BUILDING A COMMUNITY FROM LONELINESS TO BELONGING: FINDING YOUR COMMUNITY AS A DIGITAL NOMAD IN MALTA
The digital nomad lifestyle sets you up to explore the world, all while building the working life that you want. Recent advances in technology have made it easier than ever for professionals to work while they travel and to find work environments that they truly connect with.
While this is a great opportunity to experience life like never before, it has its challenges too. Once you’ve sorted out travel details, planned work projects, and made sure you are prepared for everything else on the professional end, one problem remains: how are you supposed to find friends?
With no office culture or a regular place to go, you may feel a bit overwhelmed when thinking about how to connect with people in a new place. Luckily, with the recent boost in the popularity of digital nomad living, there are more resources than ever to help you find your community.
Let’s look at Malta, for example, an island country that’s a haven for digital nomads. Sunny beaches, great seafood, and a relaxed atmosphere are only a few of the pros of making Malta your home base. So, how does a solo digital nomad find like-minded people to explore this beautiful country with? Let’s take a look at a few strategies:
Co-Living Spaces
Co-living is designed to be as flexible as needed, which makes it perfect for digital nomads and remote workers. Similar to a hostel or hotel, a lot of co-living spaces will have amenities like security, gym facilities, and common areas. Some of these spaces are even designed specifically for digital nomads, so if you’re looking to build your community in Malta, a co-living space might be the perfect place to start your search.
Whether you’re staying in Malta briefly, or want to park yourself at a co-living space on the way to finding something more permanent, take advantage of the culture and common areas at places like Evolve Coliving or Coliving Campus Malta. You’re almost guaranteed to meet people who share your values and work style and possibly even work in the same field as you. It’s designed to be a sharing and giving style of living, so don’t be shy, go ahead and make some friends!
Co-Working Spaces
Somewhere along the way, people realized that the isolation facing digital nomads could also be fought through the use of co-working spaces. If living with roommates isn’t really your style, you can still beat the loneliness by setting yourself up to work in a place with other digital nomads. Often, remote workers will prefer spaces like this over cafés and libraries because of their specific, focused atmosphere.
The co-living spaces listed above actually also have some nice co-working space available. You can easily rent desks and offices, and there are tons of other places around Malta that offer the same options. Check out Soho Malta (modern work environments with three different locations to rent from), Grand Central (options from hot desk to boardroom rentals, plus rooftop space for breaks), or Mindo Coworking & Serviced Offices (a tight-knit community with lots of networking, as well as permanent rental options) and see if any of them fit your needs!
Networking Events & Meetups
While you’re there, keep your eyes open for any events and meetings that are just for digital workers in Malta. If you’ve already had the chance to meet a couple of people through co-working or co-living spaces, a good way to start is by tagging along with them to any industry-building events nearby. This is where your chances to network start to skyrocket because you’re sure to meet a ton of people who share your interests and career goals.
Sometimes the events are industry-specific, or just focused on giving professionals a casual meet-up environment. There will probably be a few of these events held at the co-living or co-working space of your choice, so be sure to look out for any event ads in and around where you’re working.
Online Groups & Social Media
If you’re having trouble making your Malta connections IRL, it might be time to turn to the internet. Luckily, the digital nomad community in Malta is thriving just as much online as it is in the real world. There are quite a few helpful online groups, such as the Malta Digital Nomad Community, that stay quite active and make efforts throughout the year to have their members meet (the Malta Digital Nomad Community meets every two weeks for events ranging from cruises to DJ bar nights).
It’s also very worth opening up social media to see what connections you can find. For example, the Malta Digital Nomad & Entrepreneurs Community group on Facebook, boasting over 2500 members, has a lively chat consistently going on amongst its members. You can find travel tips, opportunities to work with or learn from other nomads, or simply source out a few new friends to go for a hike or picnic with. Remember, every digital nomad is likely eager to network and connect just like you, so don’t be afraid to send a message and see who will join you for some Maltese adventures.
Think Outside The Workplace
It’s important to remember that you aren’t just in Malta to focus on work. Of course, you have to stay on task and get your projects finished, but if that’s your only goal, you might be missing out on one of the best parts of digital nomadism: freedom! See if you can find a local club, class, or workshop that fits in with your interests. It’ll be healthy and relaxing to get your head out of your work for a little bit of time each week, especially if a lot of your other friends in Malta work in the same field as you. Try a yoga class, join a casual sports team, check out record shops and festivals, and stay on the lookout for other one-off fun activities. Chances are that you’ll meet a bunch of new friends if you keep showing up and putting yourself out there.
Intimidating as it may seem, building a community while working in Malta is easier than ever before. Whether you’re more comfortable meeting new people in person or online, you can rest assured that there are plenty of events, places, and groups where other digital nomads are excited to meet you. What are you waiting for?