Hey Euro travelers! You can rent the world's smallest house on Airbnb for €1 per night
Berlin was already one of the most affordable destinations in Europe, but thanks to one architect and his unique Airbnb listing, you can score a place to stay if you have a €1 coin in your pocket. A tiny wooden box – billed as the World's Smallest House – is available for rent through the site and has a total square footage of 1 meter and will seriously just cost you €1 ($1.11), which is the same as the saddest McBurger on the menu.
The 1SQM House, as it's officially and accurately named, has a lockable door, a chair and a mattress inside it. There's a window that slides open if you want to lean out and stare at confused tourists, and to sleep, you flip it onto its side (the listing swears that it can comfortably accommodate someone up to 5'9"). Guests also have access to the EastSeven Berlin Hostel, where they can leave their luggage and use the kitchen, bathroom and shower facilities. Perhaps the coolest feature, though, is that the house is on wheels, so you can pull it to wherever in the city you'd like to sleep and it's small enough to fit through the doors on the S-Bahn or U-Bahn (although the listing does note that dragging it onto public transport is technically not allowed).
Although the per-night-price is listed on Airbnb at €1o ($11), the hosts say that's only to fulfill the site's €10-per-night minimum charge. Anyone who successfully folds themselves into the house will get €9 in change back.
The 1SQM House was designed by Laos-born architect Van Bo Le-Mentzal with the support of the BMW Guggenheim Lab. The construction and materials cost around $300 and, at one point, he was giving away the plans for free. He's not trying to change the world, to take on the plight of the homeless or of displaced refugees (he says he "doesn't have the expertise"), but he does want the tiny house to address the idea of space, of home and of how much we really need to make ourselves happy. In an interview with CNN, he said:
It's very small. It's a tiny space if you stay in that house the whole day. [But] if you define your house as kind of a central base, and declare the park as your garden or the city as your living room, this house is possibly the biggest house you can imagine.
Unsurprisingly, the house is a very popular rental and potential guests need to apply to stay there. Those who are interested can get in touch with the hosts through the EastSeven hostel's Facebook page or directly through Airbnb, and they must complete the statement, "I need the ONE SQM HOUSE because..." The listing for the house further explains:
You want to wake up on a roof? In front of the Berlin Parliament? You want to give singing lessons? You want to use it as a kitchen desk to make pancakes for [the] homeless (we would organize cooking plates)? Sky is the limit! The most original, awesome and provocative ideas will make it. You can also apply with another friend for two houses.
I'm hoping that "Because I write for Road Warrior Voices" will be an appropriate explanation. Who's going with me?