ABSTRACT

Co-working retreat in Bali challenges the notion that nomadic lifestyles are just for the young. Outpost Ubud Penestanan is a combined co-living and co-working venue that does not just attract people in their twenties and thirties, but also many in their forties, fifties and sixties. It reinvents the backpacker experience for working professionals, in an environment that models itself on the youth hostel but has a more grownup approach. As well as vacations and adventures (the obvious attractions of the location), it offers opportunities to concentrate on work, learn new skills and build a network. David Abraham and Bryan Stewart designed the Outpost model around their own experiences of living and working between cities. Outpost shows how non-urban locations might respond to this shift, creating hubs of productivity and entrepreneurship. Business and social opportunities are there for the taking, but the jungle location also makes it easy to get away from others and reconnect with nature.