Rooral was featured on Condé Nast Traveler's Bright Ideas in Travel 2025. Read the full list of winners here.
In Spain, headlines and images of abandoned towns warn of rapid depopulation in the country's smallest villages. Many fear that Spain's vibrant culture will be left behind as rural populations thin out. But when I recently spent a month in Benarraba, a picturesque Andalusian village tucked into the mountains with just 350 permanent residents, those concerns seemed far away.
Strolling along the winding cobblestone streets lined with quaint white-washed buildings, I would pass a group of teenagers on their way to a coding workshop followed by a dozen women well into retirement age walking to the padel court with a 30-year-old traveler from South Korea. By sunset, I would take my spot in the community kitchen to make pasta topped with parsley from my neighbor's garden and run next door to borrow chairs. Soon, the dinner table would be filled by people from all around the world.
Scenes like these played out every day during my month-long visit, showcasing a spirited and diverse community rather than one at risk of total desolation. I was here with Rooral, a program that hosts remote workers in Benarraba for up to two months and facilitates connections between visitors and local residents of all ages. By operating as both a co-working and co-living hub, the nonprofit organization is injecting new energy, creativity, and money into the region.
Rooral is one proposed solution that leverages travel to help bridge Spain's rural-urban gap, an issue known as Espana Vaciada (Empty Spain). A few cities in Spain like Barcelona and Madrid receive 90% of the country's tourism dollars and nearly 100 million annual visitors, resulting in outcry and protests against over tourism in recent years. At the same time, young Spaniards are leaving the country's more remote regions to pursue education and corporate jobs in major cities, leaving 42% of the country's 8,000 villages at risk of total depopulation, according to governmental projections.
As longtime residents leave, cultural traditions are forgotten and agricultural practices that once economically powered these villages—like harvesting cork for crafts and wine production—risk disappearing as well.
Juan Barbed, Rooral's founder, witnessed how digital nomads could help reinvigorate rural communities and traditions after working remotely in over 40 countries himself. So when he came up with the idea for Rooral, he "wanted to build something where the community is at the core," Barbed says. "If it doesn't work for them [local residents], it makes no sense."
As temporary residents of the village, Rooral participants are encouraged to get involved in community events like Spanish lessons and potluck dinners or even host their own workshops to share a slice of home. I often spent my free time painting with a crew of local women, affectionately called "the grandmas" among Rooral members, or helping a neighbor tend to his herb garden and pick oranges from a grove on the mountainside.
One weekend, I visited Crestellina, a nearby farm, to learn about traditional goat farming and make cheese and ventured to adjacent villages where large-scale art installations are scattered throughout the hills. Other days, I'd stay in town and opt for a hike before ending the day practicing my Spanish with locals and new friends over tinto de verano at the bar.
"It's nice to see new faces in the village," says Anabel Zurdo, who has lived in Benarraba since she was a kid. "Rooral participants have taught me that everyone can fit in."
Rooral sessions last from two weeks to two months in the spring and fall, hosting visitors in three separate co-living homes in Benarraba. Participants can inquire about renting an entire house or a single room, and all have access to a fully outfitted co-working space with common areas, meeting rooms, and a terrace overlooking the valley. Typically, there are between six to 12 Rooral participants living in the village at a time, the majority of which are in their mid-30s to mid-40s.
On average, a single Rooral guest infuses about $1,765 into the local economy each month. Many of the village's whitewashed homes are only occupied during the warmer summer months, so Rooral provides social and economic stimulation at times when the town is historically less populated.
For now, Rooral only operates in Benarraba, but similar programs are starting to pop up across Spain—like Anceu, which offers a rural co-living program in Galicia. With any excess funds invested in local projects, the Rooral team is working to create resources so other villages can replicate the model. "One program like ours can't save all villages, and the only way for an initiative like this to work is to advance at the speed of trust," Barbed says.
Even short-term participants can decide to leave their mark on the community in a unique way. Kristinka Lazar, for example, used the time as an artistic residency to create a collection of paintings called The Gift of Being Seen, featuring 45 portraits of local villagers. Another participant named Kristel Peijnenborg︎ was inspired to create a map that denotes the pueblo's local businesses like the pharmacy and grocery store for future travelers as they traverse their new home.
Stumbling through conversation in my developing Spanish, I asked locals how Benarraba has changed in recent years. They shared stories of a tight-knit group of friends and family who never thought twice about delivering food to a neighbor or stopping on the side of the road for an impromptu catch up. Benarraba has always embodied neighborly warmth, but many noted that it felt even more lively since Rooral's arrival.
As my month came to a close and I packed up my bags, it felt like moving away rather than departing a vacation. With a thoughtful approach and community at the center of every decision, Rooral allowed me to call this pueblo home—even if only for a little while.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler