Meet April and Ashley. Two nomads traveling the world.
The idea for SocialStay started in Santa Marta, Colombia, where we were living and traveling as digital nomads.
We were part of a small group of nomads, staying in a coliving space and looking for ways to meet other travelers, connect with locals, and experience more of the community around us. And while we had our own little group, we wanted to expand beyond it and get involved in what was happening around town.
But we quickly realized just how difficult that could be.
Even in the coliving where we were staying in, there were activities and events happening that we knew nothing about. There was a dance class on the rooftop of our own coliving, and we had absolutely no idea it was even happening. We were living there for a month! There was no easy way to see what was coming up, get notified about activities, or even sign up to participate. Information might be posted on a flyer somewhere, but unless you happened to see it, you missed it.
And finding things happening outside our own building wasn’t much easier.
We literally had to walk around town, visiting different hostels and community spaces, scanning QR codes, photographing flyers, taking screenshots of chalkboards, and looking for random announcements posted on palm trees just to find out what was happening that week.
Want to find a yoga class? Meet other travelers? Join a local event? Find a community gathering? Good luck unless you happened to stumble across the right place or knew someone who could point you in the right direction.
We kept asking ourselves: Why is there no simple way to find out what’s happening around us?
Why should you have to physically visit five different hostels just to discover their weekly activities? Why should you miss an event happening in the building where you’re staying because nobody communicated it? And why isn’t there one easy place to discover activities, connect with other travelers, and get involved in the local community?
We knew there had to be a better way.
That conversation sparked the idea for SocialStay.
April took that idea and turned it into a platform, bringing her technical and design expertise to build a solution. After testing it with a local hostel, we started seeing what was possible.
But we envisioned something bigger than an event calendar.
We wanted to create a way for hostels, colivings, and other community-focused spaces to share their activities and experiences with a wider audience. A place where guests could easily see what’s happening where they’re staying, while travelers from other accommodations and locals could also discover and join in.
Imagine arriving somewhere new and being able to see the yoga classes, group dinners, walking tours, workshops, meetups, and community events happening around you — all in one place.
No more walking around town collecting screenshots. No more missing the rooftop dance class. No more wondering where everyone is meeting or how to get involved.
That’s the experience we’re working to create with SocialStay.
Because we believe getting connected shouldn’t be the hardest part of traveling.
Find your people. Discover what’s happening. Experience more of where you are.
Welcome to SocialStay.