Saranda Coworking
Saranda, Albania
Heading to Albania with your laptop? You may not be the only one. A lot of nomads are heading that way after hearing about the low cost of living, turquoise waters and sunshiney weather. As someone who has been visiting the country for almost a decade, I was intrigued on a visit to Saranda this year when I saw that a coworking space had opened in the southern Albanian city.
I spoke to founder of Saranda Marketing and Coworking, Simona Ondrejkova, to find out more about the venture…
Saranda Marketing & Coworking is located on 5th street
What inspired you to open Saranda Coworking?
I’ve been a nomad for many years and have worked in places all over the world. I didn’t necessarily always work from coworking spaces but whenever I was in a city such as Vienna or Edinburgh I’d try out coworking and I found that I enjoyed it. The community vibe and meeting other nomads was great. I wanted to open a space for my marketing work and to possibly have employees based there too, but I also thought it would be great to provide some space for coworking. So I thought, why not combine the two things?!
Why Saranda?
I ended up in Albania for some time in 2020 and 2021. My original plan was to be here for a few months but it turned into a year over the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, Americans couldn’t go to the EU, so they were stuck in other countries. Because of this, a lot of them ended up coming to Albania, so it became a sort of gathering place. I met tonnes of great people – expats and nomads and we had a really nice community of people here over that time.
After 2021 I did some more travelling but ended up coming back to Saranda. I never envisioned having a physical office as I love being nomadic but I saw this space which looked great. That place got snapped up quickly but the idea didn’t leave my mind. I still thought it would be great to have a place for coworking in Saranda. Then I saw another possibility on Rruga Gjergj Araniti – known as 5th street or Road 5 – it was abandoned but had beautiful views. Fast forward to today and that space is now Saranda Coworking!
Tell me more about what’s on offer for nomads at Saranda Coworking
There is room for 15 people to work at desks, with access to charging points, wi-fi, aircon, hot drinks and magnificent sea views. The space is accessible to members 24 hours a day; a unique and useful feature for digital nomads that may have colleagues in different time zones. Memberships are on offer from as little as three days (25 euros) right up to monthly memberships (95 euros).
We opened in June 2024 and have already seen over 21 nationalities coming in to our space to work. The demand has been good so far. It is the only coworking space in Saranda so people are finding us online and then coming in.
As well as the coworking opportunities, we also run some networking events. Once a month we have a “Business after hours” event where our members can gather in the coffee shop next door. This way our members can get to know each other, exchange creative ideas and share knowledge. We’re creating a community of nomads and expats that care about Saranda and want to help improve the local area.
Tell me about any challenges you faced when opening the coworking space
It took a lot longer to get things going than I thought. Mainly just things like arranging different workers to help with things, getting furniture made, delivered and installed, and decorating the space. Like most tasks, it was the smallest things that I thought would be quick and easy which took the longest to arrange!
What’s next for Saranda Coworking?
That’s a big question! Perhaps a private meeting space such as a smaller office for people to take private calls and meetings. So maybe an additional space nearby for people to do that would be the next step.
We’re going to put on more events for more people to make meaningful connections whilst here. In the future if things go well and there are more nomads living in Saranda maybe we could even open another coworking space – who knows.
For now, we’re excited for any nomads to come and join us in Saranda Coworking! See you soon…
Saranda is a beautiful coastal city in the south of Albania. It’s a place that is very close to mine and Tom’s hearts, as we’ve been visiting the city whilst nomading for holidays and extended living periods for nearly 10 years! Find out everything you need to know about Saranda before you visit in our guide.
If you’re heading there as a digital nomad make sure you check out Saranda Coworking and use it for all your remote working needs.