One of the most exciting parts of being a digital nomad is finally having the freedom to go anywhere in the world. Everywhere you go and everything you do is almost entirely up to you. This freedom is one of the most alluring parts of becoming a digital nomad. However, it can also lead to loneliness – one of the hardest parts of being a digital nomad.
That’s why one of our top pieces of advice for digital nomads is to find and join a digital nomad community to help you make the most of your life as a nomad. When you join a digital nomad community, you gain a network of people to help you make the best of your location independent lifestyle.
During the tough times, you may need to lean on these other nomads if you’re feeling lonely or lost in your business. Other times, you’ll benefit simply by having someone to trade secrets for finding cheap flights.
Fortunately, you’re never far from a digital nomad community these days. Even if you’re traveling alone, you can meet other digital nomads in countless places online and in person. To help you find a community of your own, here are the 15 best digital nomad communities around.
Where to Find Digital Nomad Communities Near You
As the digital nomad movement has grown, so have the opportunities to meet and connect with other nomads. To find a community of digital nomads near you, you can always start by checking the following places:
Facebook Groups
Currently, Facebook groups are probably the number one way digital nomads find each other. Facebook groups are used for everything from planning meetups to coworking events to finding digital nomad roommates in Bali. Other Facebook Groups worth checking out may not be solely digital nomad focused, but revolve around remote work, such as the Laptop Lifestyle Entrepreneur.
Simply use the search bar within Facebook and search for variations of ‘[Your City] + digital nomads.’ You may also want to replace digital nomads with words like ‘expat.’ Join a few of the groups that come up and you’ll be able to ask questions about networking, meetups, and getting adjusted to your new city.
Meetup.com
This website is exactly what its name says. Meetup.com is a site that is used to organize in-person events for people with shared interests. There are meetups in cities around the world for different hobbies and lifestyles – including digital nomads.
Coworking Spaces
There’s a reason why we included coworking spaces when listing our top cities for digital nomads. Coworking spaces aren’t just a great place to get work done, they’re also perfect for meeting other digital nomads. Most coworking spaces try to foster a community amongst members. To do this, they host workshops, networking events, and casual happy hours. Even if you work well at home or from a cafe, you should consider joining a coworking space for the community.
In-Person Digital Nomad Community Meetups
There are countless meetups held by digital nomad groups all over the world. If you’re heading to any of these popular digital nomad destinations, here are a few to get you started.
1. Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai ranked #1 on our list of best cities for digital nomads largely because of its incredible digital nomad community. If you’re looking for other nomads in this northern Thai city, Remote Collective hosts a weekly nomad coworking day.
2. Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon is probably Europe’s hottest digital nomad destination right now and as a result, is home to a massive, lively digital nomad community. This city is a great place to live, work, and meet other nomads. This is largely thanks to groups like the Lisbon Digital Nomads, who host weekly coworking days, meetups, and even social events like comedy nights.
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina
As one of the most popular landing spots for nomads in South America, Buenos Aires has a rapidly growing digital nomad community. The Buenos Aires Digital Nomads Meetups page hosts several weekly events. Weekly events include everything from drinks at local coworking spaces to comedy open mic nights to skillshares to help you build your remote business.
4. Barcelona, Spain
One of our top cheap places to travel in 2020, Barcelona is becoming popular with digital nomads and tourists alike. The Barcelona Digital Nomads meetup group, in true Spanish fashion, hosts everything from weekly social events to wine tasting and tapas nights.
5. Gran Canaria, Spain
This Spanish island off the coast of Africa is so popular with digital nomads that it’s home to Nomad City, an annual conference about the world of remote work. Here, the Gran Canaria Digital Nomads Facebook group hosts a weekly event where you can meet other digital nomads over drinks and food.
6. Koh Phangan, Thailand
While Koh Phangan has been famous for its monthly full moon parties for years, it’s now an emerging digital nomad destination, as well. On this laid back island, Cospace hosts weekly coworking at their brand new coworking spaces, as well as weekly salsa dancing, island excursions, and sunset drinks.
7. Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City has become one of the most popular digital nomad destinations in the Americas. The Mexico City Digital Nomads Facebook group hosts coworking days that are also a weekly lunch, which is perfect for a city known for its incredible food scene.
8. Tbilisi, Georgia
Another rapidly growing digital nomad destination, Tbilisi consistently cracks the top 10 on Nomad List and is home to the Nomad Summit 2020. To foster this growing digital nomad community, Lokal Tbilisi hosts a ton of interesting meetups centered around fun things like board games or running, as well as monthly skillshare sessions.
9. Bali, Indonesia
Bali has become almost synonymous with the term digital nomad. For the most part, digital nomads on the island either live in Canggu or Ubud. While each area has its own smaller groups, the Bali Digital Nomads Facebook page has almost 15,000 members and is the best place to stay up to date with meetups, as well as yoga classes, charity events, and beach clean-ups.
Online Digital Communities
As digital nomads, we embrace technology. So it only makes sense that some of the best digital nomad communities can be found online. In these communities, you’ll be able to learn skills from other nomads, find digital nomad jobs, or even find a date with a fellow nomad – which could mean no more awkward goodbyes with Tinder dates. Here are the best digital nomad communities online.
1. Nomad List
Nomad List is arguably the most popular resource for digital nomads. The site’s primary claim to fame is its Digital Nomad Location Rankings, which scores different digital nomad cities and ranks them accordingly.
However, another strength of Nomad List is its community of digital nomads. On Nomad List, digital nomads can chat and arrange meetups with other nomads in their city. Users can also ask questions and leave reviews about specific digital nomad destinations.
2. Global Digital Nomad Network
This Facebook group is over 46,000 members strong and is a great place to discuss all things related to the digital nomad lifestyle. Topics discussed include marketing hacks, business collaborations, top digital nomad destinations, and personal stories from other traveling entrepreneurs.
3. Digital Nomads on Reddit
Reddit is home to thousands of interest-based communities called subreddits. The digital nomad subreddit was created back in 2009 when most digital nomad jobs were reserved solely for IT workers, so there are a lot of longtime nomads in this group.
Here, both newbies and seasoned vets are welcome to ask questions, swap stories, or provide advice to their fellow nomads. Just remember to use the search bar before posing a question, as it’s likely already been asked 100 times.
4. Digital Nomad Girls
As the name suggests, this private group is exclusively for female digital nomads. The group’s mission is to inspire, empower, and connect digital nomad women from around the world. With over 13,000 members, the Digital Nomad Girls Facebook group is a great option for aspiring female nomads looking for a helpful, supportive community of women.
5. Nomad Soulmates
Nomad Soulmates is a digital dating site exclusively for digital nomads. Because, let’s face it, meeting people can be hard when you’re always moving from place to place. Nomad Soulmates brings together like-minded people who understand the digital nomad lifestyle and everything that comes with it.
6. Remote Jobs for Digital Nomads
For many digital nomads, finding ongoing freelance work is a regular part of their schedule. This is one of many Facebook groups that focus solely on finding remote work opportunities for digital nomads. Members of this group can post whether they are looking to hire talent, know of a remote job opportunity, or if they are currently looking for work.
Go Find Your Community
Traveling alone doesn’t have to be lonely. There are plenty of places to connect with other digital nomads all over the world. So whether you’re an aspiring digital nomad or you’ve been on the road for years, try moving to a digital nomad hub, checking out your local coworking spaces, and joining online groups for digital nomads.
And if you can’t find a digital nomad community that suits your needs, use some of that entrepreneurial spirit and create your own!
