50% of the workforce will be office-free by 2020 according to a Citrix study.
The rise of remote workers has lead to an increased demand of co-working and co-living retreats. But what exactly is a co-working retreat and why join one?
Today I will share with you what to expect on a co-working retreat and my review of Work Wanderers Bali retreat.
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My co-working retreat experience with WorkWanderers
Digital nomad.
When hearing this, most people picture a person sitting in a hammock working from their laptop while sipping a coconut. We don’t often hear about the dark sides of this lifestyle.
Loneliness. Productivity struggles. Time consuming trip planning. Travel scams.
This is where co-working retreats come in.
Remote workers from all over the world come together to work, usually around 2 weeks to 2 months, in the same destination.
You just sign up for a retreat, then everything from airport pickup, SIM-card, accommodation, skill shares, masterclasses, co-working space membership and excursions is all taken care of.
I decided to try it myself to see if it would live up to the hype. I had been travelling solo for over one and a half years, and felt a bit stuck professionally, so I was looking forward to meeting and learning from other digital nomads.
I ended up choosing Work Wanderers’ Bali retreat – a month in Canggu, a digital nomad hotspot and hip surf town.
Work Wanderers is a relatively new coworking retreat provider, so there were not many online reviews at the time. But I couldn’t stop drooling over the pictures of the co-living villa, and I got my questions and concerns answered quickly by the founder Andrae, who seemed super cool.
Best decision ever.
Why join a co-working retreat?
- The ultimate social balance
Being an introvert in the late twenties and a non-drinker, I feel like a boring grandma when I stay in hostels. Staying and working in an Airbnb or hotel can get lonely.
And I feel awkward going up to other nomads working in cafés and coworking spaces (what if they don’t want to be disturbed?).
So having a private room and bathroom in a villa shared with other nomads turned out to be the perfect solution for me.
Also, your schedule is completely up to you. No activities were compulsory, so on days when I had a lot of work or just wanted some alone time, I could simply choose to skip it.
- Make friends for life
Spending a month with a group of people who share your thirst for adventure, freedom and the digital lifestyle was priceless.
Sharing our goals, our dreams, our ups and downs, helping each other grow and going on adventures together led to strong friendship being built very quickly.
There was a social evening scheduled once a week, but we ended up meeting up almost every day, for sunset drinks at the beach, pool parties at the villa and dinners.
- Instagrammable adventures
I knew already before the trip that Bali is packed with Instagram-worthy spots.
But being terrified of driving and having the worst sense of direction, it was so nice and convenient to have a driver take us around the island to all the beautiful spots.
I especially enjoyed our day trip to east Bali where we visited Ubud market, the Monkey Forest, and the holy water temple Tirta Empul.
It is one of the most sacred sites in the world as it’s situated where Earth’s two energy lines converge. If you are spiritually inclined, I can highly recommend joining the locals in the holy water purification ritual they perform when they come here.
A deep cleanse both on a physical and spiritual level I will never forget.
Another trip highlight was the weekend trip to Nusa Penida, a tiny island with breathtaking views close to Bali.
- Boost your productivity
When I arrived and saw my room had a door straight to the pool and a beach just a few minutes away, I thought it would be impossible to get work done.
Surprisingly, that was not the case, I actually felt more productive than ever.
At the beginning of every week we had a meeting where everyone shared a few of their goals for the week and how it went with the goals for the previous week. The weekly goal-setting sessions really worked in holding me accountable for my goals.
Also, we had access to one of Bali’s top co-working spaces, Outpost, and the productive energy made it impossible to watch cat videos or scroll through social media for hours.
How you can join a work wanderers retreat
Work Wanderers hosts co-working retreats in Bali, Cape Town and Budapest. The next retreats are in Cape Town, South Africa.
Since the founder is South African, they have been able to arrange some really epic activities such as a safari, beach hopping, wine tasting and visiting Robben Island.
And the villa looks just as dreamy as in Bali.
Work Wanderers has offered my blog readers an exclusive discount of 20% off. In order to access this, apply to join the Cape Town retreat. Once application is approved, you will be able to book, and use the coupon code THESPIRITNOMAD20 at checkout. The code is only valid until August 31st 2019.
Upcoming Retreat Dates 2019:
4-31 October
1- 30 November
To learn more about the retreat and Work Wanderers, click here.
