You Can Now Work On The Beach at Dahab’s First Co-Working Space

They call them digital nomads: independent workers, entrepreneurs and freelancers choosing smarter ways of working while leading a travel life. The rising trend of co-working spaces – that is, working spaces where individuals share a small rent and ideas – has now gone overseas, triggering the rise of the so-called ‘working retreats,’ a one-week or one-month trip where the line between vacations and working hours gets deliciously blurry.

From one-month work stays against the backdrop of a paradisiac Bali island, to tropical co-working communities in Thailand’s KoHub, and co-living communities in the coast of Spain, the trend specially caters to the unconventional, the adventurous; those who are always thirsty for new experiences and whose office is anywhere the Wi-Fi is.  

Spearheading the trend in Egypt’s Red Sea coast, German entrepreneur Mira Arnold crafted CoworkInn Dahab, the first ever co-working space in the Egyptian shores set in a land no other than the home of true nomads.    

The space, set in Dahab’s Blue Beach Club, appeals to freelancers, startups workers, digital nomads, students, and entire company departments who aim to escape the stressful urban hustle and bustle while enhancing creativity and collaboration.  

Having realised the 9-5 job wasn't her style, the entrepreneur – who was an avid vacationer in Dahab – replicated a model whose growth she had witnessed in her home country. “I entered the startup scene in Cologne, after spending a year in Australia. I got a great job very fast, but I soon felt I needed to build something on my own. I wanted to build this kind of community around me in a place I love, so I started the CoworkInn Dahab,” she tells CairoScene.

Although most guests come from abroad, Arnold hopes more Egyptian co-workers will join the trend. “I realised that people in Cairo are not familiar with sharing ideas and knowledge in a co-working space; people who work in the same place hardly know each other. In Germany, this is totally different, and this is what I want to have in my space. Here, we are all one family supporting each other; we're not afraid to share ideas and knowledge and we want each other’s success,” she explains.

“Most of the Egyptians who contact me ask me for a job; they think I offer jobs, instead of a working space to do their own jobs,” she adds.  Aside from working areas, conference and meeting rooms, a Skype booth, scanning and printing machines, a pool and an ocean view, the unique space also offers a programme of weekly activities, such as Marketing Monday, Mastermind session and demo days, in order for attendees to learn how to present their businesses.  

Leaving some space for chilling, Arnold also includes cultural activities for visitors, including a community market – where they eat home-made food by locals and immigrants – as well as the Wadi party: a drive to the desert to make a campfire, relax, and enjoy a Bedouin meal under a billion stars. For foreigners, there is also an Arabic language school. 

The space offers packages including accommodation and the co-working office, and for locals, a 10-day package starts range from 600 to 1300 LE.  

For more information, check out their Facebook page.