Fly into to Sapporo in the winter and take a train to basically anywhere in Hokkaido that is away from the ski resorts or near them depending on how much you want to deal with crowds.
A cabin that comes supplied with clothes and food and meets all your criteria of being remote will not be "cheap" by any measure. And having the additional issue of you driving in winter conditions in my option makes this a bad idea.
In any case if you still want to attempt this then you need to give a daily budget, not including flight.
Another option that would be much easier and affordable would be for you to stay at a ski resort somewhere. You'd lose the remoteness but the logistics would be super easy, plus you could take some beginner ski lessons as well as trying out snowshoeing, tobogganing, etc. so you'd get totally into the winter experience.
Direct flights to the closest counties with ski resorts are Japan, South Korea and China.
Have fun with your research and good luck no matter what you decide.
Thanks, I said cheapest because I suppose there must be many of those for very rich people like in the best place of the Swiss alps with a spectacular view.
I don't care much for the view or being in an iconic place, I'd be ok with a random unknown snow cabin paying up to about 200usd a day. Cozy inside, proper snow outside, and functional cabin utilities.
I also wish to be away from the "resort" scene, the idea is to be away from other people.
There are lots of places in Europe that meet these criteria. Try the Tatra in Slovakia or Carpathians in Romania. I think the Pyrenees in Spain would be sufficiently cheap as well. Just use airbnb and you will find a wide variety of different options.
I’m not sure OP is looking for that kind of cabin experience. In the Rockies for example when people talk about their “cabin” what they really mean is their second home or mansion in the mountains.
I second Himalayas (Nepal or India) but most are going to take more than a flight to get too and I think most are going to be part of a village, not secluded.
Between December -late Feb: Flight from Bangkok to Kolkata> Train from Kolkata to Chandigarh > by road from Chandigarh to Parvati Valley, or Kullu/ Manali etc. It’s a winter wonderland up there with plenty of accommodation choice to suit your budget. Obviously you can fly to Delhi /Chandigarh but the above is just the cheapest way to do it.
Air bnb somewhere regional in Hokkaido Japan, it's one of the snowiest places on earth and is beautiful. You don't need to stay at a mountain resort because the amount of snow on that island is crazy. As for some other cheap options could be India or the Balkans/Eastern Europe. It's really pretty cheap there ( By Euro standards) and you'll surely be able to find a nice cabin to air bnb at a good price.
Edit: I think if you include your budget then people will be able to help more. Finland is lovely and full of remote cabins on lakes with saunas and very safe but general costs there are expensive. Estonia could probably give you similar style for a lot cheaper or go down to Slovenia where there's beautiful snowy European mountains at a cheaper price than central and Northern Europe.
I imagine that the cheapest option would be Asia for you but I think you might be able to do this in the Nordic countries in Europe, and then go due North. Log cabins seem to be quite easy to find in northern Finland.
I am not a huge fan of Airbnb, but you can for instance check now by just using map view what's on offer in the Northern half of Sweden, Finland and Norway. You'd probably have to be more self sufficient then you're currently planning on being, as in you'd also need to get your own gear, but flying into the capital can help you out there when you're looking for outdoor and camping gear and they should have supermarkets roughly in the vicinity of where you're going.
I am from Austria and my first thought was also that the northern part of Japan is what you’re looking for.
Just for the case Austria ist interesting for you: Postalm is close to your description. Lot of simple huts but far away from each other so you don’t see the neighbours.
But I think there is no direct flight from/to Asia. And transportation to the hut might be an far and expensive taxi ride.
I would say more yes than no. Probably not enough for skiing. Last December there was enough snow from beginning of December. But there is no guarantee of course.
Fly into to Sapporo in the winter and take a train to basically anywhere in Hokkaido that is away from the ski resorts or near them depending on how much you want to deal with crowds.
Thanks, any recommendations on where should I look for cabins?
Niseco had some "cabins" you could rent aimed at skiers.
*Niseko
A cabin that comes supplied with clothes and food and meets all your criteria of being remote will not be "cheap" by any measure. And having the additional issue of you driving in winter conditions in my option makes this a bad idea. In any case if you still want to attempt this then you need to give a daily budget, not including flight. Another option that would be much easier and affordable would be for you to stay at a ski resort somewhere. You'd lose the remoteness but the logistics would be super easy, plus you could take some beginner ski lessons as well as trying out snowshoeing, tobogganing, etc. so you'd get totally into the winter experience. Direct flights to the closest counties with ski resorts are Japan, South Korea and China. Have fun with your research and good luck no matter what you decide.
Thanks, I said cheapest because I suppose there must be many of those for very rich people like in the best place of the Swiss alps with a spectacular view. I don't care much for the view or being in an iconic place, I'd be ok with a random unknown snow cabin paying up to about 200usd a day. Cozy inside, proper snow outside, and functional cabin utilities. I also wish to be away from the "resort" scene, the idea is to be away from other people.
There are lots of places in Europe that meet these criteria. Try the Tatra in Slovakia or Carpathians in Romania. I think the Pyrenees in Spain would be sufficiently cheap as well. Just use airbnb and you will find a wide variety of different options.
Use AirBNB for countries that will have snow in the months you want to travel and select “Off Grid” as the apartment type.
I’m not sure OP is looking for that kind of cabin experience. In the Rockies for example when people talk about their “cabin” what they really mean is their second home or mansion in the mountains.
South Korea (Hongcheon for example) or Nepal?
Any idea where to look? All I can find are hotels/resorts and the cabins I find are all grouped.
I second Himalayas (Nepal or India) but most are going to take more than a flight to get too and I think most are going to be part of a village, not secluded.
Yeah, OP’s requirement of “remote yet 30-min from civilization” is incongruent.
That's plenty doable. Long list of places like that in North America, at least.
Don’t forget no dangerous wild animals.
Go to Ladakh, Himachal or Uttarakhand in India in the Himalayas.
Between December -late Feb: Flight from Bangkok to Kolkata> Train from Kolkata to Chandigarh > by road from Chandigarh to Parvati Valley, or Kullu/ Manali etc. It’s a winter wonderland up there with plenty of accommodation choice to suit your budget. Obviously you can fly to Delhi /Chandigarh but the above is just the cheapest way to do it.
Air bnb somewhere regional in Hokkaido Japan, it's one of the snowiest places on earth and is beautiful. You don't need to stay at a mountain resort because the amount of snow on that island is crazy. As for some other cheap options could be India or the Balkans/Eastern Europe. It's really pretty cheap there ( By Euro standards) and you'll surely be able to find a nice cabin to air bnb at a good price. Edit: I think if you include your budget then people will be able to help more. Finland is lovely and full of remote cabins on lakes with saunas and very safe but general costs there are expensive. Estonia could probably give you similar style for a lot cheaper or go down to Slovenia where there's beautiful snowy European mountains at a cheaper price than central and Northern Europe.
I imagine that the cheapest option would be Asia for you but I think you might be able to do this in the Nordic countries in Europe, and then go due North. Log cabins seem to be quite easy to find in northern Finland. I am not a huge fan of Airbnb, but you can for instance check now by just using map view what's on offer in the Northern half of Sweden, Finland and Norway. You'd probably have to be more self sufficient then you're currently planning on being, as in you'd also need to get your own gear, but flying into the capital can help you out there when you're looking for outdoor and camping gear and they should have supermarkets roughly in the vicinity of where you're going.
Awesome I'll take a look thanks
I am from Austria and my first thought was also that the northern part of Japan is what you’re looking for. Just for the case Austria ist interesting for you: Postalm is close to your description. Lot of simple huts but far away from each other so you don’t see the neighbours. But I think there is no direct flight from/to Asia. And transportation to the hut might be an far and expensive taxi ride.
Will Postalm Austria snow in mid dec?
I would say more yes than no. Probably not enough for skiing. Last December there was enough snow from beginning of December. But there is no guarantee of course.
Go to Finland or Norway - on top of enjoying some really nice landscapes, snow and cabins you get to see the Northern Lights (which are amazing)
Will dec be a month where there snow on Norway?and which part of norway for these kind of cabin?
Northern Japan would be my choice!
Go to Nepal
Recommend Finland. Easy to get by in English, lots of remote country houses for rent.
Can attest to that. Also boring af.
Peak District UK
Iceland?
Canada (too far?)
Yes it would be like 3 flights
Lots of options around Sofia Bulgaria
Norway