Digital Nomad Accommodation Reimagined: Coliving Houses And Communities

As a digital nomad myself, over the years I’ve had the opportunity to work from a lot of stunning places: by the beach in Brazil, in Colombia, Morocco, Paris, London, and Malaga. I have always stayed at backpackers’ hostels because I thought having an internet connection would be enough of a standard.

Only to find myself stressing over whether the Wi-Fi would be strong enough, if there would be sockets to charge my laptop, silence to focus, and if I would be the odd one out, working in the communal spaces.

I love the nomad lifestyle and the freedom it grants, to the point that I’ve built my business, to support my lifestyle. But it is a business, and I need to be able to guarantee my clients and coworkers a standard, one that includes reliable internet connection.

And that is why recently I’ve chosen coliving houses as my digital nomad accommodation of choice, leaving behind the uncertainty that traditional hostels bring about. Let me tell you why so many digital nomads are now switching to coliving houses and communities, created specifically to cater to them!

A quick note from the Nomadico Team

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How Digital Nomad Housing Has Changed In Recent Years

The surge of remote work, especially after COVID, made the digital nomad phenomenon a lot more mainstream, with reports estimating there will be 60 million remote workers by 2030. At the date of writing, there are over 60 countries that offer digital nomad visas, when the first digital nomad visa was only rolled out in 2020 in Estonia - it’s been a sharp rise.

With this societal change came the demand for facilities that support this lifestyle. That’s how digital nomad housing rapidly evolved from backpackers’ hostels to purpose-built coliving homes. Nomadico is on a mission to partner with locals to create affordable coliving homes and meaningful communities for remote workers.

What Is Coliving? The New Generation Of Digital Nomad Housing

A coliving is more than just a place to sleep. It’s a place to call home for a period of time: you have your personal space where you can enjoy privacy and rest, as well as all the usual shared facilities you can find in a traditional hostel, plus the community aspect and socialisation. On top of that, you get a dedicated working space and fast and reliable internet connection. That’s why coliving houses are also called “the new generation of digital nomad housing”.

Digital Nomad Hostel Vs Coliving: A Head-To-Head Comparison

They sound similar - you share a living space with a bunch of people, where there is a Wi-Fi connection and you can bring your laptop and work. But are they the same?

Type of crowd you can expect to meet

Coliving spaces cater specifically to digital nomads and remote workers, meaning that you are far more likely to meet people that have a similar lifestyle to yours during your stay. These people are there to work (as well as enjoy their time in a new place) and have similar needs to you - including good sleep.

Hostels - even if they cater to digital nomads - still end up attracting all sorts of people, including the party people that come back at 2am and loudly climb up their bunk waking up the whole dorm.

Privacy and comfort

Again, because coliving houses are built around the need for guests to be able to work comfortably, privacy and comfort are valuable features of these spaces: dorms in colivings host less people (average of 3 to 5 vs up to 20 bunks in backpackers’ hostels) and beds very often offer privacy curtains to guarantee good sleep.

Keeping in mind that some remote workers work different time zones than the ones they find themselves in, coliving rules around noise and the use of communal spaces tend to be mindful of the different needs.

Length of stay

Speaking to coliving and hostel owners and managers, it is clear that there is quite a striking difference in the average length of stay for guests: expect just a few nights at a time from those staying at hostels, all the way to stays of up to a year for remote workers choosing colivings. In fact, for digital nomads, the average length of stay in one city is 2 months according to nomads.com.

If work is your priority and takes up a good chunk of your week, for many it is a natural consequence to want to slow down and truly make time to enjoy the place they currently call home.

Community and networking

Staying for a long time at a foreign place and putting yourself constantly outside of your comfort zone might feel a bit isolating, and that’s absolutely normal. When you stay at a traditional hostel, it’s up to you to make that first move to socialise.

Colivings, on the other hand, often organise events to encourage guests to experience a sense of community even when they are frequently on the move. At Nomadico’s Cape Town coliving, we host pizza nights and outdoor activities; at the Florianópolis coliving location in Brazil, expect fondue nights and day trips. Not to mention, they are all included with the price of your stay!

Price

It is a common misconception that staying at a coliving is more expensive than a hostel. While it’s true that, because of the standard and reliability it grants, colivings have to cover for higher costs, it is equally true that it doesn’t have to break the bank if you book your stay within the Nomadico network. For example, a one month stay in a private room at Nomadico’s coliving in Bansko, Bulgaria starts at just €560, not bad huh?

Top 3 Benefits of Choosing Nomadico’s Coliving as Your Digital Nomad Accommodation

Fully-equipped workspaces and high-speed Wi-Fi

Colivings, compared to traditional hostels, offer a lot more reliability when it comes to remote work. Expect to find a dedicated space to work (usually in the form of a quiet, 24/7 workspace) with individual desks and high-speed internet. Sort of like the office you left back home, but in a much more exciting location!

Built-in support network and regular community events

Because most digital nomads travel by themselves and work on their own projects, the team at Nomadico creates fun events to encourage guests to share fun moments and create memories together - each destination offers unique, local experiences, included in the price of your stay. And if you need anything, just know that you can count on local community managers to support you and help you out.

Authentic cultural experiences

Nomadico is putting effort in creating events with local partners to make sure their guests enjoy the full colours of the country they are visiting! Staying in Taghazout, Morocco?

Enjoy weekly Arabic lessons to learn the basics and get by with the locals. In Medellin, Colombia, swallow your pride and join salsa classes on the rooftop. If surfing is your vibe, there's group classes included with your stay in Ericeira, Portugal.

Coliving Is The Future Of Digital Nomad Accommodation

For digital nomads and remote workers, coliving is outperforming traditional hostels: they offer dedicated working spaces with high-speed internet and regular community events in cities and towns where people on a similar journey flock to. It’s a great way to meet like-minded people while traveling, working remotely, or exploring a new place without being alone.

Writer's BIO:

Hi, I'm Ilaria (ee-LAH-ree-uh), founder of maars marketing, Italian born, London bred, citizen of this beautiful floating rock we call Earth.

Blending my 8 years of marketing experience with my passion for living life wholly, I created maars marketing to make travel, wellness & lifestyle businesses discovered through SEO writing and digital marketing.