What Nomads Have to Say About Winter in Bansko
by Gabriella Tutino
Here at Coworking Bansko, we could give you a million reasons why winter is the best time to visit our town and join our nomad community space: the snow activities, the warm and comforting Bulgarian dishes, the welcoming community we pride ourselves on. But instead of listening to us, why not take the word of fellow nomads who have visited Bansko or made it their temporary home? We’ve interviewed a handful of Coworking Bansko members past and present who love Bansko come the winter season. Read on to see what they have to say!
Name: Minne Marlo
Occupation: Therapist and founder of own business, Compass to Connection. I used to do online therapy but decided to do more holistic work, which includes the body.
Originally From: Belgium.
What drew you to Bansko?
I really liked the community. I liked the people I met. I decided to stay for a weekend. Then I came back for a week, and then I came back for another week, and then I came back for a whole month, and then I came back for three months. In the end I stayed, maybe, it was six months to a year in total.
When did you first visit?
I think it’s two years ago, almost exactly this week. I remember it was one time before my birthday. I’ve been a few times, about six times I went to Bulgaria. I had a few friends there but I’ve never been to Bansko, l was always in another city.
So, I was traveling around Europe, not as digital nomad, but I was working online, working at whichever location. One of my friends I knew, Jurgen, moved to Bansko permanently and I decided to visit him just one night.
What do you love about Bansko in winter?
I don’t do snow sports. What I liked about it was that I could experience the seasons. It gave me a sense of home to experience the winter. And another thing is of course the community that is there. That was very inspiring for me to build my business to the next level. I definitely felt I was growing there as an entrepreneur.
I definitely loved the coworking space. What was most interesting, for me, is the lack of activities in the middle of nowhere, so it gave me a lot of focus on working. That plus all the spa facilities. I really enjoyed the hot springs and different spa facilities.
Favorite winter activity in Bansko?
A lot of games. The main things I did there in the winter was the community activities, like cooking together, potluck night, personal development workshops.
One recommendation for readers and other nomads:
Definitely take a hike in the snow and find the secret hot springs. Also, get out of your comfort zone and participate in as many of the community activities offered as well.
Name: Vladimir Dimitrov
Occupation: Designing t-shirts in the E-commerce space.
Originally From: I’m originally from another small town in Bulgaria and moved to England when I was younger. I came back to Bulgaria because of Bansko. I never thought I’d ever come back to Bulgaria, but Bansko is different.
Times you’ve visited Bansko:
I came about three years ago, when the coworking opened. I didn’t join the community but came and snow boarded. This time I decided to join, figured it would be more productive. I’ve been a member since December 2018.
What drew you to Bansko?
The mountain; I do everything you can imagine, snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, snowshoeing. And the community and the digital nomad community combined together.
When did you first visit?
Three years ago whenever they opened in the 2016/2017 season. Back then, I wasn’t your typical nomad because I never went to the coworking spaces before, didn’t think I’d need one. At the time I found some other nomads who didn’t join, so I was just riding and hanging out with them.
What do you love about Bansko in winter?
The snow. I’m addicted to snowboarding. This year I think I was there [on the mountain] every second day. And the fact that you know you could live here and snowboard for really cheap. It’s not the best resort in Europe but you can’t have the same combination of quality slopes and affordable lifestyle.
Favorite winter activity in Bansko?
Aside from snowboarding, the hot springs. It’s veen better when there’s snow around the hot springs and you can do hot and cold like the Finnish style thing: roll around in the cold and then jump in the hot water. And we’ve done it before. I love the hot and cold temperature difference. It’s good for your body. Izgreva in Banya is my favorite.
How does Bansko compare to other ski towns?
I just visited Mayrhofen in Austria, that’s twice as expensive. But funny thing is, the season pass in Mayrhofen is pretty much the same price as Bansko. You get four times as much as Bansko, in regards to skiing the slopes, but it’s really expensive to live there. I don’t think I’ve heard of anther town that has a coworking space.
[Bansko] is smaller, but I’ve never felt like I was really bored. You could always think of stuff to do, learn new tricks. And you get to know the terrain really so well you have a lot more riding off-piste.
I also love the freeriding in Bansko. It’s got really cool tree runs. There are official slopes and then you can go off trail, you’re not covered by insurance or anything, but it has really accessible trees, makes it safe from avalanches. It’s probably my favorite thing ever.
One recommendation for readers and other nomads:
I would recommend them to come for three months and get the season pass. Otherwise, they have to wait in a queue. With a season pass you get a fast track entry to the gondola.
About the Author
Gabriella Tutino is a NYC-based freelance writer, book reviewer, and court reporter. Her work appears on Tor.com, Comics MNT, the US Review of Books and Highbrow Magazine.
You can find her travel blog here: https://gabriellasadventuresblog.wordpress.com/
