What I’m trying to do here is inspired by KoHub, a coworking space on the island of Koh Lanta, off the South West coast of Thailand. It’s almost a decade since I first went there.
At the time, I was running two training companies: The Bristol Film Academy, and CPD for Teachers. The latter had been really successful for a couple of years, but both had had their day and I was winding them down. I didn’t do any of the training delivery myself anymore, and most of the events were in London. One day, I realised I hadn’t seen anyone face-to-face for two weeks. I had accidentally become a remote worker. I realised I could work from anywhere, so I searched Google for “coworking Thailand”, saw a picture of KoHub, and thought perfect.
And it was.
It’s only open from November to April, and closes during the rainy season, May to October, so for three (or maybe even four, I need to check my notes) years, I would escape the UK winter and hang out there. It sounds decadent, but actually it was a necessity. The businesses were continuing to fade and were barely covering my costs. I Airbnbed my flat in Bristol and that more than paid my way in Koh Lanta. The longer I stayed, the better financially, because the only expensive thing was the flight. I couldn’t really afford to come back!
The other benefit was that I was insanely productive while there. It’s seven hours ahead. I’d sometimes work most of the daylight hours, then go for a swim, have dinner, and come back and work the UK office hours too. Two days per day. I could never do that here.
I think it’s partly because life is so simple there. You never need to be inside, so you don’t really care too much about your living space. And you don’t need to worry about what you’re going to wear, where you’re going to go, how you’re going to get there, or what you’re going to eat. The formula is the same every day: shorts, flip-flops, scooter. Work and hang out at KoHub, eat at one of the many inexpensive restaurants, go to the local beach, or do a little road trip to any number of other amazing beaches on the island. The lack of mundane micro-decisions really made a difference for me.
KoHub is great because of Koh Lanta. Also because of its owner, James, and how he runs the place. There are subtleties to what he does, and importantly what he doesn’t do, to maintain the vibe of the place. Compared to other places in SouthEast Asia, KoHub is relatively influencer-free. This is not enforced, but it’s certainly no accident. And this is probably why KoHub was ranked seventh in the world and top in Asia.
I would be there right now if I could. I don’t regret getting a dog, but I do sometimes wish I could take the batteries out in the winter!
