Are you a digital nomad craving some connection? A digital nomad community may be just what you need. Learn how to meet other digital nomads and find your perfect community here.
The phrase 'new normal' has been much repeated since the beginning of 2020. The new normal of being able to work remotely was also one of the reasons why I decided to get a taste of a digital nomad community and lifestyle.
Since 2005, the number of digital nomads has increased by 140%. In the USA alone, a reported 10.9 million people see themselves as digital nomads. That equates to half the population of Beijing. If you consider yourself a digital nomad, you might be wondering where the other 10,899,999 people of this digital nomad community are?
Although termed in 1997, the word 'digital nomad' was only added to dictionaries in 2021. So, not everyone might fully understand the concept. As a digital nomad, this can make you feel a bit lonely, right.
(If you are unfamiliar with what digital nomadism means, here's the complete guide to being a digital nomad.)
So, it's time for a change. Find other like-minded & location independent people and share your digital nomad lifestyle starting from today.
This article aims to tell you where those other digital nomads are hiding, how to meet them, and a few of my own tips to consider when looking for a digital nomad community.
Digital nomads don't have a set office space. Coffee shops, internet cafes, or anywhere with WiFi can become the 'office' for the day.
So where does one start when looking for a digital nomad community? Fuerteventura, Spain was one of the most recent places where I travelled and lived for a bit over a month. For me, the main reason for choosing the Canary Islands as a destination was the weather, but also when looking for a place to travel, timezone was a very important factor.
As I was planning to work remotely, the starting point for me was to find a coworking hub. And although my research started off by looking for a coworking space, I also found my accommodation through that - so win-win!
As a result, I ended up renting accommodation in a place that also offered coworking and organised weekly events for digital nomads and remote workers.
So, before you walk into a coffee shop and ask everyone you see with a laptop if they're a fellow digital nomad, stop right there. There's a much more efficient way.
There are certain cities and locations - like the Canary Islands and Chiang Mai- around the world that are leading the way in nomadic lifestyles.
But how to know if somewhere is a nomad hub?
That's easy! The clues are low cost of daily living, visas which are easy to obtain, plenty of coworking spaces (this could be cafes or coffee shops), an increase in expat numbers, and of course, super-strong WiFi. For example, in recent years, Cambodia has been growing as a digital nomad hub.
If you're unsure, do your research online. Which brings us to the next tip...
There are many different Facebook groups, slack chats, and dedicated platforms to enable communication between digital nomads.
Most people start with an introduction: where they are, what they do and an interesting fact, request, or advice.
On Facebook, you can search for fellow digital nomads by the city where you're based. For example, if you're in London, type in 'digital nomads in London,' and you'll find a group with over 1.6k users.
If you prefer a digital nomad network via Slack, you'll even find job-specific digital nomad groups.
84% of people say being in a coworking space makes them feel more motivated and engaged. Essentially it is a rentable room or table in an open space with other non-site-specific workers.
Coworking sites are great because you can focus on your tasks, but also you'll have plenty of chances to tap into a digital nomad network. Depending on your rental, your package could even include perks such as free coffee and printing.
Coworker.com is one of the most well-populated search sites with over 250 000 coworking spots across 172 countries. Choose your country, and the handy map will show you the location of all coworking sites and rental prices. It's a quick tool to find digital nomads around the world.
You can choose the kind of environment you would like to work in, from private spaces, hot desks, or virtual offices.
Another mapping service, coworkingmap.org covers over 110 countries. Coworkingmap.org will even show you how many empty seats there are in the coworking spaces around the world.
At the time of writing this article, there were 147,178 empty seats. That's 147,178 chances for you to find digital nomad groups.
32 years old is the average age of a digital nomad, many of whom are flocking to coliving spaces, sharing with single professionals and students alike.
Coliving is rising in popularity throughout the UK and Europe because of the affordability, lifestyle flexibility and shared amenities. Think of it as a property with both private and shared spaces, an active community, and digital nomads support.
With a global directory of intentional communities on the site, you can search for bases by country. Many of the people that live in IC places have a shared purpose. As such, these places attract not just digital nomad travel groups but also people interested in commoning, sustainability, and start-ups.
This practical mapping website has gone some way in collating co-living spaces around the world. The best thing about this website is that you can choose your length of stay, meaning that you can hop around and stay at different host houses for short or long term.
Another tip I have to help you find a digital nomad community is to be open, go to events and meet people.
I can ensure that you will meet a lot of like-minded people in coworking and coliving hubs. Don't be shy! Introduce yourself to the many people also working remotely there and living the digital nomad lifestyle.
In addition to face-to-face events, as part of the digital community in Fuerteventura, there was also a Slack group meant for digital nomads who reside on the whole island. This also made it possible to find people with similar interests whether it's surfing, hiking, running or yoga. For me, I did not only benefit from the sunny weather but also met some inspiring people from across the globe. As another plus side, I also got some excellent tips from other nomads who had been living there for longer - e.g. I found a really good surfing teacher and a place to rent a car from (when the usual rental places had their cars all sold out for the whole month).
Join the community of nearly 90,000+ people who have taken their digital nomad life to a whole new level with e-Residency. If e-residents lived in one city in Estonia, it would be the third biggest city behind Tallinn and Tartu!
Estonia was the first country to offer this groundbreaking programme that allows digital nomads like you to become an e-resident and even start a business without being in the country. Estonia has essentially built an E-state, and digital nomads are joining by their thousands to run their companies remotely while on the road.
E-Residency has an active Facebook page that is open to all e-residents. It is also a welcoming community for anyone interested in becoming one. E-residents have created an independent organisation to support each other, called EERICA. And there are even e-residents launching a VC fund for early-stage e-resident entrepreneurs - supporting those in their own community with capital and sharing their competencies.
James Ware on why Tallinn is the best city in the world for digital nomads, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/tallinn-estonia-remote-working-digital-nomad-b2002277.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Independent.co.uk</a>It was like I’d spent my day working in a sci-fi film, only to end it with the reassurance of a classic historical novel.
E-Residency is perfect for digital nomads with no fixed location who want to start a business they can run from wherever they are in the world. And the programme has built up its own virtual digital nomad community.
