Why is community so important for Nomads?
Everyone wants to live “the dream”, and for many, the idea of the nomadic lifestyle, jetting from one dream destination to another and living life on your terms and your schedule is about as close to this dream as they can imagine.
Whether you enjoy city life, island life, mountain views or tranquil countryside, getting yourself set up as a digital nomad / remote worker / online entrepreneur can have many, many benefits for your work/life balance and general well being and happiness.
However, there are some drawbacks or pitfalls which we must be mindful of and careful to manage if we really want to be happy on the road. One of the most common and widely discussed drawbacks of living a nomadic lifestyle is the potential to feel loneliness or isolation.
Think about it, those people who stay in one town, city or village for long periods of time say that they love knowing everyone, having family and friends nearby, and generally having a familiar community which makes them feel connected, safe and secure.
We nomads prefer the idea of being location independent and able to up sticks and move on whenever we feel the feet start to itch. And that is brilliant, but it also makes it much harder to integrate into any local communities. Even if we do make friends and become used to somewhere, we have to do it all again when we change location.
So, what is the answer? How do we combat potential loneliness and isolation on the road?
We think the answer has two sides to it.
1) Being able to quickly integrate into the local community (whether these are other nomads or longer-term locals) and
2) creating/joining a global network of other nomads and remote workers so that you are likely to have a few friends or acquaintances no matter where you feel like travelling to next.
What are some of the ways we can build a community or network of other nomads both locally and globally? And how will this community help combat loneliness for you?
How To Build a Community as a Digital Nomad?
There are many ways to build your community both inside the country you are living, and worldwide.
Join Facebook groups: Join some local Facebook groups and connect with other people in your area. There are local Facebook communities for most places I have ever been and locations that are popular with nomads already have dedicated Nomad groups where people can post and introduce themselves, organise meetups, talk about the best places to meet people and other networking opportunities. The more you get involved, comment or dm people to arrange meets, the faster you will build relationships and your network.
Take Up a New Hobby: Jump outside of your comfort zone by starting new hobbies or skills. Even better if these can be learned in a group environment. For example, you can try your hand at Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) or you could take up salsa dancing. Both of these are activities that you can join in group sessions and so meet others with at least one shared interest. You could also try group yoga classes or nature hikes with the same goal in mind.
Join one of the online platforms like Nomad List or one of the international nomad groups on Discord, telegram. Where Facebook can be good for finding local groups and communities, there are several platforms and chat groups like this that have large communities of nomads all over the world who connect online to make friends, arrange meetups or even arrange co working trips around the world.
Join a retreat or co-working/living trip with other nomads. Thanks to the rise in the number of nomads around the world, there are now lots of companies and individuals that organise co-working/co-living trips with groups of nomads who want to get a taste of living in different places around the world. There are also lots of retreats and workshops designed to help people realise their full potential, get closer to their goals, learn how to land a remote job or start an online business.
Join a new type of travel experience for nomads & entrepreneurs (or aspiring). At Digital Nomad Adventures, they have created a new style of travel experience which combines the best bits of nomad retreats/co-working trips with a group adventure tour, resulting in a powerful life-changing group travel experience like no other. The trips all finish in nomad hot spots and all round amazing places so you can keep living the dream in paradise with your new group of allies even after the trip is done. These trips are a guaranteed way to meet others in your situation, form deep bonds, experience many sides of the county, and ultimately have the most amazing time whilst getting closer to your dream life. Use the code”REMREB” and get 10% off!
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This weeks article is credited to Digital Nomad Adventures
Stay rebellious,
Michelle