HOUSTON — It’s Airbnb, but for your backyard.
A new online service is staking its claim on helping owners offer up their land for campers.
There are not many in the Houston area just yet, but we found one hidden jewel.
Say you’re looking to take a trip, a break from the big city. A chance to put reality in the rear-view, in search for a getaway where you really get away.
About an hour and a half outside Houston, Courtney Yeater has just the spot. It’s her home.
"This is like our own piece of heaven," Yeater said.
Or technically, it's what’s behind it.
“When you come back here, it’s a whole other world," Yeater said.
Most of it, you can only get to by gator. The one on wheels, that is.
“It’s pretty primitive camping," Yeater said.
Forty acres of peace, privacy and even a pretty little pond.
“We have kayaks and what we call the swimmin’ hole, you can fish in it," Yeater said.
It’s got six campsites complete with miles of manmade trails, a farm full of furry friends and nature all around you and in your face.
“There’s nothing high tech to do. There’s, you know, no time frames on anything. You just wander around, get lost back in nature," Yeater said.
Camping, glamping, maybe just a little revamping, whatever you want to call it, you can likely find it at Yonderland Farm and Retreat.
“You spend most of your week stuck in traffic, or behind a desk, you need this, or at least I do," camper Aaron Free said.
The first time Free and his friends met Yeater, they were pitching a tent behind her house.
“The forest is so dense here that you really feel like you’re out in the forest all by yourself," Free said.
He booked his new bedroom online through a website called Hipcamp.
“We never even thought about it until we saw Hipcamp," Yeater said.
It allows an owner to offer up their personal paradise to complete strangers for chance to swap the suite for a room without walls.
“Because camping is so much cooler, and it’s refreshing, being outside," Free said.
You’ll need to pack a little more than your average vacation, but they do supply some amenities like slack lines and a shower.
“We fill the bags with water and they heat from the sun," Yeater said.
And if nature calls, they’ve got you covered. Well, sort of. The outhouse has three walls.
“We don’t want it to be too fancy," Yeater said.
More campsites are coming soon, along with weekly movie nights, horseback riding and kayaking down the Trinity River.
For Yeater and her family, this is heaven on Earth, so why not share it with the world?
“Really, It's a passion that we all have just to be able to teach people about different things in nature," Yeater said.
ALSO POPULAR ON KHOU.COM