, USA

Desert Nomad House, Tucson, Arizona, USA

The King of the Frogs Tree House, Münster, Germany

Bay of Fires, Northeast Tasmania, Australia

Latitude 10 Resort, Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

Tierra Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Little Cabin, Yakutat, Alaska, USA

Romantic and Stylish Upstate Cabin, Elizaville, New York, USA

The Naka Island, Phuket, Thailand

Off-grid itHouse, Pioneertown, California, USA

Japanese Garden, Pasadena, California, USA

Canvas Hotel, Telemark County, Norway

lostrivermodern, Lost City, West Virginia, USA

Paperbark Camp, Jervis Bay, Australia

SEE ALSO:

40 Gorgeous Photos of Europe

40 Gorgeous Photos of North America

40 Gorgeous Photos of Latin America

40 Gorgeous Photos of Asia

40 Gorgeous Photos of Africa

25 Photos of Islands Threatened by Climate Change

25 Images of Female Adrenaline Seekers

40 Photos from Flea Markets Around the World

30 Gorgeous Photos of Winter Snowscapes

30 Gorgeous Photos of Farming and Agriculture

15 Hilarious Photos of Interspecies Mingling

30 Photos of the World’s Most Uniquely Designed Buildings

20 Photos of Female Activists Throughout History

30 Gorgeous Photos of Spring

30 Gorgeous Photos of Traditional Textiles

The post 25 Photos of Zen Retreats appeared first on EcoSalon.

At Free Spirit Spheres you can literally hang out in a Canadian forest.

How often do you stay in a handcrafted room? Not furniture wise, strictly speaking. But in an entire, spherical handcrafted structure (capsule, really) made from wood and fiberglass, which is then suspended from trees in a coastal rainforest on Vancouver Island? Never, you say. Well, it’s time to plan your next glamp-out in a circular porthole of your own.

Like something out of a surrealist Spanish movie, these convex structures look like giant eyeballs.

There are three Free Spirit Spheres: meet Melody, Eryn and Eve (whose details page is, naturally, called All About Eve). Well, they’d have to be female, offering such curvy, womb-like accommodation. Be warned: since they’re suspended, they do sway.

Designed with comfort and compactness in mind, rather than high style, each pod has a double bed and a small table for two. It’s a tight fit. Measuring three metres diameter, Eve (cedarwood) is on the cozy side, while Eryn (spruce) is slightly roomier, at 3.2m, with a second bed on a loft gallery, plus fridge and sink. Melody is the deluxe version, in yellow fiberglass with a walnut interior. She also features a drop-down bed.

Get back to nature when nature calls in the mushroom-shaped composting outhouse.

As if it needed mentioning, there’s no WIFI here, although there are speakers fitted for you to plug in your iPod: the very definition of surround sound. In a separate nearby building are bathrooms with showers, a sauna, and a barbeque deck.

Rates from $269 including tax, arrival snacks, and the gentle croaking of Pacific Tree Frogs.

Images: Free Spirit Spheres

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

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