How do you stay connected with your local community?
I do some freelance writing for a local magazine and I try to get out and attend as many community events as possible—another great thing about being remote: I have the time to!
“Local” in my case means wherever I live… And my social life in each country really depends on how long I live there. Actually, it has a lot to do with how long I ‘intend’ to stay there. So right from the beginning, my ‘time projection’ influences how my social life evolves and it also depends on whether it is my first time there, or if I’ve been there before.
Ever since mid 2000s, ever since we stay for shorter periods of time in each place, besides my husband, my social life consists of sometimes family and friends visiting, sometimes with old friends living locally, sometimes new ones…but most of the time, it is with any new people spontaneously appearing in our life, and with whom we share a special moment and feel a special connection with! Of course, after we leave, our friendships keep ongoing through social medias…
As for my ‘nomads’ community, connection is mostly online…but I also sometimes travel to meet them in person, like I sometimes go to conventions, etc.…
I make ample use of social media tools, while also making sure to take frequent walks and to go on adventures around the area.
I attend meet-up groups with my kids and get out in the community often.
I volunteer at local schools, and am involved with the local youth soccer team.
I attend meetups in cities I visit, and I contact colleagues when I’m in town and hang out with people they know. I do not have a local community “back home.”
Visit the shops, stores, and restaurants that make up the community, and get to know the people who make the community a valuable place to live, work, and play.
I look for local events happening whether political or social to support local culture like art and music, and organizations to join that connect entrepreneurs or women in business. I recently volunteered with the Creative Women’s Circle, an Australian women in business network, to launch the Perth chapter and connect creatives in the community to share advice, ask questions, and mentor each other.
I recently visited a few fashion stores in Perth, Australia, where I’m based some of the time, to speak with their owners and learn about their challenges. I like to give some of my time where possible to support the community and make it a better place to live for all of us.
I volunteer for a local nonprofit and I serve on my local neighborhood association.
My children are my connection to my local community. Through them, I’ve met other moms in the area that I enjoy hanging out with. Facebook and Instagram keep me in touch with what’s going on in their life and their kid’s lives.
My remote and flexible schedule has also allowed me to volunteer for PTO activities. Being in touch with the school system makes me feel my children are safe and cared for.
The HoneyTrek Facebook page has been an amazing tool for staying connected with previous co-workers, old friends, new friends, and family. We are in communication with hundreds more friends now that we are remote, than when we were full-time in NYC.
Creative meetups, working in coffee shops, and sticking to a schedule—yoga every day at the same time, the coffee shop every week at the same times, etc.
I stay connected to my local community through participating in a nonprofit organizations doing volunteer work and meeting up with bloggers during blogging events in the city.
I go to user groups, code camps, conferences, meetups, have lunch with lots of different folks doing different work.
Creating community is a struggle with this lifestyle I have chosen. In the early years of travel, I met new travelers every day, and they were often fast friends. In more recent years, however, I am looking for a way to continue traveling for part of the year, but I would like to pick a spot and have an apartment somewhere with a desk of my very own. It’s been nearly a decade since I had that luxury.
Volunteering. I’m fortunate to have a career that allows me a lot of freedom, so to speak. On my down time, I do like to volunteer at my local library.
Volunteering is always a good way to stay connected to the community. On a more micro level, I literally talk to my neighbors when I walk the dog. She’s much more approachable than I am, and people want to stop and pet her. You get to know a lot of people that way.
I’m a longtime performing musician and have lived in NYC since 1992 so that keeps me as connected as I want to be.
