Recently Facebook reminded me that this month, it’s been a year since I went freelance. It’s been one hell of a year, filled with highs but A LOT of lows, or rather struggle, and it’s only been within the last few months that it’s become completely sustainable.
When I first got to Chiang Mai I had like, very little money. So even though things are relatively cheap here, I did a whole lot of staying in the house in order to spend even less money. I worked from home: writing, editing, and teaching English. It was great in some ways; I could get up whenever I wanted for instance. But there was a downside to working from home: working from home, lol. Having so much of my life revolving around an apartment caused me to self-isolate, some of that was intentional, some not. Now that things in my career have stabilized though, I feel a greater need to get out more and be around people not online. So, I recently decided to get a membership at a co-working space.
Chiang Mai has been a hotbed for digital nomads for the past few years, and while co-working is a relatively new idea, it’s caught on quite well, especially in places like here. For a while I thought I could just go to a café, and sometimes I still do, but even that type of set-up has its limitations. For one, it’s loud in there. Co-working spaces tend to be audio free, so I can work without a background soundtrack, or put on my own headphones and listen to my music without having to compete with the obligatory soundtrack of the establishment’s choosing.
Beyond that, cafes often have a lot of foot traffic, which can be a distraction. Finally, a lot of restaurants and cafes frown up people coming in for the express purpose of setting up shop for a few hours while they get their self-employment on. A co-working membership just seemed like a natural progression as my writing and editing revs up. Recently, I found the perfect co-working space for my particular needs and wanted to share with y’all.
Planter’s Space
A newer place on the co-working scene, this facility is located in a quite and homey neighborhood called Jed Yod. Not quite in the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s still very accessible from Maya Mall, about a 15 min walk or an even shorter drive on a motorbike. Set in a traditional Thai-style house there’s plenty of chairs, tables, couches and outlets in the downstairs part. The second floor has some open balcony area that I’m told is even rentable for functions, workshops, and the like.
There’s a small coffee shop right on the premises as well as access to a kitchen with free instant coffee, water, and tea. You can even bring your own food if you want. Designed as a self-service co-working space, clean up after yourself! The internet here is fast, there’s AC, along with several fans to keep the main area cool, and a nice outside garden area in the front part. I’ve been to fancier places that even have a bunch of rooms for small companies to rent and set up shop as their office, but this is not that. It’s just fine for me though, as I mainly just need fast wifi, silence, and access to some coffee if need be. There’s even a “pay what you want” printer service too!
Cost
The day rate at Planter’s is 120THB. Skype/meeting room starts at 80THB an hour, but is apparently free for members.
A two-week membership will run you a very affordable 1200THB, and monthly membership starts at 1800THB.
Hours
8am-8pm everyday
All in all, this place is just right for me and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a nice, quite and no-frills place to get some work done. Reach out via facebook to schedule a one-day trial drop-in.
