Selina
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Danijela Horvat
Freelance writer
Last update
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What is Selina?
Selina is an innovative platform that provides global hospitality services, from accommodations with amenities, to coworking places and extra entertainment activities such as indoor fitness, yoga, surfing, as well as outdoor adventures.
This program could be a perfect choice as an all-in-one inclusive package for international tourists, travelers, freelancers, self-employed people and digital nomads. Anyone who loves to go on a journey while still enjoying the comfort of home, and the necessary services to work may fall in love with Selina.
The company was born in 2014 in a small town with beautiful coasts full of fishers and surfers in Panama. It has grown into a great way to see the world, and connect with local cultures.
With a passion for traveling, Rafael Museri and Daniel Rudasevski started Selina as a hub for connecting global wanderers with numerous attractive locations and offering them whatever they need to have an authentically local experience.
Since then, Selina has expanded from Panama to dozens of nations and set up their destinations in more than 60 cities, from Latin America to Europe and beyond. The offerings of the company can change, so be sure to check its website for the most up-to-date information.
When booking an experience with Selina, visitors will not only get satisfaction from an attentive, customer-oriented service but also have an opportunity to take part in loads of activities organized and offered by the company.
From tasting traditional cuisine, to resting your body an exclusive wellness package, and immersing yourself in exciting Selina has everything needed for a novel experience in a new country. It also offers parties and wild nature adventures for people who want a bit more stimulation.
Our Community Drives it all
Join the community of remoters!
An Experience With Purpose
In addition to a comprehensive hospitality package for tourists and expats, Selina pays attention to contributing to the community and society where it operates.
Following the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN, the Selina team has designed and implemented an impact program to enhance living standards for their own staff as well as local development in the area where its clients visit and live.
These goals are divided into 4 components:
A training program that provides free hospitality mentoring, on-the-job-training, and job-seeking assistance to improve the employment rate for vulnerable people
A free educational program for the community with participation from Selina’s employees, guests and local members
Creating connections with local communities and engagement with Selina’s activities
Encouraging staff and clients to join in supporting charity efforts
Obviously, what Selina promises is beyond a mere comfy stay, and brings a great sense of inspiration and ethics to a traveling experience abroad.
How does Selina work?
Basically, Selina functions similarly to other hotel-booking sites. You can go to either the main website or download the mobile app, and find the section for checking availability.
In this page you input a destination, the dates for check-in and check-out, as well as the number of rooms you need and number of guests that will be traveling.
Then Selina will show you available options for your dates, with detailed information about price, tax, amenities, room descriptions as well as the number of unoccupied rooms that fit with your needs. You can switch between Private rooms and Shared rooms, and look into other options as well.
One great thing about booking at Selina is that it offers its clients a great deal of flexibility, and there is no prepayment required. Modifications and cancellations can also be made until 18:00 of the day before the arrival without any additional charges.
Selina offers Colive subscription, which comes as a continual month-by-month accommodation in different places around the globe, with free utilities (depending on options you choose) and optional extra services.
A month-based stay allows you to choose up to 3 locations to live in. To start with the Colive subscription, you first have to become a Selina member. On the Selina Colive page, you can pick up a region and (up to) 3 desired places you want to stay for a month.
After that, you will proceed with the selection of the particular type of room that most suits your favor. There are specified prices for each room option with the clear illustration for included amenities.
Once you have made your decision, the next step is to make a deposit of $100 USD to confirm your reservation.
After a month has passed, your subscription will be automatically renewed at the same rate, unless you have made a prior modification or cancellation (at least 7 days before the renewal date).
For booking rooms at Selina, tourists have access to all services offered, including daily wellness classes, surfing courses and tons of other conveniences in its ecosystem.
Each service comes with various packages and fees. Becoming a member grants more benefits, such as a free welcome drink, a 10% discount for every activity with Selina (for instance, shopping at Selina retail stores, restaurants, taking wellness classes, surfing, tours etc…).
Selina even gives members chances to earn Luna Nueva tokens from booking or taking part in volunteering work. Tokens can be used to redeem a free night’s stay with Selina!
There are lots more wonderful deals to discover, such as group bookings applied for a pack of 12+ companions traveling together, which would give the whole team a special rate for their trip.
How much does Selina cost?
What Selina charges you depends on your choices. Since Selina is a collection of different services, clients will pay for what they choose with the company.
It’s all up to you!
Fortunately, the site makes it super easy for nomads by clearly displaying all the prices in regard with respective services so that you can have a good idea on costs and services before making a reservation.
For a digital nomad who wants to book a regular accommodation for a short duration, after you specified the details and pushed the “Check Availability” button, the page will reload and automatically show the whole price, along with tax and discount and other promotions (if any).
It seems that the longer you stay or the more rooms/guests you order, the higher the price will be. You may want to check with the company about your specific needs, as there are loads of options that can influence the price.
Shared rooms come in a much lower fee compared to Private rooms, starting from only $17-20 USD (more or less).
That gives digital nomads on a budget a variety of choices for a comfy place without worrying over their funds, especially since Selina guarantees all customers can save 5% compared to any other booking sites.
In case you choose the Colive subscription, prices vary upon the region and room type. There are 4 types of room, Community room, Micro room, Standard room and Suite.
You can see the minimum price for each room in a given region here:
Latin America:
Community room From $324 USD/month
Micro room From $648 USD/month
Standard room From $1,080 USD/month
Suite From $1,800 USD/month
The US:
Community room From $846 USD/month
Micro room From $1,728 USD/month
Standard room From $2,880 USD/month
Suite From $5,400 USD/month
Europe and Israel:
Community room Starts from $468 USD/month
Micro room From $936 USD/month
Standard room From $1,560 USD/month
Suite From $3,240 USD/month
For Colive subscribers, a deposit of $100 USD must be paid right after the reservation is made, and this money is nonrefundable in most cases.
Each Colive package fee covers only one person, 25% of the price will be charged for each additional person you want to add to your package.
Other activities like gym usd, meditation, yoga, and surfing will be charged separately upon your registration. Selina offers different wellness classes at $5-10 USD, while surfing lessons range from around $50–70 USD, depending on the chosen level and type of class.
There are even luxury surf experience packages, which last 4-5 nights and cost substantially more.
Where will your next adventure lead you?
Complete a short quiz to know all your options!
Where do You Travel To?
Currently, Selina is present in 12 countries, stretching from America to Europe. Here is the list of places you can pick from for your break. Please check the website as well, as current travel restrictions may affect the availability of some of these programs.
In Latin America:
Argentina
Brazil
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Mexico
Panama
PeruUnited States
United StatesIn The UK / Europe / Middle East
United Kingdom
Portugal
IsraelBooking a room with Selina will give digital nomads access to services in over 60 cities and towns in the12 countries listed above and also allow travelers to interact with locals in a way that isn’t often available to tourists.
What is Included?
Selina offers a miniature society inside its ecosystem. Whether you are a single traveler or a pack of nomads that hold memberships, you will receive many benefits when traveling to Selina’s destinations.
In addition to amenities and appliances that come with each room option, Selina provides full on-site facilities for guests, including a swimming pool, library, cinema and so on, to maintain a high degree of satisfaction among its members and clients.
Above all, a strong WiFi connection is guaranteed, so that traveling freelancers will never be concerned about job interruption or a lack of access to the rest of the world.
People staying at Selina locations can access free coworking offices, where they can find a quiet space to focus 100% from morning to evening.
Selina coworkplaces are even equipped with conferencing devices, such as projectors and TV screens to help digital nomads easily conduct smooth online meetings with their partners from other nations.
Selina’s subscribers can invite their guests to visit and stay a couple of nights in a month.
And can you believe it? Even pets are welcome!
If you are exhausted from working, there are many things on the menu to refresh and boost your energy. You can do early morning meditation, or backpack and join in local adventures, from navigating rivers to jungle expeditions.
Selina is also famous for surfing, with many of their locations near beautiful beaches and offering surfing lessons for all levels, from newbies, amateurs to skillful surfers.
You can also just enjoy the sunshine, and listen to live music streams broadcast on SIMS (Selina’s International Music Summit).
How long is it?
A positive thing about Selina is that there are no restrictions on the duration of a stay.
If you book directly with Selina website or mobile app, you can freely choose how long you want to stay, and make adjustments if something suddenly comes up.
Just remember, any modification or cancellation of room booking must be placed no later than 6pm on the day before you arrive.
On the other hand, Colive subscribers will stick to a month-long stay, and can stay until whenever they like. The subscription will be automatically renewed every month, unless you ask to cancel it at least 7 days before the renewal date.
Cancellation orders made 15 days ahead of the first scheduled arrival will get a full refund except the $100 deposit USD.
Overall Selina has created a deep platform for digital nomads and online professionals that want to do more than live in a hotel room alone. If you want to meet locals, go on adventures, and see loads of new countries – Selina may be a great fit for you.
If you decide to travel and learn with Selina – we hope you have a great time!
