Coworking memberships were overhyped until I tried one in Chiang Mai

I used to think paying $150 a month to sit in a room with strangers was a total scam. Always worked from cafes or my Airbnb for way less. But last month I booked a WeWork style place here for two weeks and honestly it changed my mind. The wifi was rock solid, I actually got more done, and met three other nomads who gave me solid tips on visas. Has anyone else had a similar flip on coworking spaces?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie_white1mo ago

Yeah I had the same reaction, the networking alone makes it worth every dollar.

fiona_young10h ago

Goodness, that's a pretty wild take, @jamie_white. I mean, did we read the same post? Adams.spencer just laid out a pretty clear picture of these places being a circus of sales pitches and overpriced air. If the networking there is just a bunch of people trying to unload their side hustle on you, I can't see how that makes it worth the money. You'd be better off just finding a hobby group on Facebook for free and meeting people who aren't trying to pitch you something. I have a hard time believing that handing over a big stack of cash for that kind of experience is a smart move.

adams.spencer1mo ago

Different crowd I guess. I spent a month in one of those places in Bangkok and honestly walked away thinking it was just overpriced real estate. The wifi was fine but so is the wifi at the coffee shop two blocks away where my latte costs two bucks. Met some people but most of them were just trying to sell me their dropshipping course or crypto thing. If you're someone who needs a desk and a door to focus, sure. But calling it networking feels generous when half the conversations are just people avoiding actual work.