Coliving Is Changing … Is That A Good Thing?
Community dinner at Sun and Co.
Coliving is changing, no doubt.
What used to be a secret and exclusive concept for remote workers and digital nomads in search of connection and community, is slowly but surely becoming more popular and entering the mainstream.
Which is good ( ! ) for many reasons, but also problematic.
Coliving is not what it used to be and as a result, some people started turning their backs to concepts as a whole. Not so much because of how it changed, but rather simply because of the fact that it changed.
Chances are that if you explore coliving today, you will enter a quite different world than the people that did so three, five, or even ten years ago …
Which is not a problem at all, but rather beautiful!
Coliving is alive and it is evolving.
The question is:
How will the future of coliving look like?
What Coliving Is & What It Isn’t
Can we even define coliving?
I do not mean to get philosophical, I am serious.
Since the time I stepped food into Sun & Co. and with that into the world of coliving for the first time four years ago a lot has changed.
The term coliving emerged in Europe over time, as some people started offering their houses or properties to digital nomads, remote workers, and travelers.
Before coliving you had to figure out everything by yourself, if you’ve been working remotely. From the country or city you choose, to the place you stay at, the local infrastructure, a stable internet connection, and everything you need to live and work without too much hassle.
And honestly?
I can understand why some people have chosen to abandon the digital nomad lifestyle. It can be a lot, and sometimes, it can discourage you from exploring new places because you don’t want to go through the pain over and over again.
Coliving solved all that in one go including the biggest problem of remote workers.
Coliving was never about coming and visiting a place briefly, just to leave and never come back. The concept had less to do with traveling than with living.
People keep confusing coliving for an experience, something they want to try, so they can add or cross it off their bucket list. And coliving can be just that. There is nothing wrong with it! But if that is how you approach it, you will miss out on the most beautiful parts of it.
Colvings are not only places people meet and stay in. Coliving is a lifestyle.
One that was really needed in the world of remote work and travel.
The Biggest Problem of Digital Nomads
Not only did coliving solve almost all organizational problems for remote workers, but it offered all of it as a service that went above and beyond.
Colivings offer a space dedicated to work-life harmony. You get everything you need to live and everything you need to work. Beyond that, you will meet hosts who are willing to do way more than just their work shift, in which they make sure that you are well fed with a clean room, and hopefully no complaints.
In the world of coliving hosts will meet you as a friend. They will introduce you to their town and country, show you around, recommend places or activities, and even join you as you explore their home with a fresh pair of eyes.
But none of this speaks to the elephant in the room: The biggest problem of digital nomads.
The OG remote workers will know what I mean.
Modern working nomads are still a rare kind, even among travelers A few years ago, this was even more the case.
Chances were, most of the time you might enjoy all the freedoms that come with remote work, but you would enjoy them alone.
Working from Thailand, while sipping smoothies and eating curry in the sun – alone.
Working with a view of the stunning beaches and nature of Tulum – alone.
Working from anywhere at any time – alone.
But then you join a coliving and meet a bunch of remote workers who have lived the same or a similar lifestyle as you did – all in one place. Suddenly, you are not alone anymore, but part of a curious, open-minded, and growing community.
The longer you’ve been part of the coliving world, the more fellow nomads you meet – new and old, spread across Europe and the world.
Wouldn’t it be great, if even more people joined this world?
Men staring at Javea’s bay.
The Challenge Coliving Is Facing Right Now
Right now coliving is changing.. and is facing a bit of an identity crisis.
What has formerly started as a somewhat odd project with a lot of potential for growth, has eventually become a viable business idea.
Coliving used to be an experiment. Its success came from the genuine motivation to offer digital nomads what they needed: space, orientation, and community. This is also a story of mutual success. Coliving would not be what it is, if not for the colivers.
Remote workers loved the concept and felt motivated to share it with others or they even felt inspired to open their own coliving space – all in the mutual spirit of growing and evolving the coliving community.
At some point in the last years – amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – coliving did not only become an escape but also a chance to make money. Its popularity started growing beyond the world of digital nomads and soon you would find more and more colivings, but fewer and fewer of those you would actually want to go to as a somewhat experienced coliver.
Instead of a vibrant community of real people, you’d find Instagram accounts full of bikini babes and six-packs.
Instead of charming little houses or repurposed old town buildings – including all the flaws that make them authentic and different, you’d be offered luxurious bungalows with a pool and sea view.
Instead of stories about how strangers became friends who would keep meeting across borders and exchanging unique personal experiences, you’d hear of binge-drinking parties, tanning competitions, and meaningless hookups.
Coliving is changing, no doubt.
So where do we go from here?
Evenings in the Sun and Co. patio.
Coliving As A Label & Rebranding of Hostels
Do you want to go to a hostel? Or would you rather go to a coliving?
What might feel like a difference in your mind, might turn out to be the same thing.
Some businesses capitalized on the growth of coliving and simply slapped the term on hostels and motels, without any desire to change or facilitate communities.
That’s the extreme case.
Other people will open colivings with no experience in building and facilitating community spaces, because: How hard could that be, right?
Pretty hard as it turns out.
If you’ve ever tried to establish, stabilize, or grow a community, you will know that it does not happen by itself and there is only so much you can control and engineer around it.
If you are not willing to put your back (and heart) into it, chances are it won’t work.
Real colivings are led by real people.
People who are genuinely interested in coliving, don’t come for the place. Of course, they like exciting countries, fun activities, and exploring new decisions. But the difference between a real coliving and one that only uses the label, is the people they attract.
I often experience this with guests projecting or expecting something different from a coliving. They arrive and expect someone to take care of all their needs, while they go off and have fun, checking their work messages occasionally.
Coliving as I know it is full of people who take care of their needs as a community. They take care of the space, the activities, and each other. Some come to retreat and relax, others come to focus and hustle.
But all of them come to connect.
How To Find Real Colivings
Enough of the criticism and whining about the good old days.
Coliving is changing and it’s in our hands to make the best of it.
So how do you find real colivings?
Tipp 1 – Don’t Trust The Marketing
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The shinier the photos and the more exaggerated the copy on the website, the less I trust a coliving.
That does not mean that the photos and texts can’t be good! But it’s reason enough to be a bit suspicious.
Are the photos showing beaches, bikinis, six packs, and pina coladas? Or do they show a somewhat diverse group engaged in different activities?
Is the marketing creating and capitalizing on a craving? Or is sharing experiences with you almost like a good friend who went to very interesting places?
Tipp 2 – Talk To The People
Amongst colivers, the best way to find or explore new colivings is personal recommendations.
Of course that requires that you know at least one coliver. That might seem unlikely, but speaking from experience, usually each of us knows someone, who knows someone that has visited a coliving once.
Reach out to them and ask how they liked a specific place or if they can recommend any colivings. Most of us will be happy to help since we care about coliving and for people to have a good and authentic experience.
If you can’t find anybody, reach out to us, I’m sure we know someone who knows someone 😉
Tipp 3 – Avoid Popular Destinations
Where do you find most of the colivings that are not real colivings?
In the most popular destinations, everybody likes to travel.
Colivings that value revenue over community, will make business-oriented decisions. They will place their offer where they find the highest demand. And since they don’t really look for remote workers with a desire to connect (or at least not specifically) they will follow the popular demand of the average traveler.
That does not mean that you won’t find great colivings in popular destinations!
But chances are somewhat higher to find an authentic coliving in lesser known places. That was part of the core of coliving in the early days, when there were no apps and services to find new colivings.
Go to places digital nomads usually don’t travel to and meet people you usually don’t meet to live in a way, you usually don’t live.
It’s all about exploring the new.
Which brings us back to the beginning.
Yoga session in the patio.
The Future Of Coliving
If you came here hoping for an accurate prediction of the future, I’m sorry but I will drop the (glass) ball on this one.
It’s hard to say how coliving will evolve as it keeps growing and spreading beyond Europe and into the mainstream.
Maybe one day the term will feel like the word hostel and ultimately become meaningless.
Or maybe this is just a phase and the businesses will drop the label and jump on the next trends as soon as it presents itself.
In the beginning, I asked how we might define the term coliving.
Yes, coliving can be a place, but for me, coliving has become something else.
Coliving is a community.
It may be a lifestyle first, or a form of accommodation, but beyond that:
We are coliving.
We have joined this world for all the reasons I outlined.
We wanted to explore a new way of living and connecting – and we did!
We are part of a group that values coliving for its integrity and authenticity, and for the people it brings together.
Personally, I think the one thing we should not do, is to turn our backs and abandon the project. One thing I learned from my first coliving experience was that how you are welcomed into this world is how you will welcome others.
I was welcomed with open arms, big smiles, a lot of warmth, genuine curiosity, patience and support. And this is how I welcome new colivers wherever I go, hoping that they will spread the word, the warmth, and take care – together with me and everybody else – of the future of coliving.
Coliving is changing, no doubt.
Maybe we need to be a bit more open and change with it.
Nobody can travel into the past, but we can all walk into the future – together.
