Published : 30.08.22 | August 30, 2022
This guest post is from Will at Tribal Hostels. After years of traveling the world and earning up to $10 a day, he finally settled in Indonesia and opened a hostel for digital nomads.
Once upon a time, a young tourist boarded the cheapest coach on a 32-hour train journey through eastern India, offering breathtaking views of a faraway land. The cabin was filled with the smell of onion bhajas, sweaty bodies and roasted sugar. Scenes of green, red and orange were displayed outside; cities turned into villages, into nothingness, into desert and seashore, and into cities again. Time passed and bent, the crowd moved and grew, new people seemed to rise from below, an Escher puzzle with a train carriage.
Scoop haughtily clung to the chicken skin, because a visit to the bathroom would surely mean losing the coveted spot.
I was that baker.
In 2009, I decided to figure out who I should be, what I'm good at, and what I can handle. My main goal was to get out of my comfort zone and become better, more capable and more confident (I was a shy kid).
This was the beginning of a life-changing journey that led me to online entrepreneurship for the next decade as I traveled the world.
During my travels I have participated in many different projects around the world to support the lifestyle I have chosen. From blogging and publishing a book or two to selling weed on the beaches of Goa and doing odd jobs on a farm, I've done whatever it takes to fund my life of adventure. I filled my backpack with trinkets, jewelry and colorful T-shirts and sold them at festivals in England. I also started freelance writing and selling some of my weird stories to the media.
Over time, I moved away from the occasional drug deal and goat herding and focused more on my online business. I shipped from China (which didn't really work), explored cryptocurrency trading, and founded a leading adventure travel company in Pakistan, Iran, and Kyrgyzstan. I dabbled in affiliate marketing and slowly my fledgling travel blog grew and grew.
As my online business grew, so did my need for reliable Wi-Fi and a quiet place to work, but to my dismay, finding a hostel was very difficult.
I love hostels. the people, the energy, the community, and the combination of different ideas and personalities can be really exciting. But as many of my fellow digital nomads know, they're often not conducive to the kind of online income that can support a lifelong journey. It is actually very difficult to do meaningful work because there are so many stimuli and events happening in the settlement.
Many digital nomads and online freelancers burn out after a year or two because, like me, they struggle to balance the backpacker lifestyle with the responsibility and discipline of being their own boss.
So, in 2014, while I was in a crowded, humid dorm room in Colombia with questionable hygiene, I suddenly had the idea to open a shelter. An apartment unlike any other. A hostel that has everything you need for a successful day: beautiful views, comfortable beds, friendly atmosphere, great pool, lots of greenery, great food, great coffee, great bar and most importantly, a profitable place to get things done. To work.
He wanted to build such a settlement as he had always wanted, but he never got it. a place where he would be able to work quietly during the day and interact with the many community spaces at night.
A place where would-be entrepreneurs, backpackers, workaholics and Instagram girls can connect, hit it off and settle into their home away from home.
Fast forward to 2018, I've just moved to Bali where I've made two good friends at the local gym, Mark from Britain and Gonan from Bali.
Like me, Mark struggled to balance being a digital nomad and getting some work done while enjoying the excitement and backpacking community. Gonan is passionate about Bali and welcomes foreigners to his home island.
We started working together on the idea of my dream residence.
Within a few months, we found the perfect location: a large plot of land on the outskirts of Canggu's bustling hipster hub and surf spot. It is here, surrounded by rice fields and a short distance from the beach, where we will build the best residence in Bali.
We had a clear vision of a special place that could serve the growing number of online tourists and digital nomads who still want to live in a hostel.
Due to a lack of manpower, insufficient plans, and the need to overcome legal hurdles to get things right (luckily we had good Balinese friends who could help us), construction would be difficult.
After two years of construction (and an unexpected pandemic), our little Tribal Bali finally opened in September 2021 with a very soft launch. Then in May, after much fanfare, we opened our first dorms and private rooms. .
Tribal is Bali's first co-working hostel designed and built with care for digital nomads. You get lightning fast Wi-Fi, a healthy and varied menu served by our dedicated restaurant staff, comfortable beds designed for privacy and smart sectional beds, a giant hammock where you can relax with a book and, if your heart desires : , everything you need. you have to work all day without leaving the hostel.
Our co-working space has everything you need to work: coffee tables, couches, bean bags, individual clock booths and plenty of electrical outlets.
Our hostel has private rooms, large shared bathrooms and thoughtfully designed dorms that offer privacy, charging points and stairs to upper bunks (instead of noisy stairs in other dorms).
We also have a large multi-level pool which currently serves the best food in Perenne and the bar offers classic cocktails, beers, our own Tribal Tonics and happy hours for tourists.
My travels have taught me that dreams are what keep us going and that any kind of sleep is possible if you really want to be restless for a while. While I'm no longer a lost tourist, I'm honored to host the next generation of digital nomads and intrepid explorers at this purpose-built residence.
I hope Tribal Bali can become a shining beacon of how to enjoy the ultimate backpacker lifestyle by meeting like-minded entrepreneurs and doing quality work in a community-based space. and friend for work.
After more than ten years on the road, I'm excited to finally realize my dream and do my part to help the next generation of passionate and inspiring digital nomads.
An adventurer and wanderer, entrepreneur and hostel owner, Will has been traveling the world for over a decade and loves discovering the real nature.
Book your trip. logistics tips and tricks
book your flight
Find cheap flights with Skyscanner. It's my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines worldwide, so you always know that no stone is left unturned.
Book your stay
You can book your hostel on Hostelworld. If you want to stay outside of a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently offer the lowest prices for guesthouses and hotels.
Don't forget about travel insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft and cancellation. This is comprehensive protection should something go wrong. I never travel without it as I have had to use it many times before. Here are my favorite companies that offer the best service and price.
- SafetyWing (best for everyone)
- Insure my trip (for people over 70)
- Medjet (for additional evacuation)
Ready to book your trip?
Visit my resources page for the best companies to use when traveling. I am listing all the ones I used during the trip. They are best in class and you can't go wrong with them on your hikes.
Tribal Hostel. How Will Got from Busted Tourist Hostel Owner appeared first on Matt's Nomad Travel.