What Accommodation Is Best for Digital Nomads and for Remote Workers Traveling?

Last Updated on May 29, 2023

There are various accommodation options if you are traveling and working remotely around the world. What accommodation is most suitable though as a digital nomad is not the same in each destination and I will explain why below!

1. Coliving Spaces

One of the first options you might want to consider is staying in a coliving space.

A co-living space is normally a large house or large apartment and you can rent one of the many rooms.

Some rooms normally have a private bathroom and some have a shared bathroom and the rest of the house is shared.

The key to any good coliving space though is that you will normally find that the accommodation includes:

• High-speed Internet access in all rooms of the house
• A decent-sized shared kitchen
• Plenty of spaces to work from
• Organized social events

Some co-living spaces have a minimum stay of one month, but this is not always the case.

Pros:

Staying in a co-living space can be a wonderful way to get work done and to have a great social life.

We have stayed in some great co-living places including in the Canary Islands and in Lisbon and you can really get to meet some great people this way.

It is just far easier to meet people if you stay in a coliving space, as opposed to some other accommodation types, as a remote worker or digital nomad.

Furthermore, you can often both live and work from the co-living space, as there is often plenty of space in the house to work from a choice of rooms or outdoors such as on a terrace.

Cons:

You might find that sharing a house with say five or seven other rooms means that you are stuck with some people you might not necessarily get on with. It can happen.

Some co-living spaces are also quite pricey, the price sometimes suggesting that the accommodation provider is targeting higher-end income, remote workers.

There are also relatively few good co-living spaces worldwide compared to other traditional accommodation types.

>> You can learn more about coliving spaces here.

2. Digital Nomad Hostels

There are some backpacker hostels that market themselves as co-living spaces and one such example that you may have come across often is Selina.

Selina ensures that they have high-speed Internet throughout their hostels, they hold regular events, and they provide work areas, to try and attract digital nomads, in addition to backpackers.

Many backpacker hostels and youth hostels do in fact tend to provide decent internet connections these days, but the connections are not always guaranteed.

It can be a difficult balance sometimes finding the space to work from and the peace needed when needed, such as for online meetings.

Hostels such as those run by Selina try to bridge this gap.

Pros:

It really depends on the hostel you stay in, as some party hostels might be unsuitable for what you need when it comes to getting work done.

If you can get a private room and there are good cafes, coworking locations, or a good area to work from in the hostel, then you are all set.

You might also really enjoy the vibe of the hostel and meet lots of people!

Cons:

Choose the wrong hostel and you might find it too noisy and hectic as a remote worker who also needs to factor in getting work done.

3. AirBNB

A very popular option in some parts of the world as a remote worker is to use Airbnb to find accommodation.

Many remote workers choose to stay in one place longer than other travelers would tend to do.

So staying for one whole month is very common for digital nomads and this makes booking a month-long stay via Airbnb a very decent option, especially given that there is often a discount for booking a full month or more.

Very popular destinations such as Bansko (Bulgaria) are perfect for booking by the month as accommodation is very inexpensive and the small town has such a vibrant remote workers scene.

As a result, you do not need to rely on meeting people through a co-living space, in order to have a great social life and to meet people easily, because there are already daily events organized for the community in a place such as Bansko.

Pros

Book by the month and you can get decent rates and you get the space you might need to get a decent night’s sleep and to work from if you need to.

In the right locations, an Airbnb can be a great option, such as if there is already a great digital nomad network in the local area.

Cons

You might potentially feel isolated in that you will not have anywhere near the social scene as you would if you live in a good co-living space.

Having said that, as mentioned in the pros, it really depends on the local digital nomad’s scene.

5. Housesitting

Housesitting is NOT such a popular option for remote workers but it nonetheless is an option and might be one that suits you.

The easiest way to find a housesitting (or pet sitting) stay is to use one of these sites that specialize in this area:

• Trusted Housesitters – one of the best sites for finding house-sitting opportunities and especially useful if you are looking for places in Europe.
• Nomador – in addition to house-sitting opportunities, I love their nomad stopover service to help you if you are going between places as a house sitter.
• House Carers – I especially love house carers when searching for stays in the United States and Canada.

Try to provide as much information as you can about yourself when making your house sitter profile to sell yourself.

Explain why you will be a good house sitter and show enthusiasm for the opportunity.

Have a couple of references ready also in case needed, as the best housesitting opportunities go quite quickly.

The more house-sitting you do, the more you can build up your profile feedback so sticking with one house-sitting site can be good for building your profile.

6. Long-Stay Apartments, Villas & Beachside Huts

Aside from Airbnb, there are a number of other ways to secure a long-stay apartment for working remotely.

Many remote workers travel and stay anywhere between 1 and 3 months in an apartment.

Some options for finding long term rentals include:

Booking.com – After entering a destination in the main search box, then select ‘Apartments’ on the left-side menu to filter out other accommodation types.

Even though it started as a hotel site, booking.com is now an excellent site to search for long-stay apartments.

Housing Anywhere – is also another great option, with long-term stays available in most of the major touristic destinations and in most places you are likely to want to travel to.

7. Hotels

The idea of staying in a hotel might be completely against what you consider the concept of good remote working accommodation.

The idea generally is that, if you are a digital nomad, then you will be looking for:

• affordable accommodation for long periods of time
• in an interesting or exotic location
• with high-speed Internet access
• ideally with a decent digital nomads community locally

For this reason, staying in a hotel might not initially seem a good option.

Some popular digital nomad locations are so inexpensive though, that staying in a hotel is very affordable.

A couple of examples are:

• Bansko – There is a thriving digital nomad community in Bansko, Bulgaria, and there are some excellent coworking spaces with daily events organized for the evening. Hotel rooms are extremely cheap, especially in the summertime when it is a great time for BBQs, hiking, and many other outdoor events.
• Koh Samui, Thailand – You can rent a beachside villa or hotel very cheaply and work with a sea view.

8. Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is still with us and it is a popular choice for some digital nomads, particularly those who cannot really afford to stay in a co-living space.

This concept will not work for everyone as you are essentially staying with someone and in their house or apartment, without paying.

For this reason, you tend to need to be more flexible to adapt to the host’s needs, rather than being able to guarantee any workspace and high-speed Internet for getting a full day’s of work done.

Some digital nomads though do use Couchsurfing, so the choice is up to you!