After almost twenty years of residing and dealing remotely, I’ve come to grasp that coliving and coworking are excess of simply sensible options—they’re transformative experiences that form how we stay, create, and join. Every group, every shared meal, every late-night brainstorming session provides layers to our private {and professional} development. Past the unbelievable areas I dream of visiting, there are particular coliving and coworking experiences that encourage me deeply—rooted in my journey, my household life, and my evolving imaginative and prescient for the long run.
These experiences should not simply locations on a map; they’re milestones on my path towards constructing a life that feels genuine, balanced, and filled with that means.
1. Erasmus for Younger Entrepreneurs in a Portuguese Coliving
A bunch of individuals on Baleal seashore, Portugal 2020
There’s a magnetic pull within the concept of becoming a member of an Erasmus for Younger Entrepreneurs program in Portugal. Being shut sufficient to my base in Northwestern Spain means I can return dwelling if wanted or break the keep into manageable stretches, which is a large benefit for balancing household and work.
My life modified profoundly after I first lived in Lisbon again in 2009. That interval marked a turning level: I dropped out of college, embraced a life-style deeply linked to journey and the outside, and discovered to stay in concord with my physique, thoughts, and soul. This alignment introduced me happiness and freedom I hadn’t recognized earlier than. It was the start of a journey towards a extra intentional existence.
Now, with a long-standing dream of opening my very own coliving house (with coworking), this sort of expertise feels just like the pure subsequent step, very similar to how my motorhome adventures unfolded. I envisioned that life for therefore lengthy that it felt nearly inevitable. The identical goes for this dream. Whereas I haven’t but discovered the proper constructing or location, I haven’t stopped looking out. When the time feels proper, I’ll pour all my gathered information and expertise into it—from main teams and coordinating camps to digital advertising and marketing, web site creation, languages, and my distant working journey.
Having lived the highs and lows of this way of life—together with the solitude and isolation that may include it—I really feel prepared to offer again by serving to create a very particular group the place others can thrive.
2. Household-Pleasant Coliving
Burgos, Spain 2024
Since turning into a mother, my perspective on coliving has shifted profoundly. Areas which might be child-friendly, promote various training, or nurture a tribe-like environment are immediately interesting. I perceive why many colivings are adults-only, and I respect that selection; nonetheless, I additionally look with loving eyes at these courageous sufficient to welcome households with younger kids.
It’s troublesome to clarify should you haven’t skilled parenthood, however for these of us strolling this path, discovering a group that helps each our artistic and parental sides is a game-changer. Household-friendly colivings supply not simply comfort however a way of belonging and help that may be uncommon on the highway. They create environments the place mother and father can work and create whereas their kids play and study, surrounded by a supportive community.
This type of group appears like a lifeline—a spot the place the thrill and challenges of parenting are shared and understood.
3. A Full Winter Season within the Mountains
I used to do issues like this in my twenties – French Alps, 2010.
Whereas the coast has been my dwelling for many of my life, the mountains—particularly snow-capped Alpine peaks—maintain a particular place in my coronary heart. A few of my happiest reminiscences come from my 20s, after I led snowboarding and snowboarding journeys for faculty college students throughout numerous ski resorts within the Alps.
There’s one thing nearly magical concerning the sensation of being “above all of it,” leaving every day worries behind, inhaling crisp mountain air, and feeling the exhilaration of powder days. The mountains supply a novel type of peace and readability, a reminder of nature’s vastness and our small however significant place inside it.
I dream of spending a complete winter season in a mountain coliving—immersed in that atmosphere, sharing tales and meals with fellow adventurers, and reconnecting with that a part of myself that thrives in chilly, quiet magnificence. It’s about greater than snowboarding; it’s about group, reflection, and renewal.
4. Shorter Stints in Many Totally different Colivings
Caru Cu Bere – Bucharest, Romania
Life is brief, and the world is filled with vibrant communities. I’ve seen that the majority community-driven colivings have a minimal keep of two weeks to 1 month, which I consider is right. It takes time to actually really feel the environment, construct relationships, and settle into the rhythm of a spot.
My objective is to spend two to 4 weeks in as many various colivings as life permits—at the least annually. This observe is important for my psychological well being, creativity, and private development. Every group gives a brand new perspective, new friendships, and new inspiration.
By embracing shorter stints, I can preserve my experiences contemporary and various, regularly studying and evolving whereas sustaining a way of rootedness by means of the communities I construct alongside the best way.
Sahara, Morocco
Impressed by superb folks like Alejandra (volunteer group host at Anceu throughout my keep there) and others I’ve met on this journey, I might like to volunteer as a group host throughout a few of my stays. Contributing a number of hours per week to help the house, manage occasions, and welcome newcomers shouldn’t be solely a technique to cut back prices for each the coliving and me, but additionally an unbelievable alternative to realize perception into group dynamics.
Being a bunch means participating deeply with the group’s heartbeat—facilitating connections, smoothing every day life, and serving to form the tradition from inside. This hands-on expertise would enrich my understanding of what makes a coliving thrive and put together me for future ventures.
6. Opening My Personal Coliving (Sometime!)
The fitting vibes
As talked about earlier than, that is the massive dream—the one I maintain shut however don’t need to jinx by sharing an excessive amount of simply but. I’ve so many visions for an area that blends creativity, group, and sustainability, a spot that welcomes artists, entrepreneurs, households, and makers alike.
For now, this dream is on pause, ready for the best second when I’ve extra time and assets to dedicate. However each expertise I collect, each group I be part of, and each lesson I study brings me nearer to creating it a actuality.
I consider that when the time is true, all of the items will come collectively—and I’ll be able to create a house the place others can discover the identical pleasure and connection I’ve been lucky to expertise.
True happiness throughout a pop-up coliving expertise in Morocco in 2017. We discovered snow on our technique to the desert!
Coliving isn’t nearly the place you keep—it’s concerning the type of life you need to construct, the folks you need to meet, and the desires you need to chase. It’s about discovering concord with your self and others, creating areas the place creativity flows freely, and nurturing communities that help and encourage.
Right here’s to extra adventures, new connections, and the continuing seek for the proper group—wherever that could be.
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