How to meet like-minded people while traveling as a digital nomad - networking tips for remote workers
People often worry about feeling lonely when working remote. We do have a bit of a love-hate relationship when it comes to meeting people while traveling. You see, we’re big introverts and as a traveling couple, we already have each other. But that’s exactly why we’re the perfect people to write this guide because we’re NOT blessed with the skills of a social butterfly. We have met some of our best friends while traveling and as we are all digital nomads, we often have a lot in common already. These are our best tips for meeting people while traveling:
1. Pick the right destination
Pick a destination that is known to be attractive to digital nomads. This will make your life a lot easier because this draws a lot of people looking for the exact same thing you are. Here’s a list of 5 places where you will find a large digital nomad community:
Bali, Indonesia - Especially in areas like Canggu and Ubud
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Lisbon, Portugal
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Mexico City, Mexico
2. Community groups
There are many Facebook groups dedicated to digital nomads where you can find advice, share experiences, and meet people. You can find these groups by searching for “digital nomad” or “digital nomads [insert destination]”. Simply join a few and see if people are organizing something, or if you’re brave, ask if people want to meet for a drink or do an activity together.
NOTE: travelers are always looking to meet other people, but travelers in community groups are 100% certain looking to meet other people because that’s why they’re there. So don’t be afraid to reach out.
3. Social media
We met almost all our travel friends simply by reaching out via Instagram DM and asking to grab a coffee together.
You can also follow digital nomad influencers on social media for inspiration, tips, and potential meetups.
4. Hostels
Stay at hostels. Hostels are a great way to meet other travelers as they often organize group activities. You can find these at Hostelworld, Booking.com, or Agoda.
Don’t go for a private room, instead choose a shared room and don’t forget to hang out in the common areas. If you’re introverted, there’s usually an extrovert who’ll come up to you.
NOTE: one of our more extroverted friends told us that every time he’s in a hostel, he just buys a six-pack of beers, puts it on a table of a group of people, and asks if they want a beer. That’s it.
5. Gyms
This is perhaps the easiest one yet: join a gym. Simply start chatting with someone in the locker room, or ask them if they need a spot (this usually works great).
Especially if you go there for a few days, you start to recognize a few people and you can give them the good old gym nod.
(Article continues after this 👇)
(Back to the article 👇)
6. Break the ice
Strangers are friends you haven’t met before. This is a quote from the amazing Yes Theory who created a game that works as an icebreaker when meeting new people. We love it. It’s called Spark.
7. Short but sweet
The biggest issue with meeting people while you’re traveling is that at least one of you will leave again. We’ve met so many people, only to say goodbye after 2 weeks because one of us left for another country again. Especially if you’re a solo traveler, this can be quite rough.
So, what to do?
Embrace the short and sweet relationships - you might not always make friends for life, but you do have the chance to meet so many great people, even if it’s only for a short period. You basically have the friendship version of a honeymoon period over and over again.
Maintain relationships online - use the online world to keep in touch with the people you truly feel a connection with. Online friends can still make all the difference and you never know if you’re in the same country again.
8. Voice memos
This is something we only recently picked up but was an absolute GAMECHANGER for us: sending voice memos. Why is this such a gamechanger?
Chatting or DM’ing can feel very impersonal and it doesn’t really hit that feeling of connection
Video calling relies heavily on internet speed (which can be an issue when you travel) and you have to be available at the exact same moment (which can be a struggle if you’re busy or traveling in other timezones)
But, if you send voice memos, you can each do that when you have time and it feels very personal.
We see our best friends only a few days a YEAR, but we send each other hours and hours of voice memos every day.
9. You’re all in the same boat
It might feel scary to meet other people, or you feel weird being alone. But you have to realize that everyone who is traveling is in the exact same situation as you and usually looking to meet new people. So don’t be afraid to reach out or talk to someone, they’re probably happy that you do.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. We only add links to products and services we are enthusiastic about and the income goes to keeping this blog updated and free for everyone.