April Community Call Highlights
The highlight of my month was gathering travel like-minded individuals who have a genuine interest in connecting with global friends - the premise of the Your Travel Friend Community!
This month we had a wonderful group, some new to the YTF community, and others a key part of the success of the global friendships join for April’s Community Call. Conversation ranged from colivings, how to manage privacy in group living environments + the biggest topic of all was travelling with dogs, and how we can try and accommodate our furry companions with us!
One travel friend submitted a question for the Community Call to ask about travelling on a long-haul flight with a puppy. We had Hans joining the call realtime, with his dog by his side travelling by train to give some advice! It was covered that size really does matter, but more importantly height in terms of fitting the puppy under the seat in front of you. Trying to find direct flights, in this case from Canada to Rome and then driving the rest of the way to southern Italy.
More ideas were brainstormed to make a dog’s travel journey better:
Not to give them any kind of relaxant while on a plane as it could affect their blood pressure
Adding a picture and a little description about your pup so the pilot and cargo crew can know a bit more about them
Also doing an alternative like Trusted Housesitters can be a great way to leave your dog in your home and comfortable while supporting other travellers as an exchange
We got to meet Bianca who is establishing their own nature focused coliving in France, and the story of how her chickens have personalities and followings of their own.
Eric shared his excitement about really making his winters warmer, by continuing to visit Mexico City and expanding the Full Spread Party idea he’s created in Canada. Which led to a deep discussion about colivings - how do you find reviews? How do you know if it’s the right fit? What are the different kinds of colivings?
The best advice was joining the Your Travel Friend Community, particularly the Digital Nomads group as there is a broad range of people who have visited many different colivings and could provide genuine honest feedback of their experiences. Having a strong understanding of your personality, social energy levels and interests can make a difference too for joining a coliving. Some tend to be more social, with a consistent buzz and sense of adventure - especially if they’re only a week long - while others are nature, relaxed and encourage forming deeper connections.
The Digital Nomad List gives you a great starting point to learn about colivings around the world. The Map List is ever growing and will continue to provide helpful information.
Colivings, or as I jokingly call them “Adult Hostels”, help to identify work flows too. Miranda emphasized the importance of a proper work station and private space as she’s on phone calls a lot whereas others want that interaction with fellow remote working professionals. Most of the time staying 1 month will also help you find rhythm and routine amongst the experience and vibe of the atmosphere.
Anna shared she’s creating her own pop-up coliving for October 2025 in the Balkans, an exciting announcement!
The best remote working tip of all shared, was keeping your work computer clock in the same time zone of your work location, that way you’re not constantly calculating hours for meetings.
The discussion had a natural flow, people connecting, sharing ideas and supporting travel curiosities. The most fruitful part was having travel friends from Malta, France, Canada, Germany, Serbia representing nations such as Canada, England, Romania, Nicaragua, Philippines, Italy and more! A true moment of international friendship coming together!
Next Community Call is Sunday May 18, 2025
There are only 10 spots available in a Community Call to allow for natural discussion, don’t miss your chance to join!