Adventures in coliving

📍 9 colivings (& counting) to explore + life as a part-time digital nomad

I’m lucky enough to have a flexible job that allows me to work full remote for a few months of the year. I took the chance to explore Eurasia, particularly the intersection of the two continents. My recent travels brought me to Georgia 🇬🇪, Turkey 🇹🇷, and Bulgaria 🇧🇬 where I opted for a range of accommodations. There is a marked difference between the experience of staying in a hostel, a boarding house, a hotel, an Airbnb, or a coliving. Each has its charms and inconveniences with varying degrees of uniqueness and comfort.

What makes an accommodation more or less unique? More or less comfortable? It’s fairly subjective. Here’s my point of view based on my experience this past year.

Uniqueness

Hostel - Hostels can vary greatly. Typically those in larger cities are less appealing than those in somewhat smaller towns but you can get a great sense of community with events and happenings to connect you to the local environment, yet from my experience, it’s all pretty much the same: bunk beds, communal showers, and pub crawls.

Boarding House - What exactly is a boarding house? My best reference is from my favorite '90s cartoon Hey Arnold! (Arnold and his Grandpa Phil owned and operated a boarding house). Paying guests are provided with meals and lodging. My experience of what I’d call a boarding house in 2024 is run by a local or long-time resident and has a handful of rooms, a living area, and a kitchen. Guests are provided with local treats like homemade wine and khinkali (Georgian dumplings). Late-night conversations are a regular occurrence among those passing through for a few days, a few weeks, or about a month.

Hotel - The quality of a hotel experience can also be quite variable but you typically know what to expect depending on your price range: standard beds, clean sheets, mini bottles of soap and shampoo, complimentary breakfast, little variation if staying at a chain hotel, and not much presence of the local environment.

Airbnb - Founded in 2008, Airbnb revolutionized tourism and initially claimed the slogan “book rooms with locals.” They intended to offer unique and local experiences that hotels could not provide. This isn’t truly the case anymore, but I still find it super interesting to explore the housing stock and the way homes and buildings are constructed and maintained in different countries.

Coliving - Colivings are intentional communities attracting working professionals. Contemporary colivings seem to be a fairly new concept (around 10 years old). They stand out due to their unique locations, the people they attract, and the sense of community they’re able to create.

Comfort

Hostel - Most hostels have the option of shared rooms or privates. If you’re interested in a more comfortable yet social experience, opt for a private room (pricier). I’ve found that most people staying in hostels are budget travelers and will typically choose a shared room, agreeing to accept sleeping in close quarters, errant phone alarms, snoring neighbors, and a medium level of security for large suitcases.

Boarding House - Every tenant has their own room with shared areas like a living room and/or kitchen. It’s a mostly comfortable set-up, allowing you to pick and choose your private and social moments.

Hotel - I’ve found that hotels remain the most comfortable option. You’re free to order room service, check in at all hours with a human being, enjoy the highest level of privacy, and get a good night’s sleep.

Airbnb - I used to seek out charming Airbnbs but lately, I’ve been prioritizing the most convenient location with the most comfortable-looking bed. I usually go for studios for a small, private, and intimate nook for a few nights in a new city.

Coliving - The colivings I’ve stayed in have single rooms for individuals or double rooms for couples. My good fortune has landed me in rooms with great lighting, a comfortable desk to work from, and a cozy windowsill to see the local sights.

What is a coliving?

Coliving is a modern form of communal living. Colivers have a private bedroom in a furnished home with shared common areas. Unlike the traditional apartment lifestyle, coliving is attractive due to affordability, flexibility, amenities, and a sense of community.

Not all colivings are affordable though (or should I say that affordable is a relative term). They’re typically more expensive than a budget travel experience as some remote workers bounce around from coliving to coliving all year round and don’t pay rent elsewhere. That lifestyle isn’t accessible to everyone, but it’s definitely interesting for those who have been able to make it their reality. Some have referred to colivings as “adult summer camps” and I don’t disagree. You can work, live, play, travel, and meet new friends globally.

I love this article from Coliving.com about the history of the coliving movement. It’s a nice read if your curious about sociology and the origins and rise of “Housing as a Service” (HaaS).

Types of coliving experiences

• Community-centric (run by founders/owners with dedicated volunteers)

• Community managed (minimal presence from owners, yet run by a dedicated community manager)

• Pop-ups (organized by established coliving companies trying out a new idea, theme, or location)

• Retreats (short-term curated luxury experiences, from what I’ve seen usually not run by locals or long-time residents) Think: Noma Collective or Unsettled

• Cohort-based (longer-term itinerary-driven curated programs for a set period of time to explore multiple destinations) Think: Remote Year or Wifi Tribe

Who stays in colivings

Most people I’ve encountered were software engineers, digital marketers, coaches, and online teachers. Some were unemployed for short stints or on a sabbatical.

I’ve dipped my toe into the coliving lifestyle by exploring them two weeks at a time (the minimum stay) and each experience has been unique and beautiful. I’m in my slow travel era! Sharing a few photos below 📸

Pro Tip: Visit colivings in the off-season for the best prices.

Top left: Cloud Citadel, Top right: Vagabond B&B, Bottom left: Jumba Hostel, Bottom right: Burgas Coliving

Here’s my running list:

(in chronological order)

1. Cloud Citadel
   Briançon, France 🇫🇷

Winter is my least favorite season and I hate the cold but spending time in the French Alps surrounded by snow-capped mountains, fresh air, friendly colivers, and good vibes changes your perspective.

Cloud Citadel is located right next to the Italian border and the ski resort, Serre Chevalier. I stayed for two weeks right before ski season started and this was my very first coliving experience. Highly recommend!

2. Vagabond B&B
   Tbilisi, Georgia 🇬🇪

Although listed as a Bed & Breakfast, I’d much akin Vagabond B&B to a boarding house. There are 4 rooms, 3 indoor-outdoor cats, a cozy living room, and kitchen space, and the city is so safe that the door stays unlocked (there were locks on the bedroom doors). I had great conversations and really felt at home here. Guests would often cook and leave food for others to try. It’s well located near the city center and close to Fabrika, a popular hostel and coworking space.

3. Jumba Hostel
   Cihangir (Beyoğlu), Istanbul, Turkey 🇹🇷

Istanbul is an amazing city. I enjoyed my stay at Jumba Hostel, partly because of the cool neighborhood of Cihangir and partly because of the setup. It’s an older building and each floor has its own bathroom and kitchen as well as a few private rooms. My single room had a desk so I could happily work from there with a nice view of the street or I could go downstairs to the common area to chat with other residents. Pinar was very welcoming. The space felt more like apartments than a community, which was fine for me.

4. Burgas Coliving
   Burgas, Bulgaria 🇧🇬

I had a peaceful and restorative stay at Burgas Coliving. The city is calm and beautiful, but to be honest I didn’t go into the city all that much as I had busy workdays and a fairly short stay. I was content to spend most of my time in the coliving itself where I had all that I needed. It’s a beautiful and newly renovated building with a great deal of space, both indoors and outdoors. The founders and co-owners, Katya and Tony, very much believe in community building and there was always something to do, yet no pressure if you’d like to sleep in or simply enjoy your day. I’d definitely recommend stopping by Burgas Coliving if ever you’re in the area.

My wishlist 💜

With Paris as a home base, I hope to continue my slow travel journey across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. My favorite things to explore are cultural traditions, history, food, and language. Here is my list of ✨dream✨ digital nomad stays:

1. Pyren’Escape (Guchan, France) 🇫🇷

2. Sun & Co. Coliving (Alicante, Spain) 🇪🇸

3. Anceau Coliving (Pontevedra, Spain) 🇪🇸

4. Kamatjona (Windhoek, Namibia) 🇳🇦

5. JBay Coliving (Jeffreys Bay, South Africa) 🇿🇦

Bonus

🗺️ Nomad Trail (Love this concept)

🚆 Nomad Train (I don’t know if I could manage this, but totally intrigued)

Resource list 📌

• Map Melon - community listing various colivings worldwide

• Coco Hub - another aggregate coliving site and community

• Coliving Compass - listing and writing about colivings including pop-up retreats

• World Packers - find opportunities for travel volunteering

That’s all for now. As with all of my running lists, I’ll update and add to this when I have more to share. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the meantime.

Are there any colivings you’ve tried or would recommend?

Comment and share below 👇🏾