Coliving during a life change: people to think it through with

Short answer: coliving during a life change gives you people to spend time with while you work out what comes next. You can keep working, cook with someone, hear about a choice they made and talk through one of your own. The useful part is having those chances repeatedly, instead of hoping one meetup will produce your new best friend and a five-year plan. A stay can offer company and fresh perspectives. The bigger decisions remain yours, and it's fine to go home still thinking about them.

You can arrive with an unfinished answer

Maybe you're changing careers. Maybe you've moved cities, started working remotely or realised the routine you've built no longer suits you. When someone asks what's next, your answer is still a collection of tabs open on your laptop.

Career changes and fresh starts come up in our welcome calls. You don't need a polished explanation. What matters to us is that you want to share a home and contribute to the people in it.

Casa Basilico is a foodie coliving for remote workers. We organise opportunities to cook, eat and spend time together around the working day. Our year-round Banana House in Madeira has a desk and chair in every room, with shared work zones too. You can bring your ordinary Tuesday along. There will be washing-up.

Company you don't have to organise from scratch

Staying alone somewhere new can leave you arranging company yourself. In a shared house, you have reasons to cross paths again, and helping with dinner gives you something to do while a conversation finds its feet. Start with the tomatoes. You can decide later whether you want to talk about your job.

Our hosts make introductions, especially when you first arrive. At Banana House, we aim to bring people together for a shared dinner within your first 48 hours. Our guide to arriving at Casa explains the practical welcome.

Then there are the repeat encounters: preparing food, eating, clearing up or joining a walk someone suggests. Yesterday's conversation can carry on. Our guide to how communal dinners work explains the setup, including the groceries you pay for separately.

Different changes can bring up familiar questions

Your housemates don't need the same job, age or exact problem. Someone deciding where to live might understand why you're nervous about leaving a career, because both choices can mean explaining yourself to people at home and giving up something familiar.

Someone else's experience can also make an option less abstract. If you're curious about freelance work, asking a freelancer what their Tuesday looks like may be useful. Ask about the boring bits too. Invoices deserve a place in the fantasy.

The mix of guests varies. You might meet someone considering a similar change, or someone whose life looks quite different. A conversation can still leave you with a question worth investigating, even when their choice would be completely wrong for you.

Give each other room to talk

Start small. Ask whether someone has the energy to listen before unpacking a big decision. Say whether you're after ideas or just want to say something out loud. That gives them a way to help without having to solve it.

Support goes both ways. Listen when they want to talk. Remember the thing they were worried about and ask how it went. You can be useful to another person while your own plans are still messy.

Keep advice in proportion. A housemate can tell you what worked for them; they don't know your whole situation. Ask a follow-up question, keep what seems relevant and check it for yourself. Nobody owes the dinner table free consulting, even if they do have a very impressive spreadsheet.

Let an ordinary week continue

You can give yourself one small thing to explore during a stay: a course to investigate, a project to try, or a conversation with someone who does work you're curious about. These are things you arrange yourself. Another guest may be happy to give feedback if you ask.

Keep time for whatever already needs doing. Work, study and calls still need a place in the calendar. A furnished room and work setup take some organising off your plate; shared meals give you reasons to close the laptop. You don't have to use every evening to discuss your future.

If work is the main question, our guide to coliving during a career change looks at that decision in more detail.

You choose what you share

You can say you're figuring a few things out and leave it there, then spend the evening talking about something entirely unrelated. Let people get to know your terrible taste in music too.

Our activities are optional. Join what fits your work and energy, take quiet time when you need it, and contribute when you're around. Helping prepare a meal can be an easier way to join than trying to become the most entertaining person at the table.

Check the fit before you book

Think about the week you'd actually spend here. Can you do your work in the house? Will the available private space suit you? Are you happy to share kitchens and common areas, including on a day when you're tired?

Check the whole cost too. Add food, travel, insurance and any expenses continuing at home to the accommodation price. If you're between jobs, leave room for what comes afterwards. A month away shouldn't leave you under more pressure when you return.

A stay won't promise a job, a decision by departure or a particular friendship. Compare it with support you already have at home. If the shared-house version still appeals, tell us what you need on the welcome call and ask your practical questions. You can bring an unfinished plan. We'll explain the house, and then we can talk about dinner.

FAQ

Can coliving help when I am going through a life change?

It can give you company, a shared routine and chances to hear how other people approach their choices, which may help you think through your next step. The stay still needs to fit your budget, work and need for privacy, and you may leave with some questions open.

Will other guests be going through the same thing?

The guest mix varies. Career changes and fresh starts come up in our welcome calls, but we cannot promise that others will be going through the same thing. People with different circumstances can still recognise the uncertainty, listen and share a useful perspective.

Do I have to explain my situation or join every activity?

No. You choose what you share. At Casa Basilico, activities are encouraged but optional, and you can protect work or take quiet time. Joining a few everyday moments gives you opportunities to get to know people without explaining your whole life.

Can I stay while I work out a career change?

A stay may fit if you can afford it and the house supports your work or planned time off. Check the workspace, call arrangements, stay length and full cost before booking. Casa offers a shared home and community. It does not run a career programme or promise work.

About the author

Fabio Deriu and Julia “Juls” Zaboklicka are the co-founders of Casa Basilico, a pop-up foodie coliving for digital nomads. They started by cooking for remote workers in Madeira and now host travelling chapters built around work, shared food, and community.