In an increasingly digital world, many travelers and remote workers are seeking authentic human connections alongside their adventures or productive workdays. The rise of purpose-built spaces designed to foster immediate bonds between strangers has transformed how people experience both travel and work. These community-focused environments combine comfortable accommodations with intentional design and programming that makes forming meaningful connections almost effortless.
Here is a list of 20 outstanding hostels, communal camps, and co-working retreats around the world where instant community isn’t just possible—it’s practically guaranteed.
Selina Nosara, Costa Rica
Nestled between jungle and beach in Costa Rica’s surf paradise, Selina Nosara has perfected the balance between productivity and community. Their open-air co-working space flows seamlessly into communal dining areas and a pool deck, where digital nomads transition effortlessly from workday to sunset gatherings.
The daily schedule includes morning yoga, community dinners, and facilitated workshops that make breaking the ice with fellow travelers natural and spontaneous rather than forced.
The Drift Hostel, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
This boutique hostel, built on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean, specializes in creating instant bonds through shared experiences. Their centerpiece is a massive infinity pool where travelers gather for family-style dinners served at communal tables, followed by facilitated games and conversations led by staff trained specifically in community building.
Many guests arrive solo but leave with travel companions for their next destination, a testament to the genuine connections formed even during brief stays.
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Outsite Bali, Indonesia
Situated among the rice terraces of Canggu, this co-working retreat combines private accommodations with intensely communal spaces and programming. Their structured ‘cohort’ approach ensures that each group of residents arrives together, embarks on orientation activities as a unit, and participates in facilitated deep-dive conversations during their first days.
The property’s layout intentionally creates natural collision points throughout the day, from the shared kitchen to work areas with views of the surrounding tropical landscape.
The Farm Camp, New York, USA
Just 90 miles from Manhattan, this seasonal retreat transforms a working organic farm into a community-focused escape for urbanites seeking connection. Guests stay in simple yet comfortable canvas tents while participating in farm-to-table meal preparation, agricultural workshops, and nightly campfires, complete with storytelling sessions and music.
The combination of physical work during the day and reflective activities in the evening creates lasting bonds in remarkably short timeframes, with many groups continuing their friendships back in the city.
Tribe Theory, Singapore
Billing itself as an ‘entrepreneurs hostel,’ this innovative space in Singapore’s central business district caters specifically to startup founders and freelancers seeking both community and inspiration. The dormitory-style accommodations are intentionally basic to encourage residents to spend time in the thoughtfully designed common areas where skill-sharing sessions and pitch nights happen organically.
Their signature ‘Tribe Dinners’ pairs residents based on complementary skills or interests, creating natural networking opportunities that often evolve into friendships and business partnerships.
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Sun and Co., Jávea, Spain
Housed in a restored 19th-century building in a Mediterranean coastal town, this coliving and coworking space has refined the art of creating an instant community among remote workers. Their secret lies in the mandatory weekly ‘family dinner’ where residents take turns cooking for the group, followed by structured sharing circles that quickly establish trust among participants.
The management carefully curates the mix of guests to ensure diverse backgrounds and expertise, resulting in a rich community experience that balances productivity with genuine connection.
Coconat Workation Retreat, Bad Belzig, Germany
Set in the peaceful German countryside just outside Berlin, this former distillery has been transformed into a retreat where work and community coexist in perfect harmony. The property’s extensive grounds include gardens, fire pits, and outdoor work pods where residents naturally gather throughout the day.
Their ‘skill-sharing roulette’ randomly matches guests for lunch conversations. At the same time, evening activities like communal cooking classes and bonfire discussions create deeper connections that often result in collaborative projects between previously unconnected professionals.
Mokrin House, Serbia
In an unexpected location in northern Serbia, this award-winning coliving space has become legendary for its ability to forge lasting communities in record time. The restored countryside complex includes private rooms surrounding intensely communal spaces designed with ‘forced collisions’ in mind—narrow pathways, single entrances, and central gathering areas that ensure residents constantly cross paths.
Their guided morning check-ins and weekly goal-setting sessions create a culture of mutual support and accountability that transforms strangers into something resembling family within days.
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Evolve Coliving, Vancouver, Canada
This urban experiment combines private micro-apartments with extensive shared facilities and mandatory community participation. Residents commit to four hours of community engagement weekly, whether cooking group meals, leading workshops, or organizing events, creating an environment where meaningful relationships develop naturally through collaboration.
Their thoughtfully designed spaces include ‘conversation corners’—small, comfortable nooks positioned near high-traffic areas that encourage spontaneous discussions—and a community app that helps residents connect based on shared interests.
The Collective Old Oak, London, UK
As one of the world’s largest coliving spaces, this London landmark has turned community-building into a science across its 550-room complex. Their full-time experience team organizes over 100 events monthly, from cookbook clubs to entrepreneurship workshops, while the building’s design incorporates ‘social circulation’ principles that maximize spontaneous interactions.
The combination of beautiful shared spaces, intentional programming, and careful resident curation creates natural communities within the larger whole, allowing residents to find their people quickly despite the property’s massive scale.
Roam Miami, Florida, USA
Located in a converted hotel in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, Roam has perfected the art of instant community through architectural and programmatic innovation. The property retains private bedrooms but transformed all other spaces into community assets—professional kitchens for communal cooking, work areas designed for collaboration, and courtyard spaces that host everything from morning meditation to evening discussions.
Their ‘curiosity nights,’ where residents share their passions in 10-minute presentations, have become legendary for creating deep connections through vulnerability and knowledge exchange.
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Habitas Tulum, Mexico
This upscale beachfront community brings together travelers seeking more meaningful connections than typical luxury resorts provide. While comfortable private accommodations ensure restful sleep, the heart of Habitas lies in its community programming—daily ceremonies at sunrise, skill-sharing workshops, and facilitated conversations around the central fire pit that often last until dawn.
The property’s ‘no phones in common spaces’ policy and emphasis on eye contact create an environment where authentic connections form rapidly among guests who might never interact in traditional travel settings.
Zoku Amsterdam, Netherlands
This pioneering hybrid of hotel and coliving space in central Amsterdam has reimagined hospitality around the concept of instant community. The innovative loft design places beds above the living space rather than as the central feature, encouraging residents to spend time in the spectacular rooftop common areas where community managers facilitate introductions.
Their signature event, the ‘family dinner,’ seats strangers together family-style with conversation prompts and activities designed to create quick bonds. In contrast, the open kitchen design encourages spontaneous cooking collaborations among residents.
StartupHouse Bali, Indonesia
Set among the rice fields outside Ubud, this retreat specifically serves entrepreneurs and startup teams seeking both productivity and meaningful connections. The communal structure revolves around mastermind sessions where residents share challenges and receive feedback, creating immediate depth in relationships through vulnerability and problem-solving.
Their morning routines include group meditation and intention-setting circles, while evenings feature skill-sharing workshops where residents teach what they know best, creating natural opportunities for recognition and connection.
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The Source Farm Ecovillage, Jamaica
This intentional community in rural Jamaica offers short-term stays that provide immediate immersion in sustainable living alongside like-minded travelers. Guests participate in daily farm work, community meals prepared with on-site ingredients, and evening knowledge exchanges that range from permaculture techniques to personal growth discussions.
The combination of physical work, shared purpose, and facilitated reflection creates bonds that form with remarkable speed, often leading visitors to extend their stays or return for longer experiences.
Swiss Escape, Grimentz, Switzerland
Nestled in a traditional Alpine village, this co-working retreat leverages its breathtaking but isolated location to create a natural community among digital nomads. With limited evening entertainment options in the village, residents naturally gather in the central chalet for community dinners, skill-sharing sessions, and board games that often stretch late into the night.
The property’s morning mountain hikes and afternoon work sessions create a shared rhythm that quickly establishes comfortable familiarity among guests who arrive as strangers but often depart as future travel companions.
Brown Lighthouse Tel Aviv, Israel
This urban coliving experiment in Tel Aviv’s vibrant center has developed a unique approach to instant community through cuisine and conversation. The massive shared kitchen serves as the property’s heart, with cooking stations designed for collaboration rather than individual meal preparation.
Their signature program matches residents with different cultural backgrounds for weekly cooking exchanges, creating natural contexts for deep conversation while preparing and sharing meals that represent each person’s heritage.
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Sende Rural Coliving, Spain
In the remote Spanish countryside, this former schoolhouse has been transformed into a retreat where digital workers form tight-knit communities in extraordinarily short timeframes. The isolation plays a key role—with few external distractions, residents naturally turn to each other for company, leading to deep conversations and creative collaborations.
The property’s daily rhythm includes silent mornings for focused work, communal lunches where residents share progress and challenges, and evening activities ranging from local hikes to skill-sharing workshops.
Camp Halcyon, Wisconsin, USA
This adults-only summer camp experience has perfected the art of creating an instant community through playful regression to childhood experiences. Guests stay in simple cabins, while days are structured around camp activities from archery to arts and crafts, all designed to break down adult social barriers through shared vulnerability and play.
The absence of digital distractions—no WiFi and limited cell service are part of the experience—forces genuine face-to-face interactions that quickly transform groups of strangers into tight-knit temporary tribes.
Serenbe Community, Georgia, USA
Though primarily a permanent, intentional community, this innovative development outside Atlanta offers short-term stays specifically designed to give visitors immediate access to community life. Guests are paired with resident hosts who introduce them to neighbors, include them in community meals, and ensure participation in the settlement’s rich cultural programming, from farm workshops to performing arts events.
The thoughtful urban design—narrow streets, abundant shared spaces, and homes clustered to maximize interaction—creates an environment where meaningful connections form naturally, even during brief visits.
The Evolution of Intentional Community
These diverse spaces share a deep understanding that humans crave connection but often need thoughtfully designed environments and gentle facilitation to overcome the initial barriers to forming relationships. The most successful community-focused accommodations don’t leave connection to chance—they architect experiences that make meaningful interactions inevitable rather than merely possible.
As remote work continues redefining how people live and travel, these models of instant community will likely evolve further, helping address the loneliness epidemic while creating spaces where collaboration, friendship, and belonging can flourish in remarkably short timeframes.
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