Our “6 On - 6 Off” lifestyle is the one thing that helps us maintain a healthy, stress and overwhelm-free balance in our lives.
Traveling and getting inspired by other hosts and other accommodations, allows us to constantly improve and grow our small business - The HohnStead.
We frequently get asked about how we started and built it all, so we decided to write a book and help shine more light on our alternative lifestyle.
Table of Contents
Our Mindset
Why we left the US searching for life abroad
What was so special abroad that kept us there for 14 years?
Buying the land sight unseen and building The HohnStead at a snail’s pace
The Pandemic and getting off mountain #1
Let the uncertainty begin: Can we make it?
6 months of work, 6 months of play
Our favorite places abroad for less than $1500/month
How does a boy from Michigan and a girl from Ukraine, meet in South Korea then build a glamping cabins resort in Montana?
Garrett’s family moved across the country from Michigan to Montana back in the 1990s, while Alla’s family moved from Ukraine to Delaware (which is still 2000 miles away from Montana).
After finishing university, unable to land a job in TV production, Alla decided to travel solo to South Korea in order to teach little kindergarten children how to speak English. Little did she know that a degree in Communication is not quite the same as teaching little children.
Having studied Education at uni, Garrett was impressed with how polite and well behaved Korean students were at his Hawaiian job, so he randomly picked a Korean job recruiter who placed him in a town of 300,000, called Masan, South Korea.
Seven months into Alla’s contract, she got an email from a random guy, who read her blog, complimenting her article about the gym that she was using.
As a solo traveling female, Alla didn’t feel comfortable answering random emails from strangers and when Garrett’s email appeared in her mail box, she ignored it, assuming he was another “weirdo” who liked seeing a young, blonde chick traveling abroad without a fellow traveler around.
And that could have been the end of the romance that never was.
But fate had another idea in mind and a few weeks later Alla and Garrett walked past each other on the street. Being a typical introvert, Alla surprised herself by saying:
“Hello, where are you from?”
As Garrett and his co-workers (all drunk on Soju) paused so Alla and Garrett could chat, Garrett realized that she looks familiar, perhaps like a girl he emailed a few weeks ago. Not wanting to be rude, Alla felt bad for ignoring his email and never responding to this not so “weird” but actually a cute guy!
Seven months later, we got married and eventually would be called a “campus couple” for teaching English at the same university as co-workers, a job where we both proudly worked for over 10 years.
HOHN + HOMESTEAD = THE HOHNSTEAD
A huge credit goes to Mama and Papa Hohn, who spent over a decade searching for the perfect piece of Montana property that the family can work on and enjoy together.
The perfect but bare piece of property was finally found, but it had:
❌ No roads
❌ No buildings
❌ No electricity
❌ No septic
❌ No water
❌ No fun (as Alla would say)
Since 2010 (2 months at a time, while on vacations from South Korea) we worked the land, as a family of four, helping each other by learning to build, fixing things, painting, sewing, hammering, cutting, burning, DIY-ing.
It may be rustic and imperfect in many ways, but we’re immensely proud to say that the only thing that we paid out for — is the concrete slab inside the Commons Area.
Honestly, we never planned to build “a glamping cabins resort” we just built what we needed at the time and what we could afford at the time.
We’ve been very fortunate to be able to keep building and learning, and a single $400 off-grid glamping cabin - the Shanty - turned into two, three, and eventually five short-term rental cabins. We’ve hosted over 500 guests and been featured in over 70 publications since 2017 and we sincerely look forward to getting to share this gorgeous and peaceful piece of Montana with you!
OUR FIRST BOOKING
We will never forget our first booking, which came from a handsome man from Amsterdam, named Gert. He was a riot, drinking Smirnoff Ice coolers in between his workouts of running up and down the mountain.We really enjoyed connecting with Gert and his partner, sharing stories and laughter with complete strangers was an incredible feeling. Gert set the vibe, and The Hohnstead continues to attract adventurous, kind, passionate, and fun couples and solo travelers with the friendliest pups.
We really hope that you enjoy our 5 cozy, off-grid, pet-friendly cabins which we created for nature-loving couples who are looking for a romantic getaway full of relaxation, scenic views, stargazing, hiking and so much more!
Come and check out this magical place for yourself.
Are you ready to ditch the city?
Great! We’ll see ya in the woods!
Alla and Garrett