To be honest, being a freelancer and working from home, having no boss to tell you what to do and colleagues to ruin your day, has its downsides too.
‘Living the dream’ is actually not always flowers and rainbows.
Every day, there are countless struggles you have to overcome in order to keep living the lifestyle everyone praise so much nowadays.
The lack of social contacts, change of environment and movement often lead to productivity problems, lack of motivation and inspiration, anxiety and health problems. I’ve been to all of these places and I know how important it is to take care of yourself so you don’t lose your sanity.
That’s why when I read about the idea of Mountain Restart concept combined with Coworking & Coliving space, I knew that’s the place to be.
So, I’ve decided to take part of the Office in the Woods – Coworkation Camp in Chepelare, Bulgaria. A place
What it’s like to be in the mountains with like-minded people, fast Wi-Fi and plenty of adventures to try?
Let me tell you…
OFFICE IN THE WOODS, CHEPELARE
Office in the Woods Coworkation camp took place in Chepelare – a small town in Southern Bulgaria, in the Rhodope mountains. It is held every year for a month or so and you can join any time during that period. This year, the camp was held from July 18th to August 21st.
Chepelare is mostly known as a ski and snowboard resort. It has one of the longest ski runs in Southeastern Europe and the only ski and snowboard factory in the Balkan peninsula.
But Chepelare is more than just another winter resort.
During summer, there are countless of opportunities to spend a nice holiday. You will get a glimpse of some of them further below.
Anyway, the goal of the coworkation camp is not only to recharge freelancers, digital nomads and all kind of location independent people. The aim is also to revive the region and show its unknown beauty to the world.
The great climate conditions, tasty local food and sport opportunities make Chepelare a great place to be but most people don’t know about. These are only some of the reasons Chepelare is often referred as ‘The Green Heart of Bulgaria’.
THE CONCEPT OF COWORKATION CAMPS
CoWorkation = CoLiving + CoWorking + Vacation
A group of people gather in one place for a certain period of time to cowork during the day and have fun together after work. It’s the most productive holiday you can take.
It’s an inspirational, motivational and recharging experience that helps all sorts of digital workers to overcome the struggles of being self-employed.
Coworkation camps include change of environment, sport activities, social contacts, effective cooperation, collaborative activities and many more.
All of these lead to new contacts, effective cooperation, increased creativity and productivity.
Basically, the working part looks something like this…
But, often, it looks like this too…
Or this…
AFTER WORK
Here comes my favourite part of the day. The options for spending your free time in nature, doing some sport or activity, are countless.
Even a short hike will recharge your brain and will give you the much needed energy and inspiration.
The region of Chepelare, where Office in the Woods took place, offers many ways to spend your free time such as…
Mountain biking…
Zip lining…
Hiking in the mountains…
Watching the falling stars…
Or just riding in the trunk…
You can also attend bagpipe workshop, cooking workshop, rent a bike, go sightseeing, etc. There are a lot of things to do in the region so you won’t be bored.
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
Coworkation camps are undoubtedly a great way to meet exactly the type of people you need to meet.
Freelancers, IT people, digital nomads, entrepreneurs and all kind of location independent people make a great company. After all, you all have at least one thing in common – you all know you need a mountain restart.
Meeting like-minded people can lead to many new friendships, future partnerships, idea exchanging, effective cooperation…
For me, meeting and working along with other ambitious people motivated me to work on my ideas and projects even more. Not to mention how much fun you can have by sharing those new experiences with new people.
IS IT FOR YOU
Why not? A coworkation camp is good for:
- Freelancers and self-employed people
- Small firms and digital start ups
- Entrepreneurs and digital nomads
- Home office workers
But, of course, any burnt out person can try it.
The place is especially good for whole teams (Check out Swipes’ post about Why Company Retreats Rock).
WHEN IS THE NEXT OFFICE IN THE WOODS?
The next coworcation camps will be held in January 2017 and July-August 2017.
Follow Office in the Woods on Facebook and check their website regularly to get updates about the next camps.
However, company retreats in Chepelare can be held any time. Just get in touch with Taneto and Polly and let them create a memorable mountain restart for your whole team.
Office in the Woods Coworcation Camp Chepelare:
Website: /Officeinthewoods
Facebook: www.officeinthewoods.com
Email: coworkationcamp@gmail.com
Address: Chaya 7, Chepelare 4850, Bulgaria
Have you attended a Coworkation Camp and where?
Or would you give it a try?
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