Coliving and Coworking Spaces are great places to Live Work and Play

It’s almost lunch time on a Friday and I’ve turned off the laptop. I’m heading out for lunch to a cafe with my new friend Jill. She’s an online VA specialising in social media management. We met at a coliving and coworking space in Sydney. As we enjoy our smashed avo on sourdough we discuss an array of different things including a new strategy for my travel blog. To me, this kind of informal collaboration is one of the best things about being a full-time digital nomad living a location independent lifestyle. As more people become digital nomads they seek out places to live, work and play and to meet other digital nomads. This has led to many incredible coliving spaces popping up all over the world. I have asked some fellow travel bloggers their favourite coliving and or coworking space and this is what they have said.

What is a Coliving and Coworking all About?

Coliving and coworking spaces offer digital nomad and location independent lifestylers flexible communal living and working. They are a place for you to live in a private room and share a workspace. The workspace is usually one big room with desks set up where you can work. They provide reliable internet (mostly) and have other services like access to a kitchen, coffee making facilities, yoga and pilates classes and events so you can mingle. The best thing is many are found in beautiful places offering cheap living. Bali, Eastern Europe and South America to name a few are very popular countries offering coliving and coworking spaces.

They are popping up all over the world in different forms. What I mean is, some are just coliving spaces, others are just coworking spaces while many are both coliving and coworking spaces. One thing I really like about coworking spaces is you can buy a pass to work for a morning, a day or longer. This lets me mix my working day up by working in a coworking space if I want or in a coffee shop. Without further ado, here are some of my fellow travel bloggers’ favourite coliving and coworking spaces.

Outsite Tulum Beach, Mexico

Outsite – has a Mexican feel

I’ve stayed at a couple of different Outsite coliving spaces in different locations. My favourite hands down has to be the one in Tulum. I spent a month living at Outsite and loved it. It’s a small, intimate space with only 8 rooms, almost all of which have their own private terrace overlooking the Mayan Jungle.

Rooms are spacious. Decorated in a boho-meets-minimalist style – think concrete walls jazzed up with macrame wall hangings. As if that’s not enough, it’s just across the road from Tulum’s gorgeous beach.

The common areas are just as beautiful as the bedrooms. With an open-air living room and a kitchen that make it easy to socialize with your fellow Outsite-ers (during my time they were all wonderful). Only downside is that the wifi isn’t wonderful. Like all things – can be at the mercy of Tulum’s not-infrequent power outages.

There’s also a huge rooftop deck with plenty of sun loungers and hammocks where you can work in the morning or relax in the evening. In short – it’s a brilliant place to spend some time.

Contributed by Julianna Barnaby, The Discoveries Of 

Venice Beach, California, USA

Santa Monica Sign

Nothing beats living by the beach, particularly Venice Beach, California.  Even with living a few blocks away it doesn’t stop you from feeling the cool ocean breeze and very casual lifestyle that Venice is known for.  It’s filled with artists, digital nomads, entertainers and families. It’s overall a very great area to live in. I found enjoyment at the quaint little cafes and restaurants, plenty of beach goers, and overall atmosphere.

I found this on Zillow while doing a typical search. It was within my price budget and was not a long distance from where I was working.  The area was a good middle ground for where I worked versus my personal life of friends and places I liked to go to in and around Los Angeles.

I lived in this area for about a year. While I did enjoy the area, I found the rooms to be a little tinier than what I would have liked for that price. You are basically just paying for the location and being able to say you live in Venice beach. I always knew it was going to be temporary, but I did make sure to enjoy the most out of it.

Any first timers to LA hoping to make this place their permeant residence will find that this area pretty much exemplifies the lifestyle of Southern California. It has a great social scene. You can network both professionally and personally with people from all over the world who decided to give it a shot here.

Contributed by Nicholas Rosen The World Overload

Oasis Coliving, Tenerife-South , Canary Islands

Oasis Living in Tenerife

I was lucky enough to stay at Oasis Coliving Tenerife-South last year for a few weeks. This small coliving is located in the south of the most popular Canary Island, in Tenerife.

It’s an excellent place for digital nomads because the south of Tenerife enjoys summer all year round. The beach, the ocean, palm trees, sangria, paella, cool bars, and interesting conversations with like-minded people. These are the reasons why I love being a digital nomad in Tenerife.

What I like about this coliving is that it has a pool and a lounge with a big table and office chairs where digital nomads can work. In addition, I think it is easy to meet new people and make friends at this coliving as they organize many activities. Such as hiking excursions, trips to secret beaches and meetings of entrepreneurs and cryptocurrency enthusiasts.

This coliving isn’t just a place to sleep with space to work, it’s a community.

Contributed by Alejandra of Tenerife Is.

UKO, Sydney, Australia

Sydney from Taronga Park Zoo – sightseeing Sydney while coliving and coworking

Sydney has embraced coliving and coworking spaces and places are popping up all over the place. I was so pleased it has since I recently spent a month living and working there. UKO has a number of coliving properties to choose from, all very close to the centre of Sydney. I chose to stay at UKO in the vibrant Newtown area. This area is known for its great restaurants and live music venues – though they weren’t open while I was there due to covid restrictions. But that didn’t matter as UKO offers its community a number of social things. Yoga, movie nights, wine tastings and community events where you can mingle with your fellow digital nomads or remote workers. 

The places are very modern as well. I liked having my own room I could escape to while at the same time being social when I needed and wanted to. Newtown is a stone’s throw away from Sydney Harbour which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. It was easy to jump on a local bus and be at the harbour in no time at all. If you are in Australia and need a coliving and coworking space, then check out UKO.

Contributed by Sharyn from LiveWorkPlay-Australia

Impact Hub, Antigua

Lady in Antigua Square

After traveling around Central America I needed a coworking space that could boost my productivity. I found the perfect place to work and live for one month in Antigua. Impact hub, which is set within a colonial-style property is situated in the mazed-like city of Antigua. Close to the main plaza, which was one of my favorite features. The airy coworking space boasts excellent internet speeds, taking into account the city’s mountainous location. It includes a very calming courtyard area, which combined with the indoor spaces, gives you the ultimo blend of working environments. Since I was backpacking Central America on a budget, being able to pay for the day was perfect. As I like to mix it up with coffee shops and other spaces. This flexibility gives you the chance to test out the space to see if it’s worth committing to. Some of the memberships are much better value for money if you’re coworking for longer periods.”

Contributed by Dan from Backpacking Latin America

LOKAL Tbilisi, Georgia

Tbilisi has some vibrant neighbourhoods

Tbilisi, Georgia is an up-and-coming destination for digital nomads and the number of co-working spaces is slowly increasing year by year. Located in central Vera, one of Tbilisi’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, LOKAL is Tbilisi’s only coliving space and one of the best places to work remotely.

LOKAL offers private rooms with en suites for long-term rent. Plus a large indoor-outdoor co-working area that’s open both to residents and walk-ins. Day, week and month-long passes are available.

Tbilisi is known for its wine culture, dining scene and vibrant nightlife. LOKAL perfectly taps into this vibe by offering not only a comfortable, cosy co-working space but also holding regular events that bring the community together.

Having worked from LOKAL multiple times and attended events here, I highly recommend it for social co-working and networking. It’s a great place to meet locals and other remote workers, entrepreneurs and expats.

Contributed by Emily from Wander-Lush

The Spot, Marrakesh

The Spot, Marrakesh

Located in 32 Rue Yougoslavie, Marrakech, Morocco; I visited this colorful coworking site in 2017. While enjoying some time in different coliving and coworking spaces around the world every once in a while to have real mental health benefits for digital nomads and people working from home.

Conveniently based in the heart of the Gueliz neighborhood and as welcoming as it gets. It is also within walking distance from the Hivernage and the world-famous Medina, which makes it an excellent choice for those with a ‘work hard, play harder’ mentality. On the other hand, convenience stores, shops, restaurants, patisseries, and places to enjoy mint tea are close by. So taking short breaks is never a dull moment.

But it is not only its excellent location that captivated me. Its small size and interesting crowd are what really made it stand out for me. The Spot is one of those places where you can find people willing to share a great conversation over coffee any day. In short, I would go back anytime.

Contributed by Imma Gregorio from A World to Travel

The Haven in Bend, Oregon, USA

Great Views While Working

Out of all the things to do in Bend, Oregon, working may not be on the top of your list, but we know it might have to be! Hey, if you’re going to have to work in Bend, at least you can have the best of both worlds. An epic backyard and a great co-working space!

Bend has a few coworking spaces but the best spot has to be The Haven. Not only is it brand new, has an awesome staff, lightning-fast internet, comfortable spaces to work from (both private and shared), they are also located right on the Deschutes River!

The views are a perfect backdrop for you to feel inspired to get your work done so you can hurry up and get outside. During your break, you can easily walk along the river trail to give your legs a stretch too. Bend is a special spot to base and I’m here each year for a few months to work and hike. The Cascade Mountains are just 30 minutes outside the city and are a playground for hikers and adventurers.

The Haven is a place to socialize with others in town and a peaceful spot to get some work done. It really is a haven for nomads or remote workers!

Contributed by Nina from Oregon is for Adventure

Outpost, Ubud, Bali

Lush Tropical Ubud in Bali is a magnet for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers

Every digital nomad knows that Ubud in Bali is a digital nomad Mecca. I stayed in a number of places during my stay in Bali. From renting an apartment to spending some time in the Outpost coliving place. This is one of my favourite spots to stay in Bali with its Bali-style suites and different coworking spaces to choose from. 

As well as having a great environment to work I really appreciated the workshops and events that were open to all entrepreneurs in the area. I made a number of useful connections. The food was also wonderful, with plenty of plant-based options and I think it had one of the best gyms around. If you are looking for a spot to stay while in Bali I highly recommend Outpost in Ubud.

Contributed by Finn, Content Creator on Fiverr

Final Worlds on Coliving and Coworking Spaces

More and more people are working remotely or becoming digital nomads to live a location independent lifestyle. Coliving and coworking spaces are providing them with a great option to live, work and play in a particular place. They allow you to live economically, produce the work you need to produce and allow you to immerse yourself in the local culture. These places definitely have a place in this digital world many of us are living in. If you have stayed or are currently staying in a coliving space or working in a coworking space I would love to hear about it to add to this list.