“Usually it means: I'm going to Paris or Berlin,” says Julian Trautwein. “We say: I want to get out of Berlin, I want to get out of Hamburg.” Get out, that's also the name of the travel start-up that Trautwein founded with his two school friends Johann Ahlers and Christoph Eilers: The three rent out Cabins in the outskirts of Berlin, one to a maximum of two hours by car outside the city center, for a weekend trip or longer. For everyone who just wants to get out of the city, everyday life and stress. And that obviously hits a nerve: the first two accommodations are pretty much booked up by the end of the year, and on the weekends even until March next year. Cabin number three recently went “live”, as it is called in the start-up language, and further locations are being planned, such as in the area around Hamburg.Other German regions are to be added in the medium term.

The three Raus founders have oriented themselves towards several trends for their minimal accommodation. As with the tiny houses that have been popular for years, they organize fully functional accommodation in the smallest of spaces. A double bed, a table with a bench and stools, a serious kitchenette, a wood-burning stove, a bathroom with a shower and toilet: the guests are unlikely to miss anything for at least a long weekend. At the same time, they spend the night in the middle of a field, forest, meadow, away from settlements or villages, just like when camping. “But with the comfort and style of a boutique hotel,” says Julian Trautwein. The cabins are built on a trailer and can be pulled from place to place like a caravan. With a pitched roof, dark wooden facade and large windows, however, they look like a real house,they are specially made for Raus in the Netherlands.

Contemporary chic rules inside: the fixtures and surfaces are made of plywood, the furniture comes from the Finnish design brand Artek, the lights from the Danish companies Louis Poulsen and Frandsen.

The ceramic tableware is handmade by the small Berlin label Goodclay.

A carefully curated selection that spoiled city dwellers like and rarely find in the country.

Spend the night in the paddock

When the three school friends Ahlers, Eilers and Trautwein developed the business idea of ​​the Cabins, they wanted to get out of their previous jobs themselves. One was on short-time work due to the corona, one was on the verge of burnout, and one had already quit. "It became clear to us that our life is not that healthy," says Julian Trautwein. Professionally, they come from very different directions, Johann Ahlers worked in political communication, Christoph Eilers worked in the financial business and Trautwein in marketing. He worked for the Airbnb tourism platform for several years. "I've been busy with unique places to stay." When you get out, the cabins are in a paddock with a view of the edge of the forest, on an orchard near the lake or soon in the middle of a sheep pasture,Morning bleating is then included in the price.

“We like city life,” says Julian Trautwein. "But in the city you are always electrified." Outside in nature you can switch off, which is important as a balance. At Raus, nature also means nature: The cabins are operated "off grid", that is, without any connection to the water or electricity network. Fresh water comes from the tank, electricity from the solar panel, and there is a composting toilet for the needs. Because the cabins are set up on trailers, the floor does not have to be sealed.

The start-up leases the parking spaces from farmers or forest owners, and they are now receiving offers for new space on a daily basis.

For landowners, leasing is a source of income with no additional work.

If you want, you can make other offers for the guests, such as carriage rides, guided mushroom tours or groceries from their own production.

“We want to create an entire ecosystem around the cabins,” says Trautwein.

"An ecosystem of local products and services that brings guests closer to nature."