After almost twenty years of dwelling and dealing remotely, I’ve come to know that coliving and coworking are way over simply sensible options—they’re transformative experiences that form how we reside, create, and join. Every group, every shared meal, every late-night brainstorming session provides layers to our private {and professional} development. Past the unimaginable 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 aren’t simply locations on a map; they’re milestones on my path towards constructing a life that feels genuine, balanced, and stuffed with that means.
1. Erasmus for Younger Entrepreneurs in a Portuguese Coliving
A bunch of individuals on Baleal seaside, 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 residence if wanted or break the keep into manageable stretches, which is a large benefit for balancing household and work.
My life modified profoundly once 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 realized to reside in concord with my physique, thoughts, and soul. This alignment introduced me happiness and freedom I hadn’t identified 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 type of expertise feels just like the pure subsequent step, very similar to how my motorhome adventures unfolded. I envisioned that life for thus lengthy that it felt virtually 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 amassed information and expertise into it—from main teams and coordinating camps to digital advertising, web site creation, languages, and my distant working journey.
Having lived the highs and lows of this life-style—together with the solitude and isolation that may include it—I really feel prepared to offer again by serving to create a really 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 schooling, or nurture a tribe-like ambiance are immediately interesting. I perceive why many colivings are adults-only, and I respect that alternative; nonetheless, I additionally look with loving eyes at these courageous sufficient to welcome households with younger kids.
It’s tough to clarify if you happen to haven’t skilled parenthood, however for these of us strolling this path, discovering a group that helps each our inventive 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 dad and mom can work and create whereas their kids play and be taught, surrounded by a supportive community.
This type of group seems 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 residence 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 recollections come from my 20s, once I led snowboarding and snowboarding journeys for faculty college students throughout varied ski resorts within the Alps.
There’s one thing virtually magical in regards to the sensation of being “above all of it,” leaving each day worries behind, inhaling crisp mountain air, and feeling the exhilaration of powder days. The mountains supply a novel sort of peace and readability, a reminder of nature’s vastness and our small however significant place inside it.
I dream of spending a whole winter season in a mountain coliving—immersed in that surroundings, 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 Completely 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 at least one month, which I imagine is good. It takes time to actually really feel the ambiance, construct relationships, and settle into the rhythm of a spot.
My purpose is to spend two to 4 weeks in as many various colivings as life permits—at the very least yearly. This follow is important for my psychological well being, creativity, and private development. Every group provides a brand new perspective, new friendships, and new inspiration.
By embracing shorter stints, I can hold my experiences contemporary and assorted, regularly studying and evolving whereas sustaining a way of rootedness via the communities I construct alongside the way in which.
Sahara, Morocco
Impressed by wonderful individuals 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 every week to help the house, set up occasions, and welcome newcomers is just not solely a strategy to cut back prices for each the coliving and me, but additionally an unimaginable alternative to realize perception into group dynamics.
Being a number means participating deeply with the group’s heartbeat—facilitating connections, smoothing each 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 proper vibes
As talked about earlier than, that is the large dream—the one I maintain shut however don’t wish 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 proper second when I’ve extra time and assets to dedicate. However each expertise I collect, each group I be a part of, and each lesson I be taught brings me nearer to creating it a actuality.
I imagine 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 strategy to the desert!
Coliving isn’t nearly the place you keep—it’s in regards to the sort of life you wish to construct, the individuals you wish to meet, and the goals you wish 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 continued seek for the proper group—wherever that could be.
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