Coworking vs Coliving?
Coliving might be a slightly new concept, but the term coworking has been around for a while now and more and more people find their way to work at these spaces. So what makes a coliving like Nine so different from a coworking? What makes people choose a coworking or a coliving when traveling as a Digital Nomad? In this article we tell you what we think!
Coworking space at Nine Coliving
The difference between Coworking and Coliving
Let’s start with the obvious, because the names say it all. Coworking is manly about working, where coliving is about a whole lifestyle.
At a Coworking space people come in daily from their home of where they are staying at that moment. A lot of the time we choose to work at a Coworking space because we are looking for some kind of community. Freelancers, entrepreneurs and people with remote jobs don’t have to be in an office and can work from anywhere as long as they have solid internet. This is nice, but working by yourself all day can also get a bit boring. At a coworking space you meet like-minded people, usually have the option to participate in events and just be around other people if you don’t want to work from home alone. A lot of Coworking spaces around the world are set up with beautiful interior design, comfortable workspaces and communal spaces to socialise.
A Coliving space has the same base, with the big difference that you don’t go home or to your Airbnb at night. A Coliving space provides accommodation as well as a good Coworking space and a community. Usually you book a package deal where housing, Coworking and community events are all included. This concept is becoming more popular amongst traveling Digital Nomads because it attends to all of their needs at once.
When to choose Coworking or Coliving?
In general most people choose a Coworking space when they are in a place for a longer period of time (+ 3 months). When you are in a place for a few months, half a year or even a year, you probably want your own space and to integrate into the local community a bit more. Having your own place to stay is nice and a Coworking space the perfect solution to find a community at work.
If you are staying in a place for a shorter amount of time (up to 3 months) a Coliving space is a great option. It gets you into a community very quick and you know you are going to meet like-minded people right away. Another reason to choose a Coliving space over just Coworking, is when you are going to a place where the Digital Nomad community is not that big. In cities without this existing community, or remote places, booking accommodation and a workplace in one is easy and reliable. And last but not least; if you don’t want to spend a lot of time finding the right Coworking space and finding a place to live around it, a Coliving space can save you a lot of time too.
How to find the right Coliving space for you?
So, you have decided to give Coworking of Coliving a chance. No where do you find the right space for you, because there are a lot of different Colivings and Coworking spaces that target a different audience. The main difference if weather a space targets the local community or digital nomads.
When a space is build to cater the local community, it usually means that people are using the space long term. In Coliving spaces for example, people live for years, more like shared housing where everyone has their own space and their own life. But, also in these spaces community is important so people eat together of spend their weekends together. In a Coliving for digital nomads though, this community aspect is taken to a whole other lever. Since digital nomads are very often traveling alone, the community they find at the Coliving is the only community they have around them. Most Coliving spaces make a big effort to host community events and activities, build relationships and form a family.
Like Nine Coliving, there are a lot of Coliving for Digital Nomads. Only in Europe this concept is starting to come up more and more. There are a few popular Colivings in Europe, that a lot of Digital Nomads keep going back to and this list will become longer and longer. When looking for a Coliving for your Digital Nomad lifestyle, make sure you understand what a pace is offering. They are more likely to suit your needs if they emphasise how important the community is and have photo’s of people. Second, it is important to make sure a Coliving space really targets ‘working digital nomads’ and not people that are semi on a holiday. This will really change your experience. We made you a list with Colivings in Europe we know are the right space if you are looking for the real digital nomad experience.
Do you want to try out the Coliving lifestyle? Nine Coliving is a Coliving space based on the beautiful island of Tenerife, the biggest of the Canary Islands. You can read out all about us here. We would love to welcome you!