54. Building a Thriving Digital Nomad Community

Monica and I share exciting news – we're moving to Medellin, Colombia! Our love for Latin America drew us in, and we're eager to explore the area!

In this episode, we dive into a key topic we talk to several of our clients about building a community as a digital nomad. Our experiences have taught us how to connect and belong while living a location-independent life, and we want to share them with you

Tune in to learn about our journey, insights, and tips for creating meaningful connections, no matter where you are.

You'll learn:

• How to find a digital nomad community in person
• How you can create or join an online community of like-minded people
• The benefits a supportive community can bring to your travel lifestyle

Sign up right now for the Digital Nomad Kickstarter beginning May 6th and learn what you need to get started as a digital nomad!
https://austinandmonica.com/digitalnomadkickstarter

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Connect with us on Instagram by following @austinandmonica

Visit our website: AustinandMonica.com

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Transcript

1:43

Hello and welcome to the Profitable Nomad Couple podcast. This is a show where we share all of our secrets about building a sustainable, location-independent lifestyle. We're Austin and Monica. We're a digital nomad couple here to help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset, ignite your passions, and develop a purpose-driven online business. Get ready for weekly insights and inspiring stories to empower you to live life on your own terms. So are you ready to unlock the nomad mindset and embrace a life of limitless possibilities? Let's dive in! Hey everybody and welcome back to our podcast. First of all, we want to share some fun news. Monica and I have finally decided where we're going to live this fall. And if you follow us on Instagram, you already know, but we are going to live in... General? Medellin, Colombia. We are super excited to be back in a Spanish-speaking country. We're going to share more details about that again on our Instagram. So if you're not following us, go find us at Austin and Monica. We're going to share all about our experiences there. We're going to be posting lots of pictures and stories. We're just super excited to be back in Latin America. It's been a hot minute. Yeah, it's definitely been a while that Latin America for both of us, well, except for you, I guess. Both of us except for you, so just me. Latin America was our first international trip. For you though, it was your first, for both of us, it was our first time moving abroad with Latin America. So it definitely has a big piece in our hearts and we are very excited to go explore Medellin. We've heard really good things about it. So if you've been there, we would love to hear your recommendations. Again, Instagram would be the best place to reach out to us. Yeah, just over a month from when we're recording this, I guess. By the time you hear it, it'll be less than a month. Yeah, wild. And I think today's topic plays really well with this idea of moving to Colombia because we're going to be talking about building a community as a digital nomad. And we wanted to address this one and have a full episode about it because this is one of the biggest concerns people have when they're starting out their digital nomad lifestyle or they're talking about it. And I think the concern is, you know, if you're moving around so much, how are you going to make friends? How are you going to build a network? How are you going to build a community? There's I think an assumption or maybe some sort of myth that digital nomads don't have as strong of a community. And so we're hoping to address some of that today and share with you how you can build a network of friends around you and build a community of people who have similar interests as you and are like-minded people. It's a huge pro in our minds of being a digital nomad is you literally can make friends with hundreds of people from all around the world. We have friends in almost every region of the world because we've been traveling and we've met people on our travels. I mean, instead of being a con, I actually think it's a pro. I think there's a big upside to being a digital nomad and meeting more people that you otherwise wouldn't. Yeah, I think I really underestimated the value of community until I started moving around. And now that I because we move around so much, we have to be really intentional with our community. It means so much more to me. And it's been such a big, I don't know, just blessing, I guess, in our lives to be able to move around and create a global community as well as strengthen our community that we had when we left. So anyway, we're going to go through some tips and tricks of how you can go about building your community, your networking system and your support system as you are traveling around. So we're going to share some tips for how to find a community, how to find people to hang out with and to bond with. And all these tips that we're going to share, I think they all work really well, both for your personal life and personal interests and hobbies and things like that, but also for the business side of things, like other business owners and kind of more of a businessy network and kind of mastermind kind of groups. And so I think they work in both situations. I also want to address those of you who are listening who maybe feel more shy towards these kind of things or more introverted. I'm definitely an introverted person, so it takes me a little bit more. I put more energy into it, put myself out there, and it's a little bit more scary. I just want to reassure you, the traveling community, the travelers are some of the most open, friendly, inclusive people that we've ever met. And obviously that's a generalization. Not everyone's going to be like that, but generally this community is incredible with opening up to people and being friends with everybody. So just put yourself out there and I promise you won't regret it. Yeah, that was really good. OK, so let's talk about where you can meet people. One of the easiest ways to meet people is by going to events or activities that already interest you. So, for example, if you're a runner, find a running group. If you like surfing, find a surfing group. If you like games, like, for example, I also love board games. And so we found a board game group in Da Nang, Vietnam. And so when we showed up to this group with a bunch of strangers, we already had something in common. We all loved board games. We all loved getting together. We all love the strategy. I don't know, just the whole environment of the game night was super fun. And then, you know, we were able to find people who liked to go surfing and we'd go surfing together, like to go hiking, we'd go hiking together. And it's so nice to have a starting point of something that you already both have in common. Yeah, that one just makes a lot of sense to me. You already have shared common interests. And so if you don't know what to talk about, just start talking about whatever activity you're doing, talk about your experience doing it, when you got started, why you love it. And I think that really quickly can hit off some good conversations and make some really good friends. And the really nice thing about this, too, is, like, honestly, it can start with as small as just one other person. If there's one other person who's interested in this thing, you can find them and get together. Like, it doesn't have to be this huge group, which also might help if you're intimidated by large groups of people. So our next tip for finding your community is to find local events. So like a festival, for example. And you can just find these by walking around and seeing what's happening. That's how Monika and I found an arts and food festival that was happening in Chiang Mai. We were just walking around the old town and we saw them setting up chairs and band stuff and all sorts of decorations. And so that's how we learned what was going on. You can look at local newspapers. Sometimes they have, like, tourism boards or they have, you know, flyers posted on different places in different buildings. Or you can even just Google, like, what celebrations are happening in this place that you're living at the time you're going to be there. And you'll find all sorts of events. There's almost always some sort of celebration, festival, holiday, you know, anything like that. Yeah. And then going right into our third place to find people, which kind of really ties the first two together, is to just search online. So things like Meetup, Facebook groups, Eventbrite, AirBuby experiences and so many more options will help you find these festivals, help you find these groups that are already established and help you find other opportunities that you maybe didn't even think of. That's the beauty of living in the digital age is you can find anything online. So if you don't know where to look, just Google it. I'm sure you'll be able to find something. Facebook groups. Monica and I have used Facebook groups so many times and that's like a gold mine for finding groups of people finding certain activities. And it can be as simple as searching like your location, digital nomads, and you can find a group of people or you can even search by specific activities. So you can search in a Facebook group for, you know, Da Nang Vietnam surfing and you can find a group of surfers or pickleball and you can find a group of pickleballers. So like it's really that simple. You just search where you are and what you want to do. And I almost guarantee you will find a group of people doing it. Yeah. And like Austin kind of touched on before, this is also a really great way for networking in your business. So you can find different business meetups. You can go to workshops. You can collaborate with other people doing the same method just by searching online. Meetup tends to be a really good place to find business meetings, but I'm sure you can find them. Another great way to find a group of people to meet up with and find things to do in a new city is to join a free walking tour. You can just Google the city that you're in, free walking tour, and you can probably find something. You might even be able to find something on YouTube. And this is great because on one hand, you get great exercise and you get to walk around and get outside. You also get to kind of learn how to navigate the new area that you're in. So you learn where landmarks are and you learn. You'll find different hidden gems and different things that you didn't know were there. And then if you do it through an organization that's offering a free walking tour, you can meet up with other people who are also brand new to the city and trying to learn it and then get connected with them through that. Yeah, one of my favorite types of walking tours are through the market, especially when I'm in a place where I don't recognize a lot of the food and the spices and things that they use. Just to go on a market tour where they can point out the foods, the spices, the prices and just things like that. It just helps you, number one, get more comfortable in the place you're in. But also then you kind of have that, you know, that group of people you're with where you can lean on them, you know, in the future. If you're like, shoot, I do not remember how to buy salt. And you can reach out and get someone to help you find that for you. Yeah, you can also find a lot of events through any sort of co-living or co-working space. So hostels or co-living apartments, if that's where you found your housing, co-working spaces or cafes, because a lot of digital domains go to cafes to work. Monica and I mostly when we travel, we mostly do have our own living space because, you know, as a couple, we just like having a little bit more privacy. But I would imagine if you are living in a co-living space or a shared hostel, like it'd be so easy to meet up with other people and just start up. You know, you can strike up a conversation in the evenings or in the mornings and make really good friends that way. And then I know a lot of hostels and co-living places like that offer events, you know, get together events and parties and things like that. So you can meet other people that way. And it's a little bit of a less intimidating way to get to know people. Yeah, especially when you're solo traveling and you go to a hostel and you find a bunch of other solo travelers, it's a really good... It's just really natural to meet people that way. I will say, though, there is a little bit of caveat if you are at a co-working space or at a cafe, do be respectful. I mean, people are there to work and not necessarily to socialize. And that doesn't mean that you can't meet people that way. In fact, sometimes if you go to the same cafe, you notice other people who are also in the same cafe. You can meet up before or after work or like on your lunch breaks and different things like that. So just be cognizant of that. And then it's not a good way to make friends if you keep disturbing people while they're trying to work. But other than that, those are really good ways to make friends. Another good option is to volunteer at an organization that you're passionate about. Now, this is a really fun way not only to meet travelers, but local people. So, for example, almost everywhere we go, there is some sort of English teaching learning program. It's a really good opportunity to volunteer. You can maybe learn some of the local language as well as share some tips and tricks about learning English and help some other students who are trying to learn English. Yeah, I mean, this could be literally anything that you have a passion for or are interested in. It could be eco-friendliness. It could be art preservation. It could be something religious. It could be teaching language. If you volunteer with an organization, it's going to be kind of the same idea as like joining some club or group of something that you're passionate about. Like this is already something that you have an interest in. So you get to contribute to this cause that you feel so passionately about. And then like an added bonus, you get to meet other people who share that same value. OK, so let's dive into meeting the locals. I know this is something that a lot of digital mom has to struggle with. They really want to be connected to the local culture, but they feel isolated. They feel like they have a hard time making friends, connecting to people, and they find themselves just gravitating to other groups of digital nomads. Well, there's nothing inherently wrong with hanging out with other digital nomads. In fact, we love hanging out with other digital nomads. There is an element of importance in my mind. It's really important to take the time to make that effort to connect with the locals, especially when you are in their home country, like you are the guest in their home. And so it's important to try to make that effort. It does take some time and it does take some trust. The biggest thing that you can do is to make an effort towards learning their language. And now you're not going to be fluent. And, you know, if you're only there for a month or two, you're not going to ever get to the point where you're fluent, but take some time to learn at least the pleasantries. And the more you kind of make this effort, the more you're going to see that they make an effort to reach out to you as well. Yeah, I think that's one of the quickest ways to jump into a friendly encounter with somebody is if you're attempting to learn some phrases or learn their language. Most people love it when you're trying to learn their native tongue. And we're going to do a full episode on tips and tricks for learning the language and how you can do that faster. So we're not going to dive into all of that right now, but that's definitely a good way. Going back to volunteering, you can find locals who are volunteering for similar causes and meet them that way. And then this one might just be oversimplifying it, but just be friendly. Like when you're walking down the street or if you get an Uber or if you're on the train or at some restaurant, just just be nice and be friendly. And it's super easy to strike up a conversation. And it doesn't, you know, don't put pressure on yourself for it to go somewhere and like become a friendship. But a lot of friendships can definitely start that way. Yeah, I definitely think some eye contact and a smile will go a very long way, especially since most of the time people everywhere are kind of glued to their phones. So if you're out in public and you just nod and smile and say hi to people, people are going to be drawn to you because they want to be around somebody who is that happy and positive all the time. Our next tip is, it kind of goes along with this. It's a great way to meet locals. It's also a great way to meet other digital nomads is to just wander around and be present. This is how we met a really good friend of ours. Well, we met her through a Facebook group, but then Monica became really good friends with her because she was wandering the beach and ran into her and she's like, hey, don't I know you from that group? And I ended up spending what, like an hour, hour and a half? Yeah, spent a while just walking down the beach, chatting with her. And it was because Monica was was out wandering and was just open to having conversations with people. I mean, we we like recommending that people take some time to wander and get lost in the city because it's a fun way to find, you know, special things to do. But it's also a fun way to find special people to talk to. Yeah, that was actually Rebecca. She's actually been on this podcast. So if you haven't listened to her episode, definitely go back and listen to it. She ended up being a really good business connection for us. She helped us find our podcast manager. And it's just really like we still keep in contact. Like we just love her to death. So it all came from the fact that I was like, I need to get up and stretch. And instead of plugging in my headphones, I was open to the fact that I might meet somebody. And we ended up spending an hour and a half to two hours wandering the beach together and just talking about life. And it was fantastic. OK, the next one is to join a mastermind. So this could be business related, but it could also just be a group of people who are striving to become better. You can find a really good mastermind with some like-minded people who are constantly working on improving themselves or improving their business. And typically these will be virtual, but they don't have to be. You might be able to find a really cool in-person one. And typically there is a bit of a cost associated with this one, but it is a really great way to build a sense of community while you're traveling and to surround yourself with really high achievers. Yeah, Monique and I, this summer, joined a mastermind and it's all virtual. It's all online and it's not necessarily, I mean, it's definitely not with other digital nomads, but it's with other coaches and with other people who are striving to grow and improve their business. And it's been one of the best communities we've been a part of. It really helps curb the loneliness factor in business, especially when you're doing an online business. There's that element of, you know, going out alone. It can feel a little bit isolating. So having this mastermind has been really instrumental in us feeling connected to other people who are also striving for the same thing. And it helps us stay motivated and it helps us stay productive. You can also join digital nomad conferences and digital nomad events. There's all sorts of these nowadays. There's one that's been really popular that we've seen a lot. It's a digital nomad cruise. There's also Nomad Summit, which happens once a year. Nomad City. There's, I mean, there's a plethora of these different conferences and events. So you can just Google ones that you're interested in and find some. But I mean, that one's going to be specifically for other travelers and other digital nomads. So that's going to be a really good way to get connected with people who are like you. Yeah. Another really good way to do that is to go on group trips. There's tons of different companies and people who facilitate group trips now. And so that's a really fun way to like spend the week really getting to know people. It's more of a kind of a deep dive. Like you spend a lot of time with these people. So hopefully it works out really well. But it's a really fun way to, again, just find people who have the same interest in you do. And there's all kinds of cool group trips. Like there's one that I've had my eye on for a really long time where you go sailing and biking for the whole week. So then you would know that the people that you're hanging out with are also outdoorsy people who also really like adventure. You can kind of pick a group trip that kind of fits your personality. Yeah. Mesh that with the very first thing we talked about. Find a group trip where people are engaging in activities that you are already interested in. And then our next one is to join some sort of digital Nomad membership or forum. A really, really popular one is Nomad List. And there's different chat forums for different countries or different regions. And so you can get connected with the people that way. You can find out what activities are going on or what people have thought about different cities or different countries. A lot of these are paid, but there are several that are free to join. There's a lot of Slack forums. We don't have any specific ones to recommend. So again, just go ahead and Google it. Like Google Digital Nomad Slack Forum for this country or the city. And I guarantee you'll find something. Okay. If all else fails, if you have tried every single one of these things and find that you still do not have friends and a community, I would say you're lying and you haven't tried all of these things. But if you have and you haven't been successful, then maybe it's time for you to take the power back into your own hands. Maybe it's time for you to start growing your own network. So online, that can mean building your reputation and personal brand through content creation, attracting like minded people and maybe even organizing some meetups or some kind of Zoom party. In the online space, something I really learned when it comes to building a community is sometimes it just takes a little bit of initiative. People want to talk to you. They want to be your friend. They want to be helpful. They want to be a part of your community. They just need an invitation. So sometimes all you have to do is extend that invitation. You have to reach out to people both online and in person to give something in order to get something back. I think that's a good point. Most other people are also wanting to build a community and there's a really good chance that these other people are just as, I mean, if you're a little bit apprehensive about it or like not sure about it, there's a good chance they're feeling the same way and they're waiting for someone else to initiate or waiting for someone else to start. Maybe there's someone else who wants to form a Magic the Gathering group in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and they're waiting for you to start it. You never know until you get it going. And then I guarantee there's so many people out there in the world. You're going to find your group of people. You're going to find your tribe that you connect with. That's why we travel, right? To connect with other people. So I love this last one. If you can't find what you want out there, create what you want. Thanks so much for joining us here on the Profitable Nomad Couple podcast. We appreciate you listening to us today. If you enjoyed this episode, share it on Instagram and be sure to tag us at Austin and Monica. Together, we can inspire others to embrace a location-independent lifestyle. And while you're there, we'd love to connect with you. So make sure you follow us for more tips and inspiration on living your dream location-independent lifestyle. Until next week, remember that you have the power to shape your own path. So stay curious, stay adventurous and stay connected.