Sometimes you want the room full of people
A letter from a Normandy coliving on what this kind of stay actually is. Plus an honest piece on the freelance hourly-rate trap, and how a U.S. expat built five income streams from Portugal at 56.
Midlife Nomads explores how people are redesigning work, travel, and life in our 40s, 50s & beyond. This week’s newsletter is open to all, thanks to our sponsor SafetyWing — our trusted partner for Nomad Insurance.
I’m writing this from a table for twenty in the grand dining room of a French castle turned coliving.
People have come and gone throughout the day, working away on coding or marketing projects, writing scripts and books, preparing for meetings that all happen online now, with their distributed teams.
Some are outside now, enjoying the precious few minutes of sun Normandy has gifted us this afternoon. Some are in the actual coworking space at the old manor across the way. Maybe a couple are napping.
A young man from the UK is playing the most hypnotizing handpan in the hallway. Last night, once the after-dinner board games wrapped up, a Brazilian guest sat down at the piano in the living room and played, properly played, for the better part of an hour.
What surprises me, every time it comes up, is how many people don’t know coliving exists at all — and the misconceptions of those who’ve heard the word. That it’s a hippie commune. That people do it because they can’t afford to live alone. That it’s a glorified hostel with better marketing.
None of that has matched my experience.
This isn’t a hostel. It isn’t a hotel. We’re all here for the same date range, more or less, though some have been here for months and others will stay on longer.
We have family meetings to set the week’s schedule and activities. We enjoy time together when we feel like it, and retreat to our private spaces when the social battery needs recharging. We make crepes together on Sunday mornings.
This is an “alumni” month for people who’ve been here before, and we quickly fell into a rhythm. There have been no big upsets; no major disturbances in the force. If any of the others are butting heads, sleeping together, or having dating drama, I’m blissfully unaware.
Coliving doesn’t mean everyone has to be best friends, or even that we all agree on everything. I’m sure we don’t… but you learn quickly to choose the level of engagement that makes for a harmonious house.
Sure, it would have been cheaper to rent something on my own. But that’s not what this is about, either.
People come to colivings for all kinds of reasons. The Dutch woman volunteering here as the gardener has been at this property since last year — for her, it’s a way of life. Some are figuring out their next steps. Many will leave this coliving and move on to another place they can enjoy an excellent quality of life free of the confines of a mortgage or lease, with the community baked right in.
For me, it’s something I reach for when traveling solo starts to tip into loneliness, and I want the particular energy of shared meals and a room full of people working quietly on their own things. Colivings are where I go when craving a bit more fun and joy, and a little less responsibility and solitude in my life.
Right now, that’s what I needed. Some other month, I’ll want a quiet apartment with no one to talk to before noon. Both are fine.
One of the things that makes this kind of moving around possible — castle this month, who-knows-what next month — is having the boring underneath part sorted… you know, the logistics. Health coverage that travels with you. Something that works whether you’re in rural France or a city in latin America you booked three days ago.
That’s why I’ve partnered with SafetyWing for this newsletter. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes support that makes this life feel a little less precarious and a lot more doable.
If you’ve never tried a coliving and the idea pulls at you even a little, I’d say go look at one. Not to commit to the lifestyle, but just to see what it actually is and separate that from any assumptions that may have snuck into your psyche.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, someone's started a kettle in the kitchen. I think I'll go see who's around.
✌🏻 Miranda
From Midlife Nomads
What’s On My Radar
These are a few of the pieces I enjoyed or found intriguing this week, and think you may, too…
Why You Need To Sell Your Talent Instead Of Your Time
The better and faster you get, the less you make. That's the hourly-rate trap, and Freelancing Females names it cleanly here.
A short, practical read on when to go hourly, when to go flat-fee, and why the choice is really a lifestyle one. Check it out on Freelancing Females.
Kimberly Anne in Portugal is ‘Expat on a Budget’
“I Moved Abroad at 56 With No Job. Here Are the 5 Income Streams I Built From Scratch” is one of the most generous posts I've read in this space. She names the timelines honestly (five years for the acupuncture practice, four years before the novels paid back), and includes a long, useful list of where to actually look for remote work.
Grab your favourite beverage and dig in here.
This week, I hope you’ll enjoy these smart, interesting, useful, and often entertaining pieces from creators I’m enjoying:
How I Decide Where to Sleep Each Night, The Gray Camper Van Writer - There’s a moment that comes every day when you’re living this way.
Money Gets Easier When You Stop Performing Worthiness, Unscripted: Screw the Should Life - Many women don’t have a money strategy problem. They have a self-trust problem.
Aligned & Awake: Living The Dream (Allegedly), The P.L.A.Y. Papers - What happens when a stranger in a rearview mirror sees your life better than you do
The Mindset Lie I’ve Been Telling You, The 50+ Nomad Club - Why positive thinking won’t fix a skills gap, a timing problem, or your knees.
Everything I Learned From a Year of Living French, Petal & Hearth - The ideas that have shaped me most across this whole year of slowing down.
That’s it for now! Stop by in our Work From Anywhere group and say hello when you get a chance.
See you next week,
✌️ Miranda