One of the major concerns that people have when they move to a new country, for the long-term or for a shorter period of time, is whether they will be able to build a social life. It can be daunting starting from scratch but there are many ways in which you can tap into the digital nomad community to find new friends and cool activities.
Most people have a mental image of digital nomads as being a very outgoing group who are always able to make friends easily but in reality many are socially awkward and there is a large correlation with neurodivergence. This doesn’t need to be a hindrance to making friends, as all it takes is the right set of circumstances and we will look at these in today’s article.
Malta is an incredible place to spend some time, and you can now spend a year or more there on a Malta Digital Nomad Visa. This is an excellent opportunity to take full advantage of all that Malta has to offer. It is far more than just another beach holiday destination and is packed full of cultural experiences and historical sites ripe for exploring,
The temperate year-round climate of Malta means that it is suitable for visiting at any time, not just in the Summer. With 300 days of sunshine on average per year, it is understandable that Malta is somewhere people want to spend a lot of their time.
Malta has a large digital nomad community and a thriving technology sector, largely because of the digital nomad visa that offers a preferential tax rate to remote workers. This has been a great incentive for increasing the number of startups and decreasing the average age of those who are flocking there.
Coworking spaces tend to be great for meeting other digital nomads and remote workers, as they often act as a social hub for activities that are happening in the area, and often organise their own.
It is often beneficial to join a coworking space so that you are getting all of the information about upcoming events fed to you regularly. As you get to know more people, you will begin to hear of events “through the grapevine” of contacts that you have accumulated, and this is when you know that you have made a success of your social integration.
The events that coworking spaces run can range from BBQs and pizza nights to board games, cinema visits, bar crawls, night club visits and even all-day catamaran trips. Malta also has a vibrant musical scene with some of the largest artists in the world coming to perform there.
One of the easiest ways to form friendships is to “meet people where they are”. This means that just by going about your everyday activities such as going to the gym, you will be meeting others who are doing the same thing. It is easier to bond with people over shared activities and new people tend to receive a warm welcome in most circumstances.
If hitting the gym isn’t for you, there are always other activities to take part in. You can take a class to learn how to scuba dive, or how to improve your marketing skills. There are many opportunities to attend classes in Malta on a wide variety of topics and these can be another great way to meet people.
If you are on your own, attending a pub quiz night can see you assigned to a random team, so you are thrust into the company of other people you haven’t met before. It can be a good ice-breaker and can lead to a really fun evening, as long as you embrace it.
Taking part in some sort of organised activity is one of the best ways that you can meet people and get to know them. There are groups that organise hikes all around Malta and this can be a great way to see the island in the company of other people like you.
There are many ways to find and integrate with the Malta digital nomad community, and one of the easiest is to stay at a coliving facility such as Evolve Coliving. This is an easy and low-pressure way to meet and spend quality time getting to know like-minded people from across the world.
The beauty of staying somewhere like Evolve is that it has a limited number of bedrooms, so the maximum number of people will be around 10-15, which is great for variety while not being overwhelming. The one-month minimum stay also plays a large part in community building and helps to foster deeper connections than might otherwise be achievable. Many people make lifelong friends at Colivings and proceed to travel with them all over the world.
Social media is a great way to find out about events. There are some expat Facebook groups where people share information about activities, and there is also Meetup.com, which has all manner of different social activities listed, from hikes to wine tastings. Both of these websites provide a great range of ways to interact with the digital nomad community and get to know people.
There are also specific Slack, Discord, Whatsapp and Telegram groups for digital nomads that you can join. These will typically have more up-to-date information and a wide range of events available than you may otherwise gain an awareness of.
This is what it means to hook into the community and really begin to feel a part of something bigger than just yourself. You will very quickly find events that you will want to attend and start to make friends when you go to them. It is important to remember that everyone is in the same boat and most people are kind and friendly.
Typically replies within an hour
I will be back soon
