17 ms·

Show HN: A Global Co-Living Subscription for Nomads

265 points by brunooo 12y ago

tosh 12y ago
If they can provide decent internet I'm in.
hruu 12y ago
Interesting Project Question: How can you make sure, that every Nomad has a place to stay in each destination? If you limit the time one can spend at a destination, the living costs would be exponentially higher as the flight costs technically affect the flat rate.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Honest answer is we have to optimize this as we go. You can switch in monthly increments, first come first serve, if this leads to problems there'd be additional rules like that you have to switch every n month or can only spend as many in one location per year etc.
lukasm 12y ago
I was hoping that AirBnB would do something like that. Great initiative! I'll add this to my list https://github.com/lukasz-madon/awesome-remote-job https://github.com/lukasz-madon/awesome-remote-job
- dcarmo 12y ago
  Hey, great list! I want to start working remotely soon and will make sure to go through most of the links you curated there. Thanks!
- caser 12y ago
  Hey - may want to add us as well :) hackerparadise.org
- brunooo 12y ago
  Thanks Lukasz, appreciated!
sixQuarks 12y ago
cool concept, but not sure Mexico City is a good location. I've heard it can be very dangerous, especially in the evenings.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Spent some time there in the past 6 months and i found it very OK. We looked at more southern destinations, like Medellin / Bogota, but then the flight times to SF and NY start making 1-2 day trips less feasible.
  - yellowapple 12y ago
    What about Guadalajara? - Further north (albeit slightly) than Mexico City, and thus even closer to New York and San Francisco (if those proximities are in indeed your criteria) - Major (relative to Mexico, at least) tech hub, making the perfect setting for programmers, remote sysadmins, and other folks who would appreciate living in a place populated by like-minded folks - Birthplace of mariachi music (!)
- marquis 12y ago
  Mexico City has extremely affordable and good quality fibre internet in central areas (where you would want to live anyway), and the food options are amazing. It's as safe as long as you stay aware of your surroundings and use a taxi service. Many parts of Mexico are safe to travel, especially in high tourism areas. I assume the property would be in the Condesa or Roma area. You'll see americans and europeans walking around everywhere and feel quite at home.
  - WildUtah 12y ago
    "assume the property would be in the Condesa or Roma area." I hope so. Polanco is too snooty. The Historic Center has gotten viable for living with residential redevelopment and revolutionary traffic calming but still has a touristy vibe. I like family-oriented Del Valle but it's probably better for a 40 year old than a 20 year old. Coyoacán's ayuntamiento discourages short term residents and has driven almost all hotels out of the area, but would make a good location close to the National University and lively streets and parks. I think Startup Weekend was in the Condesa.
KevinBongart 12y ago
The concept is really nice! BUT WHY OH WHY THE SCROLL HIJACKING?
- brunooo 12y ago
  Guilty.
  - varunrau 12y ago
    I actually really liked the scrolling effect on this website.
    - brunooo 12y ago
      It's utterly broken on mobiles, will fix that hopefully soon, feel free to fork at https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards
- Scramblejams 12y ago
  Agreed. I spent too long staring dumbly at the page, finding nothing to click on, wondering how to get more information. I hate this trend towards elimination of affordances.
  - untog 12y ago
    But you scroll this page the exact same way you do any other page. The visual treatment is different, but the scrollbar is exactly the same. This certainly isn't scrolljacking in the normally accepted sense.
- titanomachy 12y ago
  Yeah,this site is barely functional on my Nexus 5.
- ryanSrich 12y ago
  This isn't scroll hijacking. This -> http://www.milwaukeepolicenews.com/#menu=source-page http://www.milwaukeepolicenews.com/#menu=source-page is scroll hijacking. Just because it's animating when you scroll doesn't mean it's hijacking. Hijacking is specifically altering the speed and or movement of the scroll.
justizin 12y ago
Sign a simple lease, travel the world? This is incredibly tempting. ;)
desdiv 12y ago
Minor discrepancy: On the global map, Mexico City is linked to SF, NY, and Bogotá, while the text description says: "SF, NY or Caribbean for a day".
- brunooo 12y ago
  You're right, will update later today once the HN onslaught is quieting down a bit.
unfortunateface 12y ago
Have you considered having some storage in the house that automatically follows you around the world as you move from place to place ? i.e. your belongings just turn up at the house you are currently staying in without you having to deal with shipping? Edit: to clarify/simplify
- annon 12y ago
  That would be a great idea!
- brunooo 12y ago
  That's very high up the list, bulk shipping of standardized boxes is the favorite solution atm, but didn't do in-depth cost comparisons etc. Just was stuck for a few days in the Alps with the overhead bin luggage for Bali on the way back to SF, so i feel your pain. How would you prefer to have it handled?
  - toomuchtodo 12y ago
    You guys negotiate a discount with a carrier like Fedex/UPS (or even just use EasyPost.com), and I can ship my gear ahead of me to one of the other locations. I think having a printer on site for shipping labels would be more than sufficient.
  - unfortunateface 12y ago
    I would love to be able to travel between one of your houses in London to Bali with only a carry on luggage (e.g. a few days clothes and my laptop) - then have a box of clothes follow me within the week. Clothes are probably a good place to start. Having a simple cupboard draw that is automatically sent would be good (cost permitting). - Most people shouldn't have a problem with you searching through this sort of thing for illicit goods - I think it is mainly clothes that take up the bulk of space in peoples suitcases - Clothes can be compressed for space/cost efficiency Edit: added an extra thing!
    - brunooo 12y ago
elif 12y ago
Can my girlfriend come?
- brunooo 12y ago
  Sure, we even think about providing daycare on site, so if you want to spend some quality time as couple / young parents that should be a good experience.
  - dzenanr 12y ago
    Any age restriction?
    - ibz 12y ago
      For the girlfriend?
      - dzenanr 12y ago
        In general, young or old, male or female, participant or companion?
        brunooo 12y ago
        No age restrictions, actively gender balanced, we don't really make the latter distinction.
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
archagon 12y ago
This is a really interesting idea, though maybe a bit too expensive and, ah, "hip" for my tastes. (Currently hopping from Airbnb to Airbnb flatshare, paying $1000 or less a month for housing with internet and utilities included. Would be even cheaper if I wasn't in Western Europe.) I've been thinking lately of where I would like to live for most of my late twenties and early thirties. I'm definitely a bit of a loner, but at the same time, I like living as part of a close-knit community. I wish I could find a little "tribe" of self-directed folks roughly my age in an old, creaky house somewhere in the mountains... or on a remote island... or in a forest, or something. Just people working on their projects, tending to their garden, raising some chickens (or maybe some kids), enjoying the fresh air, and mostly living away from the rest of society. An art commune for the 21st century, I guess. Unfortunately, if such a place exists, I doubt it has a website, and I especially doubt they'd take in strays. Guess I'd have to organize it myself. It's too bad I don't know anyone else who'd want to live like this. (And even if I did, who knows if we'd get along?) Maybe I'll just go and become a hermit.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Hey, thanks for the well thought out comment, the price point is for a certain group who wants total peace of mind not only in terms of internet speed etc. http://nomadforum.io/ http://nomadforum.io/ has some pretty diverse people, i'd ask people there, maybe someone knows someone who knows the perfect website-less place.
  - archagon 12y ago
    Thanks for the link! I'll definitely look into that. $1600 is actually pretty good for the "whole package", especially if it's in a cheaper country. I'd definitely consider it as a place to rest my weary feet for a few months (or... a year, or whatever the minimum lease is), especially if the house is really nice and has a good gender balance.
  - tjbiddle 12y ago
    Personally still not finding the price justifiable. I'm in the same boat as archagon. To make this worthwhile, at least to a wider audience - you may have luck at your current point, I'd suggest amentities such as: Laundry, buffet or chef (Either on a cheap meal plan, pay as you go, or included), transportation services to local hubs, and group activities as a few ideas.
AYBABTME 12y ago
This is an awesome idea and I'm very interested. - Are there more locations that are considered? - Is this meant to grow with demand, or be limited to a few first-come/first-served offering? - It's not clear to me (maybe I misread) what happens when I move to another country. Am I holding a lock on the rooms everywhere, or am I allocated a room on request? I work remote, and currently in school but once done, I totally want to start moving around the world for periods of times. Q1 2016 is about when that should start happening.
- brunooo 12y ago
  A lot of, from Greek fishing villages to Oakland, growing by demand. The rooms are allocated on request, month-wise, we hopefully figure out a good & fair system for everyone and you're more than welcome to switch informally with others.
titanomachy 12y ago
Not to rain on your parade, but isn't it a bit disingenuous to compare your cost with living in NY or SF? I mean, of course it's much cheaper to live in Lisbon or Mexico City, regardless of the particular accommodation.
- etjossem 12y ago
  Agreed - frankly, I'm not sure if the convenience of having the location set up with reliable internet access and furnished on arrival is worth the price, compared to other properties in the same locations.
  - brunooo 12y ago
    There's a lot of other stuff in there as well, and we really try to make it perfect for a particular group that wouldn't just move to Bali themselves. The assumption is that there's a reason why WeWork wasn't the first Coworking space, but won the market with a great product.
- calbear81 12y ago
  Yeah, I didn't understand why they would compare cost of living between different cities. You could compare San Francisco with some random Midwest city and get even higher savings. I would like to see how the price of this setup compares to other options in those cities like typical apartments, private hostel rooms, etc.
- polshaw 12y ago
  Yeah, anyone considering a digital nomad lifestyle isn't typically looking at NYC or London; the most popular destination of Chiang Mai is rated at $638/month all-in[1], and most have rent $300-$500 /month, not $1500. I really love the concept but as presented it isn't appealing. The idea of not having to deal with all the hassle of finding and organising accommodation is great.. but they only have (and not even that yet) 3 locations. "hey you can travel the world (3 locations)" doesn't have so much appeal. Obviously they plan on expanding but the price is for now, not the future. I suspect that if someone decides to stay for more than a couple of months they will often splinter off into cheaper accommodation. Having the fixed fee also makes it difficult to set up in the most sensible (cheapest) areas.. because the attraction of going it alone in those areas will be higher the better value the area is. It strikes me they would have been better off setting up a handful of these locations first as individual nomad/co-habitation accommodation, ironing out all the issues, and then introducing the go-anywhere subscription idea. They've left themselves an awful lot to deal with in one go. 1. nomadlist.com
gwbas1c 12y ago
Sounds like someone just renamed "timeshare."
- kylecrum 12y ago
  This.
- boo_radley 12y ago
  To me, this sounds like a very high end version of a hostel.
  - archagon 12y ago
    A hostel composed of single rooms with office space is... like... just living. In a house.
  - medell 12y ago
    It's not easy working in a hostel. No desks, often a party atmosphere, and 20 backpackers sharing a single wifi connection.
- brunooo 12y ago
  There are a lot of differences in the way the whole things work, from the practical architecture to the funding model (investors and 'subscribers' are not necessarily the same people etc). Happy to make answer more specific questions about the differences.
lbotos 12y ago
The biggest question becomes: income taxes. Any ideas how that will play out?
- brunooo 12y ago
  That's a giant topic, as always, especially if you choose to spend a critical time threshold at a certain location (> ~6 months a year normally). We do plan to offer informal advice on topics like this as a service, but there are so many options (keep residing in your home country, choose a location like Estonia etc) that it's hard to do this as a legally binding service. But again: It's manageable, literally millions of people do it.
awch 12y ago
I had been hoping that this would eventually emerge from the nomad community - it's a great idea. The inclusion of a moped or shared vehicle in each location would seal the deal for me.
- jessaustin 12y ago
  I can see why they didn't include this. I don't know about Portugal, but I've driven in Mexico and I know people who have attempted to drive in Bali. If you're not from there, I don't recommend it. You might be fine on most of your trips, but eventually the assumptions you have about driving from your home will be violated, and there will be an incident that will cost you money. If the car belonged to this company it would also cost them money. One of the perks of cheap locations is that hiring a cab is cheap. Also you can ride a bike. Also driving is the least relaxing way to experience any of these places.
chisleu 12y ago
I just don't dig the locations. I'm not going anywhere close to large groups of Muslim Extremists, or Narcoterrorists. I guess I'm just spoiled by the relative safety of the US.
- marquis 12y ago
  You're missing out on a beautiful world out there.
- bryanlarsen 12y ago
  Many people in Ubon, Mexico City and Lisbon probably think the US is unsafe after watching TV & movies set in inner-city LA and Detroit, Baltimore & Albuquerque, et cetera.
  - chisleu 12y ago
    So? Ubon and Lisbon are too close to HOT wars being waged by violent islamists. I have no intention of being within 100 miles of Detroit either...
tomp 12y ago
This is a neat idea, but seems quite expensive, also the price comparisons are a bit unfair. I can't speak for NY, but in London, you could get a nice room in a shared flat for 890 GBP (=1356 USD) on the edge of first zone, so the commute (monthly Underground ticket for zones 1&2) would be a much more reasonable 130 GBP (=200 USD), far from 698 USD as listed on the site.
- disputin 12y ago
  Yes, that London cost of living is way off.
- notahacker 12y ago
  Yeah, the effect of the price comparison for me was ... "hang on a minute, I could add a desk in a shared workspace to my central London room rental costs and it would still be less than the rate for the hackerspace in Bali"
jballanc 12y ago
Wait...you've named your startup "Caravanserai" and you don't have any destinations on the actual historical Silk Road? For shame! Turkey is an amazing place to work and live, there's an incredibly vibrant hacker community, and the people are some of the most welcoming in the world (especially if you're a visitor). Istanbul rents on the European side can run pretty high, but on the Asian side (and with the way the exchange rate is going these days), I think you'd be remiss to leave it out. If not Istanbul, Ankara has a bunch of universities and rents are considerably cheaper. Bodrum, too, has relatively low rents and absolutely amazing natural beauty. Ok, enough ranting... Seriously cool concept, though. I look forward to seeing where you take it!
- brunooo 12y ago
  Haha, true dat. We looked at Istanbul, but it was prohibitively expensive, at least for our Beta batch where we reserve certain safety buffer for things that could go wrong and in the neighborhoods we looked at. Coastal towns like Bodrum could be a nice choice, any areas in Istanbul we should reconsider?
  - jballanc 12y ago
    Other places to check: Üskudar, Kadiköy, Maltepe, and Kartal...pretty much anywhere along Bağdat street will still have a lively atmosphere, good access to transportation, and lower rents. The Asian side is actually growing faster than the European side, so while Beyoğlu is still the focus of social life in Istanbul, Bağdat Cadessi is pretty active. Also, Sabiha Gökçen Airport (on the Asian side) has a growing number of very cheap connections to destinations in the area.
    - brunooo 12y ago
      Thanks! Very much so.
      - dzenanr 12y ago
        Alanya is a beautiful coastal city in Turkey with reasonable prices. http://www.hello-alanya.com/ http://www.hello-alanya.com/ Sarajevo in Bosnia is inexpensive and programmer friendly. http://www.sarajevotimes.com/hub387-launches-first-regional-startup-accelerator/ http://www.sarajevotimes.com/hub387-launches-first-regional-...
cfontes 12y ago
Nice idea... But I definitely would not live for more than a week or 2 in 2 of the 3 places listed (Mexico City, Ubud). Lisbon is fine thought. Why did you choose Ubud instead of other places in Bali?
- brunooo 12y ago
  It's most central, so no matter if you want to surf in Uluwatu, have drinks in Canggu or go spearfishing in Amed, you can reach all of Bali quite easily. I do get the slightly bad esoteric rep Ubud has, but it also got a very vibrant "getiing shit done" community. Are your doubt more about location or other issues?
larsberg 12y ago
You've probably already thought about this, but you might want to make sure clients understand the legal side of things. We've certainly had some cases at Mozilla where remote workers had to be "reminded" that we could only pay them if they maintained residency in their official company of employment, that they would be in violation of the tourist visa they had traveled to these other locations under if they worked there for 3 months, etc. It's a bit of a minefield, and I only know the warnings that legal/HR tell managers :-)
- brunooo 12y ago
  Right to the point, that's one of the reasons we choose the countries we did, as they make it OKish to work for a non-local (!!!) company. The Chiang Mai raid a few weeks ago was good example and scared a lot of people, but overall the risk is manageable.
  - O____________O 12y ago
    The Chiang Mai raid a few weeks ago I was confused by your seemingly conflicting comments (the other was about the six month visa allowing remote work), so I Googled it: http://asiancorrespondent.com/127125/thailand-immigration-officials-raid-chiang-mai-co-working-space/ http://asiancorrespondent.com/127125/thailand-immigration-of... Foreigners working for a Thai firm must hold a valid non-immigrant (Type B) visa, but so-called ‘digital nomads’ – who are often self-employed – can sidestep that requirement. So, the 'raid' was because officials thought the foreigners were working for the co-working space.
    - brunooo 12y ago
      Exactly, thanks for posting the details.
    - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
      Note that digital nomads have no legal status, and you would be wise to pay taxes in the US if American if you aren't paying Thai taxes.
- 12y ago
rohunati 12y ago
It took me a while to realize that I was supposed to scroll. I spent like 15 seconds trying to click something. Might want to make that more obvious.
lucaspiller 12y ago
It's an interesting idea, but it's also pretty obvious this is a for-profit venture by OP. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I'd like to see something similar in more of a cooperative legal structure.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Agree (also waiting for someone to recreate Uber as a protocol). Not sure where Artur is heading with nomadhouse.io , but that might be an option.
guard-of-terra 12y ago
This is a very nice idea already. What should they do to make me really happy? Be able to invest some sum of money (or an existing property?) and enjoy a lifetime of co-living (they need much more destinations, of course). This can be a nice mode of rapid growth, property in exchange to co-living promise.
- brunooo 12y ago
  I wish there was a "really, really upvote this comment" button on HN.
tonyhb 12y ago
I can't wait to do it. Definitely in. It's awesome that you're taking the leap to make your spaces connected across countries. And a +1 for the idea of moving boxes around from country to country. As an aside I can't understand why, as a first step, co-working spaces in different locations haven't partnered up to offer this to people looking to move around and sort out their own accommodation. Having the availability of, say, Regus offices, with the entrepreneurship and tech focus found in current co-working spaces would be a huge plus.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Hi Tony, thanks! WeWork is working on this, in Europe you have things like https://copass.org/ https://copass.org/ launched by Betahaus and others. Co-working is extremely interesting for us, as there are many lessons why some worked and scaled, and why most of it didn't. A lot to learn.
- caser 12y ago
  Hey Tony! We're starting to work on this too - check us out: hackerparadise.org
- peterfa 12y ago
  http://www.thesurfoffice.com http://www.thesurfoffice.com
codecamper 12y ago
Internet in Indonesia is ridiculously cheap. For $500 a month you'll have a very nice place in Bali. No need for a year lease. 3g Internet in Portugal is a little bit expensive. Not too bad -- about 2 euro a Gig. 500 euros a month will get you a nice place. Not sure about how long a lease you'd need to sign. Mexico City. Why on earth would you want to go to Mexico City?
- O____________O 12y ago
  Why on earth would you want to go to Mexico City? Why wouldn't you want to go to Mexico City? It's said to feel very European, and there's a lot of interesting history and architecture. I'd go there just as soon as I'd go to Bangkok.
- WildUtah 12y ago
  "Mexico City. Why on earth would you want to go to Mexico City?" Because the most beautiful and exciting city on Earth is full of artists, programmers, scholars, great street food, great fancy restaurants, museums, history, good looking and outgoing young locals, sports clubs, perfect weather, rugged mountain wilderness, organic ripe produce year round, religious pilgrimage sites, great universities, live music and theatre, pretty architecture, peaceful parks, lively squares and plazas, fast easy transit and bikeshare programs, and a constant parade of special events. Plus, if you're earning in euros or dollars, it's cheap.
mlady 12y ago
Something, something globalized gentrification.
- brunooo 12y ago
  One could argue that global gentrification is inherently impossible...
Red_Tarsius 12y ago
Excuse my language, but this is fucking awesome. As an aspiring technomad and serial minimalist, I want to thank you for such great idea and execution. My only fear is that the current service might be quite steep for the average nomad.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Thanks, appreciated, including the language. The good thing is: We only need 120 good people to make it work. And we hope there are many more in cities like NY, SF or London.
agentsmith 12y ago
I like it. Timeshare for people who put internet connection first. Now if we can just get realtors to put internet options in home ads we'd really be in good shape!
paulftw 12y ago
While not sure about this particular business model, it is the first good use case for container hotel rooms I've ever seen. Standardized rooms all over the world, run as a network of independent providers adhering to the international code of practice, advertised and paid for on AirBNB (because we already have hassle free hotel check in experience, why build another one). ... and stuffed with IKEA furniture we all know and love :)
- brunooo 12y ago
  Containers are indeed a great idea for less permanent locations, otherwise solid constructions beats containers after a few years.
rajacombinator 12y ago
Cool concept if I understand correctly but of course would have to see how it plays out in practice. (Wonder how easy it will be to switch locations in practice.) The price sounds a bit high for those interested in nomadism. Beautiful website but I'd suggest taking "Hahaha" off the utility price and just put a 0 or included.
blhack 12y ago
Can I split the cost with my partner?
- brunooo 12y ago
  Sure. Pricing is per room.
  - psykovsky 12y ago
    You do understand that is where hotels make money, right? And that you're doing the opposite, right? Now, joking aside, that is awesome!
jmknoll 12y ago
Pretty cool idea, and beautifully designed website. Any idea on what this type of design would be called and/or how its done?
- brunooo 12y ago
  Hi, if you refer to the site you can fork it anytime at https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards but it's still utterly broken on mobiles, will release a better version hopefully soon.
stockkid 12y ago
This is great.
nutate 12y ago
You might want to look into localizing your numbers. Having amounts in USD/mo and then showing it using a decimal as the thousands separator feels silly, even though it makes sense in MX. Something like http://formatjs.io/ http://formatjs.io/ can help.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Thanks, fixed!
- WildUtah 12y ago
  MX does not use . as thousands separator or , as decimal separator. It uses the symbols rationally and correctly just as the other North American nations do.
peterfa 12y ago
Why did you decide for subscription model? It makes sense for me if you have a network of 10+ locations.
- brunooo 12y ago
  Thats the goal, 3 locations on 3 continents is the MVP so to speak.
deerpig 12y ago
Isn't this just a new twist on time sharing, but in places that people who haven't lived abroad think are "cool"? $1,600 is more than a little pricey....
nathan_f77 12y ago
This looks awesome, I'm definitely interested. I also found Coconat [1] on HN, and got in touch with them over email. Hopefully my wife and I will be visiting them when they open in July. [1]: http://coconat-space.com/ http://coconat-space.com/
- brunooo 12y ago
  There's so much incredible stuff around Berlin, favorite so far is https://www.google.com/search?q=Beelitz-Heilstätten https://www.google.com/search?q=Beelitz-Heilstätten
ildella 12y ago
Bug Report: on Firefox on Linux, after pressing "I'm interested" does not appear any message. Maybe email is not even sent, a quick look show a ping sent to intercom that could be enough. Chrome on Linux is ok.

265 points by brunooo 12y ago

tosh 12y ago

If they can provide decent internet I'm in.

hruu 12y ago

Interesting Project Question: How can you make sure, that every Nomad has a place to stay in each destination? If you limit the time one can spend at a destination, the living costs would be exponentially higher as the flight costs technically affect the flat rate.

brunooo 12y ago
Honest answer is we have to optimize this as we go. You can switch in monthly increments, first come first serve, if this leads to problems there'd be additional rules like that you have to switch every n month or can only spend as many in one location per year etc.

lukasm 12y ago

I was hoping that AirBnB would do something like that. Great initiative! I'll add this to my list https://github.com/lukasz-madon/awesome-remote-job https://github.com/lukasz-madon/awesome-remote-job

dcarmo 12y ago
Hey, great list! I want to start working remotely soon and will make sure to go through most of the links you curated there. Thanks!
caser 12y ago
Hey - may want to add us as well :) hackerparadise.org
brunooo 12y ago
Thanks Lukasz, appreciated!

sixQuarks 12y ago

cool concept, but not sure Mexico City is a good location. I've heard it can be very dangerous, especially in the evenings.

brunooo 12y ago
Spent some time there in the past 6 months and i found it very OK. We looked at more southern destinations, like Medellin / Bogota, but then the flight times to SF and NY start making 1-2 day trips less feasible.
- yellowapple 12y ago
  What about Guadalajara? - Further north (albeit slightly) than Mexico City, and thus even closer to New York and San Francisco (if those proximities are in indeed your criteria) - Major (relative to Mexico, at least) tech hub, making the perfect setting for programmers, remote sysadmins, and other folks who would appreciate living in a place populated by like-minded folks - Birthplace of mariachi music (!)
marquis 12y ago
Mexico City has extremely affordable and good quality fibre internet in central areas (where you would want to live anyway), and the food options are amazing. It's as safe as long as you stay aware of your surroundings and use a taxi service. Many parts of Mexico are safe to travel, especially in high tourism areas. I assume the property would be in the Condesa or Roma area. You'll see americans and europeans walking around everywhere and feel quite at home.
- WildUtah 12y ago
  "assume the property would be in the Condesa or Roma area." I hope so. Polanco is too snooty. The Historic Center has gotten viable for living with residential redevelopment and revolutionary traffic calming but still has a touristy vibe. I like family-oriented Del Valle but it's probably better for a 40 year old than a 20 year old. Coyoacán's ayuntamiento discourages short term residents and has driven almost all hotels out of the area, but would make a good location close to the National University and lively streets and parks. I think Startup Weekend was in the Condesa.

KevinBongart 12y ago

The concept is really nice! BUT WHY OH WHY THE SCROLL HIJACKING?

brunooo 12y ago
Guilty.
- varunrau 12y ago
  I actually really liked the scrolling effect on this website.
  - brunooo 12y ago
    It's utterly broken on mobiles, will fix that hopefully soon, feel free to fork at https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards
Scramblejams 12y ago
Agreed. I spent too long staring dumbly at the page, finding nothing to click on, wondering how to get more information. I hate this trend towards elimination of affordances.
- untog 12y ago
  But you scroll this page the exact same way you do any other page. The visual treatment is different, but the scrollbar is exactly the same. This certainly isn't scrolljacking in the normally accepted sense.
titanomachy 12y ago
Yeah,this site is barely functional on my Nexus 5.
ryanSrich 12y ago
This isn't scroll hijacking. This -> http://www.milwaukeepolicenews.com/#menu=source-page http://www.milwaukeepolicenews.com/#menu=source-page is scroll hijacking. Just because it's animating when you scroll doesn't mean it's hijacking. Hijacking is specifically altering the speed and or movement of the scroll.

justizin 12y ago

Sign a simple lease, travel the world? This is incredibly tempting. ;)

desdiv 12y ago

Minor discrepancy: On the global map, Mexico City is linked to SF, NY, and Bogotá, while the text description says: "SF, NY or Caribbean for a day".

brunooo 12y ago
You're right, will update later today once the HN onslaught is quieting down a bit.

unfortunateface 12y ago

Have you considered having some storage in the house that automatically follows you around the world as you move from place to place ? i.e. your belongings just turn up at the house you are currently staying in without you having to deal with shipping? Edit: to clarify/simplify

annon 12y ago
That would be a great idea!
brunooo 12y ago
That's very high up the list, bulk shipping of standardized boxes is the favorite solution atm, but didn't do in-depth cost comparisons etc. Just was stuck for a few days in the Alps with the overhead bin luggage for Bali on the way back to SF, so i feel your pain. How would you prefer to have it handled?
- toomuchtodo 12y ago
  You guys negotiate a discount with a carrier like Fedex/UPS (or even just use EasyPost.com), and I can ship my gear ahead of me to one of the other locations. I think having a printer on site for shipping labels would be more than sufficient.
- unfortunateface 12y ago
  I would love to be able to travel between one of your houses in London to Bali with only a carry on luggage (e.g. a few days clothes and my laptop) - then have a box of clothes follow me within the week. Clothes are probably a good place to start. Having a simple cupboard draw that is automatically sent would be good (cost permitting). - Most people shouldn't have a problem with you searching through this sort of thing for illicit goods - I think it is mainly clothes that take up the bulk of space in peoples suitcases - Clothes can be compressed for space/cost efficiency Edit: added an extra thing!
  - brunooo 12y ago

elif 12y ago

Can my girlfriend come?

brunooo 12y ago
Sure, we even think about providing daycare on site, so if you want to spend some quality time as couple / young parents that should be a good experience.
- dzenanr 12y ago
  Any age restriction?
  - ibz 12y ago
    For the girlfriend?
    - dzenanr 12y ago
      In general, young or old, male or female, participant or companion?
      - brunooo 12y ago
        No age restrictions, actively gender balanced, we don't really make the latter distinction.
      - deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]

archagon 12y ago

This is a really interesting idea, though maybe a bit too expensive and, ah, "hip" for my tastes. (Currently hopping from Airbnb to Airbnb flatshare, paying $1000 or less a month for housing with internet and utilities included. Would be even cheaper if I wasn't in Western Europe.) I've been thinking lately of where I would like to live for most of my late twenties and early thirties. I'm definitely a bit of a loner, but at the same time, I like living as part of a close-knit community. I wish I could find a little "tribe" of self-directed folks roughly my age in an old, creaky house somewhere in the mountains... or on a remote island... or in a forest, or something. Just people working on their projects, tending to their garden, raising some chickens (or maybe some kids), enjoying the fresh air, and mostly living away from the rest of society. An art commune for the 21st century, I guess. Unfortunately, if such a place exists, I doubt it has a website, and I especially doubt they'd take in strays. Guess I'd have to organize it myself. It's too bad I don't know anyone else who'd want to live like this. (And even if I did, who knows if we'd get along?) Maybe I'll just go and become a hermit.

brunooo 12y ago
Hey, thanks for the well thought out comment, the price point is for a certain group who wants total peace of mind not only in terms of internet speed etc. http://nomadforum.io/ http://nomadforum.io/ has some pretty diverse people, i'd ask people there, maybe someone knows someone who knows the perfect website-less place.
- archagon 12y ago
  Thanks for the link! I'll definitely look into that. $1600 is actually pretty good for the "whole package", especially if it's in a cheaper country. I'd definitely consider it as a place to rest my weary feet for a few months (or... a year, or whatever the minimum lease is), especially if the house is really nice and has a good gender balance.
- tjbiddle 12y ago
  Personally still not finding the price justifiable. I'm in the same boat as archagon. To make this worthwhile, at least to a wider audience - you may have luck at your current point, I'd suggest amentities such as: Laundry, buffet or chef (Either on a cheap meal plan, pay as you go, or included), transportation services to local hubs, and group activities as a few ideas.

AYBABTME 12y ago

This is an awesome idea and I'm very interested. - Are there more locations that are considered? - Is this meant to grow with demand, or be limited to a few first-come/first-served offering? - It's not clear to me (maybe I misread) what happens when I move to another country. Am I holding a lock on the rooms everywhere, or am I allocated a room on request? I work remote, and currently in school but once done, I totally want to start moving around the world for periods of times. Q1 2016 is about when that should start happening.

brunooo 12y ago
A lot of, from Greek fishing villages to Oakland, growing by demand. The rooms are allocated on request, month-wise, we hopefully figure out a good & fair system for everyone and you're more than welcome to switch informally with others.

titanomachy 12y ago

Not to rain on your parade, but isn't it a bit disingenuous to compare your cost with living in NY or SF? I mean, of course it's much cheaper to live in Lisbon or Mexico City, regardless of the particular accommodation.

etjossem 12y ago
Agreed - frankly, I'm not sure if the convenience of having the location set up with reliable internet access and furnished on arrival is worth the price, compared to other properties in the same locations.
- brunooo 12y ago
  There's a lot of other stuff in there as well, and we really try to make it perfect for a particular group that wouldn't just move to Bali themselves. The assumption is that there's a reason why WeWork wasn't the first Coworking space, but won the market with a great product.
calbear81 12y ago
Yeah, I didn't understand why they would compare cost of living between different cities. You could compare San Francisco with some random Midwest city and get even higher savings. I would like to see how the price of this setup compares to other options in those cities like typical apartments, private hostel rooms, etc.
polshaw 12y ago
Yeah, anyone considering a digital nomad lifestyle isn't typically looking at NYC or London; the most popular destination of Chiang Mai is rated at $638/month all-in[1], and most have rent $300-$500 /month, not $1500. I really love the concept but as presented it isn't appealing. The idea of not having to deal with all the hassle of finding and organising accommodation is great.. but they only have (and not even that yet) 3 locations. "hey you can travel the world (3 locations)" doesn't have so much appeal. Obviously they plan on expanding but the price is for now, not the future. I suspect that if someone decides to stay for more than a couple of months they will often splinter off into cheaper accommodation. Having the fixed fee also makes it difficult to set up in the most sensible (cheapest) areas.. because the attraction of going it alone in those areas will be higher the better value the area is. It strikes me they would have been better off setting up a handful of these locations first as individual nomad/co-habitation accommodation, ironing out all the issues, and then introducing the go-anywhere subscription idea. They've left themselves an awful lot to deal with in one go. 1. nomadlist.com

gwbas1c 12y ago

Sounds like someone just renamed "timeshare."

kylecrum 12y ago
This.
boo_radley 12y ago
To me, this sounds like a very high end version of a hostel.
- archagon 12y ago
  A hostel composed of single rooms with office space is... like... just living. In a house.
- medell 12y ago
  It's not easy working in a hostel. No desks, often a party atmosphere, and 20 backpackers sharing a single wifi connection.
brunooo 12y ago
There are a lot of differences in the way the whole things work, from the practical architecture to the funding model (investors and 'subscribers' are not necessarily the same people etc). Happy to make answer more specific questions about the differences.

lbotos 12y ago

The biggest question becomes: income taxes. Any ideas how that will play out?

brunooo 12y ago
That's a giant topic, as always, especially if you choose to spend a critical time threshold at a certain location (> ~6 months a year normally). We do plan to offer informal advice on topics like this as a service, but there are so many options (keep residing in your home country, choose a location like Estonia etc) that it's hard to do this as a legally binding service. But again: It's manageable, literally millions of people do it.

awch 12y ago

I had been hoping that this would eventually emerge from the nomad community - it's a great idea. The inclusion of a moped or shared vehicle in each location would seal the deal for me.

jessaustin 12y ago
I can see why they didn't include this. I don't know about Portugal, but I've driven in Mexico and I know people who have attempted to drive in Bali. If you're not from there, I don't recommend it. You might be fine on most of your trips, but eventually the assumptions you have about driving from your home will be violated, and there will be an incident that will cost you money. If the car belonged to this company it would also cost them money. One of the perks of cheap locations is that hiring a cab is cheap. Also you can ride a bike. Also driving is the least relaxing way to experience any of these places.

chisleu 12y ago

I just don't dig the locations. I'm not going anywhere close to large groups of Muslim Extremists, or Narcoterrorists. I guess I'm just spoiled by the relative safety of the US.

marquis 12y ago
You're missing out on a beautiful world out there.
bryanlarsen 12y ago
Many people in Ubon, Mexico City and Lisbon probably think the US is unsafe after watching TV & movies set in inner-city LA and Detroit, Baltimore & Albuquerque, et cetera.
- chisleu 12y ago
  So? Ubon and Lisbon are too close to HOT wars being waged by violent islamists. I have no intention of being within 100 miles of Detroit either...

tomp 12y ago

This is a neat idea, but seems quite expensive, also the price comparisons are a bit unfair. I can't speak for NY, but in London, you could get a nice room in a shared flat for 890 GBP (=1356 USD) on the edge of first zone, so the commute (monthly Underground ticket for zones 1&2) would be a much more reasonable 130 GBP (=200 USD), far from 698 USD as listed on the site.

disputin 12y ago
Yes, that London cost of living is way off.
notahacker 12y ago
Yeah, the effect of the price comparison for me was ... "hang on a minute, I could add a desk in a shared workspace to my central London room rental costs and it would still be less than the rate for the hackerspace in Bali"

jballanc 12y ago

Wait...you've named your startup "Caravanserai" and you don't have any destinations on the actual historical Silk Road? For shame! Turkey is an amazing place to work and live, there's an incredibly vibrant hacker community, and the people are some of the most welcoming in the world (especially if you're a visitor). Istanbul rents on the European side can run pretty high, but on the Asian side (and with the way the exchange rate is going these days), I think you'd be remiss to leave it out. If not Istanbul, Ankara has a bunch of universities and rents are considerably cheaper. Bodrum, too, has relatively low rents and absolutely amazing natural beauty. Ok, enough ranting... Seriously cool concept, though. I look forward to seeing where you take it!

brunooo 12y ago
Haha, true dat. We looked at Istanbul, but it was prohibitively expensive, at least for our Beta batch where we reserve certain safety buffer for things that could go wrong and in the neighborhoods we looked at. Coastal towns like Bodrum could be a nice choice, any areas in Istanbul we should reconsider?
- jballanc 12y ago
  Other places to check: Üskudar, Kadiköy, Maltepe, and Kartal...pretty much anywhere along Bağdat street will still have a lively atmosphere, good access to transportation, and lower rents. The Asian side is actually growing faster than the European side, so while Beyoğlu is still the focus of social life in Istanbul, Bağdat Cadessi is pretty active. Also, Sabiha Gökçen Airport (on the Asian side) has a growing number of very cheap connections to destinations in the area.
  - brunooo 12y ago
    Thanks! Very much so.
    - dzenanr 12y ago
      Alanya is a beautiful coastal city in Turkey with reasonable prices. http://www.hello-alanya.com/ http://www.hello-alanya.com/ Sarajevo in Bosnia is inexpensive and programmer friendly. http://www.sarajevotimes.com/hub387-launches-first-regional-startup-accelerator/ http://www.sarajevotimes.com/hub387-launches-first-regional-...

cfontes 12y ago

Nice idea... But I definitely would not live for more than a week or 2 in 2 of the 3 places listed (Mexico City, Ubud). Lisbon is fine thought. Why did you choose Ubud instead of other places in Bali?

brunooo 12y ago
It's most central, so no matter if you want to surf in Uluwatu, have drinks in Canggu or go spearfishing in Amed, you can reach all of Bali quite easily. I do get the slightly bad esoteric rep Ubud has, but it also got a very vibrant "getiing shit done" community. Are your doubt more about location or other issues?

larsberg 12y ago

You've probably already thought about this, but you might want to make sure clients understand the legal side of things. We've certainly had some cases at Mozilla where remote workers had to be "reminded" that we could only pay them if they maintained residency in their official company of employment, that they would be in violation of the tourist visa they had traveled to these other locations under if they worked there for 3 months, etc. It's a bit of a minefield, and I only know the warnings that legal/HR tell managers :-)

brunooo 12y ago
Right to the point, that's one of the reasons we choose the countries we did, as they make it OKish to work for a non-local (!!!) company. The Chiang Mai raid a few weeks ago was good example and scared a lot of people, but overall the risk is manageable.
- O____________O 12y ago
  The Chiang Mai raid a few weeks ago I was confused by your seemingly conflicting comments (the other was about the six month visa allowing remote work), so I Googled it: http://asiancorrespondent.com/127125/thailand-immigration-officials-raid-chiang-mai-co-working-space/ http://asiancorrespondent.com/127125/thailand-immigration-of... Foreigners working for a Thai firm must hold a valid non-immigrant (Type B) visa, but so-called ‘digital nomads’ – who are often self-employed – can sidestep that requirement. So, the 'raid' was because officials thought the foreigners were working for the co-working space.
  - brunooo 12y ago
    Exactly, thanks for posting the details.
  - seanmcdirmid 12y ago
    Note that digital nomads have no legal status, and you would be wise to pay taxes in the US if American if you aren't paying Thai taxes.
12y ago

rohunati 12y ago

It took me a while to realize that I was supposed to scroll. I spent like 15 seconds trying to click something. Might want to make that more obvious.

lucaspiller 12y ago

It's an interesting idea, but it's also pretty obvious this is a for-profit venture by OP. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I'd like to see something similar in more of a cooperative legal structure.

brunooo 12y ago
Agree (also waiting for someone to recreate Uber as a protocol). Not sure where Artur is heading with nomadhouse.io , but that might be an option.

guard-of-terra 12y ago

This is a very nice idea already. What should they do to make me really happy? Be able to invest some sum of money (or an existing property?) and enjoy a lifetime of co-living (they need much more destinations, of course). This can be a nice mode of rapid growth, property in exchange to co-living promise.

brunooo 12y ago
I wish there was a "really, really upvote this comment" button on HN.

tonyhb 12y ago

I can't wait to do it. Definitely in. It's awesome that you're taking the leap to make your spaces connected across countries. And a +1 for the idea of moving boxes around from country to country. As an aside I can't understand why, as a first step, co-working spaces in different locations haven't partnered up to offer this to people looking to move around and sort out their own accommodation. Having the availability of, say, Regus offices, with the entrepreneurship and tech focus found in current co-working spaces would be a huge plus.

brunooo 12y ago
Hi Tony, thanks! WeWork is working on this, in Europe you have things like https://copass.org/ https://copass.org/ launched by Betahaus and others. Co-working is extremely interesting for us, as there are many lessons why some worked and scaled, and why most of it didn't. A lot to learn.
caser 12y ago
Hey Tony! We're starting to work on this too - check us out: hackerparadise.org
peterfa 12y ago
http://www.thesurfoffice.com http://www.thesurfoffice.com

codecamper 12y ago

Internet in Indonesia is ridiculously cheap. For $500 a month you'll have a very nice place in Bali. No need for a year lease. 3g Internet in Portugal is a little bit expensive. Not too bad -- about 2 euro a Gig. 500 euros a month will get you a nice place. Not sure about how long a lease you'd need to sign. Mexico City. Why on earth would you want to go to Mexico City?

O____________O 12y ago
Why on earth would you want to go to Mexico City? Why wouldn't you want to go to Mexico City? It's said to feel very European, and there's a lot of interesting history and architecture. I'd go there just as soon as I'd go to Bangkok.
WildUtah 12y ago
"Mexico City. Why on earth would you want to go to Mexico City?" Because the most beautiful and exciting city on Earth is full of artists, programmers, scholars, great street food, great fancy restaurants, museums, history, good looking and outgoing young locals, sports clubs, perfect weather, rugged mountain wilderness, organic ripe produce year round, religious pilgrimage sites, great universities, live music and theatre, pretty architecture, peaceful parks, lively squares and plazas, fast easy transit and bikeshare programs, and a constant parade of special events. Plus, if you're earning in euros or dollars, it's cheap.

mlady 12y ago

Something, something globalized gentrification.

brunooo 12y ago
One could argue that global gentrification is inherently impossible...

Red_Tarsius 12y ago

Excuse my language, but this is fucking awesome. As an aspiring technomad and serial minimalist, I want to thank you for such great idea and execution. My only fear is that the current service might be quite steep for the average nomad.

brunooo 12y ago
Thanks, appreciated, including the language. The good thing is: We only need 120 good people to make it work. And we hope there are many more in cities like NY, SF or London.

agentsmith 12y ago

I like it. Timeshare for people who put internet connection first. Now if we can just get realtors to put internet options in home ads we'd really be in good shape!

paulftw 12y ago

While not sure about this particular business model, it is the first good use case for container hotel rooms I've ever seen. Standardized rooms all over the world, run as a network of independent providers adhering to the international code of practice, advertised and paid for on AirBNB (because we already have hassle free hotel check in experience, why build another one). ... and stuffed with IKEA furniture we all know and love :)

brunooo 12y ago
Containers are indeed a great idea for less permanent locations, otherwise solid constructions beats containers after a few years.

rajacombinator 12y ago

Cool concept if I understand correctly but of course would have to see how it plays out in practice. (Wonder how easy it will be to switch locations in practice.) The price sounds a bit high for those interested in nomadism. Beautiful website but I'd suggest taking "Hahaha" off the utility price and just put a 0 or included.

blhack 12y ago

Can I split the cost with my partner?

brunooo 12y ago
Sure. Pricing is per room.
- psykovsky 12y ago
  You do understand that is where hotels make money, right? And that you're doing the opposite, right? Now, joking aside, that is awesome!

jmknoll 12y ago

Pretty cool idea, and beautifully designed website. Any idea on what this type of design would be called and/or how its done?

brunooo 12y ago
Hi, if you refer to the site you can fork it anytime at https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards https://github.com/brunohaid/houseofcards but it's still utterly broken on mobiles, will release a better version hopefully soon.

stockkid 12y ago

This is great.

nutate 12y ago

You might want to look into localizing your numbers. Having amounts in USD/mo and then showing it using a decimal as the thousands separator feels silly, even though it makes sense in MX. Something like http://formatjs.io/ http://formatjs.io/ can help.

brunooo 12y ago
Thanks, fixed!
WildUtah 12y ago
MX does not use . as thousands separator or , as decimal separator. It uses the symbols rationally and correctly just as the other North American nations do.

peterfa 12y ago

Why did you decide for subscription model? It makes sense for me if you have a network of 10+ locations.

brunooo 12y ago
Thats the goal, 3 locations on 3 continents is the MVP so to speak.

deerpig 12y ago

Isn't this just a new twist on time sharing, but in places that people who haven't lived abroad think are "cool"? $1,600 is more than a little pricey....

nathan_f77 12y ago

This looks awesome, I'm definitely interested. I also found Coconat [1] on HN, and got in touch with them over email. Hopefully my wife and I will be visiting them when they open in July. [1]: http://coconat-space.com/ http://coconat-space.com/

brunooo 12y ago
There's so much incredible stuff around Berlin, favorite so far is https://www.google.com/search?q=Beelitz-Heilstätten https://www.google.com/search?q=Beelitz-Heilstätten

ildella 12y ago

Bug Report: on Firefox on Linux, after pressing "I'm interested" does not appear any message. Maybe email is not even sent, a quick look show a ping sent to intercom that could be enough. Chrome on Linux is ok.