ABOUT US + OUR MISSION

Our mission at The Hohnstead Glamping Cabins Resort is to share our land and show you that Anything is Possible with hard work and a couple of splinters. Because if Alla and her family can leave their old life behind in Ukraine and come to the United States with very little command of English, no money, and a goal to create a better life for their children, then in a few years she learned to drive, graduated from university, moved to another country to teach English, completed a Master’s Degree, saved up money, paid off school loans, got married, with family in law’s help bought property sight unseen in Montana and slowly build a Glamping Cabins Resort, which would eventually get featured by Airbnb and Zillow (a cherry on top an already impressive American Dream Story).

Remember, Anything is Possible!

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 VERY 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.

THE FINAL STRAW

The Pandemic has opened our eyes to the fact that after living abroad for the past 14 years, we really wished to come home, to The Hohnstead, and make hosting our full time, seasonal jobs.

Mama and Papa Hohn welcomed Alla, Garrett and Slonik (our 13 year old Yorkshire Terrier from South Korea) home. Our baby boy Slonik would finally enjoy his golden year off the leash, running around happy and free. That city slicker once ran off 5 deer does from his property line, feeling bad a$$ in his small 6-lb frame. This memory would become one of our favorites, as Slonik had experienced heart failure and passed away in May of 2023.

Every day we miss his tiny, go-getter energy…

Living in the forest has been the greatest healer. They don’t call it Forest Therapy for nothing…

In loving memory of our little dude Slonik, we absolutely LOVE hosting dogs on our property! They bring so much positive, excited, and free energy up here that transfers to all of us and beyond. Check out our pet-friendly amenities in this post. So thank you for choosing to travel with your fury bestie, they make the best, most enthusiastic travel buds.

SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT US

📖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, helps us to constantly improve and grow our small business - The Hohnstead. We’ve maintained this lifestyle for the better part of a decade and can’t wait to share more about it in our upcoming book.

🍺 Garrett is a craft beer brewer of over 20 years, which evolved into online courses and his own I Brew - U Brew with Garrett YouTube channel.

📸 Alla has been bitten by the photography bug for the past 12+ years and captures most of the images and videos that represent The Hohnstead. Ask her for a custom photo session with your pet or at your cabin.

😅 We both believe in an active lifestyle, mostly to offset those homebrews. Our homesteading lifestyle keeps us plenty busy, and some of the projects we highlight on our Youtube Channel.

🌐 Garrett and Alla used to live in South Korea for 14 years, which helped to itch their wanderlust (25 countries and counting). Ask us about our faves.

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