How to Travel and Work Anywhere by Jemma Wei

“Being a freelancer means I’m always on the go, and so much of my work requires me to move not just in between spaces in Singapore but also…”- Jemma Wei

So guys, it’s been about seven months now since I’ve started renting my own office space (jeez, time flies) and it still remains one of my best decisions to date. Most of you who follow my Snapchat/Instagram will know that I work out of this coworking space called The Hive, where I have a fixed desk that I intensively decorate with everything I can find, and I’m of the firm belief that liking where you work/ the environment you work in makes a colossal difference to the level of happiness you feel when coming in to work ie. Not wanting to kill yourself when you wake up in the morning to drag your ass to work…

But the thing is, being a freelancer of sorts means that I’m always on the go, and so much of my work requires me to move not just in between spaces in Singapore but also out of it, from country to country. And my membership to The Hive gives me access to Hive locations all over the world, which I’m immensely thankful for because it means that I can work reliably out of different countries whenever I travel to places where The Hive has a set up! A bit like those gyms that give you global memberships I suppose.. but for mobile workspaces instead. Recently I was in Bangkok, Thailand, and so I just had to pop in to The Hive, Bangkok (Thong Lor) to check out the space for myself.

The first thing that struck me was just how open and well lit the space was. Much like The Hive Singapore, the Bangkok location relies heavily on natural lighting to give its wood-chic aesthetic a calm, relaxing vibe. Wifi is strong, and powerpoints are wired to each desk. Given the cost of living in Bangkok compared to Singapore, I could totally imagine myself relocating to Bangkok for a couple of months and working out of the Hive if I needed a break from the Singapore scene desperately without wanting to stop work completely..

Theres also a rooftop cafe and outdoor space where you can get a beer or coffee and hold casual meetings or just take a breather in the middle of the work day. I hear that they screen movies on the roof once a month too, which is something my own office back in Singapore is starting to do. Fun times!

And perhaps the most enticing part of The Hive Bangkok – in the basement sits The Hive Spa, which we definitely do not have in Singapore. But it makes so much sense for the geographical location of the place, for what is a trip to Thailand without at least one good massage? Can you imagine breaking off for a foot massage when things get too intense in the middle of your work day? It sounds like perfection to me..

I believe members get 50% off the spa as well. I checked, and the monthly dedicated desk in the Thong Lor location is about a third what it costs in Singapore, at about 200+ a month. So if I ever decide to migrate to Bangkok, that’s my workspace all set already…

Visiting The Hive Bangkok just reconfirmed what I already knew – that The Hive truly is the best coworking space ever. Love it that my Singaporean membership gives me access to the other locations. Currently besides the one I work in in Singapore and this one, there’s another one in another area of Bangkok and three in Hong Kong. I can’t wait for them to expand even more so I can turn into a full on digital nomad and just country hop from place to place, working off my laptop..