How I Made Friends Abroad

Hello! Hi everyone, I'm just gonna wait a few moments just to make sure people who are coming today are here and also to just get an understanding of if Facebook is working properly. I think it is working and I think I am live. So I'm really excited today to be on this live. I've been doing them for, you know, over a month now. And yeah, it's great to share my knowledge with everyone and yeah, just help people become the best digital nomads they can be, whether that's starting up a business from scratch and growing it into becoming a full-time income or like in this, uh, podcast, uh, this podcast live, whatever you want to call it, um, helping people become digital nomads with a lot of friends and community around them. So yeah, how many of you are already digital nomads? I'm just gonna wait, and if you could write in the comments, how do you make friends, that would be great to just have an idea of different things that people do to try and get friends as digital nomads. Yeah, no one's quite here yet. Usually people watch this Facebook Live after I've posted it. So yeah, always feel free to write a comment and I'll reply in the comments. Once I read it, once I see your message. And one thing I would like to also know is how many people in this community are afraid of leaving their hometown just in case, thinking that their friends might forget them, or they might be really alone and, and scared that they won't meet anyone. Maybe some of you are really introverted and you find it hard to make friends. So in this Facebook Live, I'm going to speak about how to make friends and also speak about how to stay connected with the friends you already have that mean a lot to you. Okay, so the quickest and easiest way to make friends. Let's talk about that first. Firstly, as a digital nomad in 2025, you are so lucky that you can easily sign up for a co-living. This is where you and a group of nomads are living and working together in potentially a big house or a shared accommodation of some sort, and you can depend on each other for your social life, but then also have work buddies because everybody as a nomad is, you, you know, working, not just traveling. So that's one way of doing it, going and living in a co-living space. If you, if you're on the group Digital Nomad Lifestyle, We Are Freedom Seekers, you will find so many people offering different co-livings throughout the year, and it's a great way to meet people who are already a part of this digital nomad community online who would be interested in, um, in hosting you and making sure you have the best digital nomad experience. I know some co-living spaces, they like to focus on food and going to different places for food. There's also WiFi Tribe, so you can be a part of a community and live somewhere for a month with different nomads in many different locations around the world. Um, there are some people who are just starting up or do it as a hobby just so they can have friends when they travel. I've seen some for Italy, for, um, all different places in Bali and across Asia. There are also some in Portugal. I think someone posted in the group something to do with Africa and doing one in Namibia. So have a look on the, um, on the group, uh, Digital Nomad Lifestyle We Are Freedom Seekers, and see what co-living spaces are available for you. The second that I would like to talk about is, um, going to hostels. Hostels are a great way, especially when you're young and you, you don't mind sharing a room with people, other people, but it's a great way to meet like-minded travelers rather than digital nomads. But travelers can be just as fun as digital nomads. They want to explore, they want to go to parties, they want to, um, enjoy the location that they're in. So although you might have to work, and I would recommend going to a coworking space for that, which is another great way to meet people and make friendships when you travel. But yeah, going to hostels is a great way to just, um, travel and meet people who aren't necessarily digital nomads, because sometimes it's nice to just meet people who want to have fun rather than work and play, uh, like you are. So yeah, I recommend hostels And there was one hostel that was really good for digital nomads and a great way to meet other people who are remote working and traveling. And that was Selena, but Selena's been bought out and now they're changing Selena. So watch that space too, cuz that might be the next, um, Selena, I guess, or the, a new version of Selena, Selena 2.0. So yeah, that would be, that would be what I would suggest if you want to go and meet travellers as well as digital nomads. The next one that I would like to look at is doing sports and activities. For instance, I was just in Tarifa for, for 3 weeks with some of my good friends, and I tried kitesurfing for the first time. Really hard, but really fun. And a lot of people go to Tarifa to kitesurf, and they have loads of beach bars with kitesurfers, and they have, um, and then whenever people are done at the beach, they go to these beach bars, which is a really great way to just meet people and connect with, connect with people who are interested in the same things as you. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I love trying out, new sports and activities. So it's a perfect match for me. So I really recommend going to have a look at activities that you'd like to do. It could be tennis, it could be paddle, it could be hiking. For instance, if you go to Nepal and hike Annapurna as an example, or if you want to hike Everest or whatever you're interested in, usually you go with a group. So you can meet people who are interested in hiking too. I also had a friend once in, in Greece and in Bulgaria. I've travelled with her a few times. She's really into capoeira, so I went with her to try capoeira in both countries. And yeah, it's a great way to just meet locals and also meet other travellers who are interested in the same sports as you. So I highly recommend going to sports and, um, and do activities that you love doing as a way of meeting people with common interests to you. I would also recommend meeting the locals. So one way that you could do that, that I did that when I was single, was going on to Bumble or Tinder to just meet guys and then just say, hey, I'm in the country for this amount of time, I'm looking for friends, and if you'd like to show me around, that would be cool. So that's another way to meet locals and meet friends and also meet other expats and digital nomads. So it's just a way of not being on your own. And Bumble offer, uh, Bumble Friends So if you're not looking to date, you can always make friends through Bumble. I think girls have a better time on Bumble than men, just because, um, I think men go on apps to secretly, um, try and find love, while, um, women are quite chilled out and, you know, they don't want to move fast into relationships and look for friendship first. And that's always worked really well for me. And lastly, my favourite way to make friends when I travel is going to Nomad events. So I absolutely love Nomad Cruise. I've just done Nomad Base. That's why I was in Tarifa. And I, I will be going to Alicante Nomad Summit next. Last year. So, um, yeah, I was just speaking to the founders of that, um, that event, the Alicante Nomad Summit, and they, uh, basically try and get locals and nomads to work together and create a better environment for everybody living in Alicante and Spain. So it just tries to connect people with volunteering and nomad events and ways of to meet and integrate with the locals and just different things like that, which could be great if you're trying to learn Spanish. And it's also really nice and it's, it's less of a touristy feel when you get to know the locals in one place, especially when you're living there a long time. So yeah, really go and check it out. It'll be definitely worth it. I'm also going on the, um, Nomad Cruise, which is one of my favorite ways of making friends. Um, there's like 200 to 300, sometimes 400 digital nomads all on one cruise ship, um, living a 5-star life and, um, going to workshops and ecstatic dance events connection events, workshops, and also business workshops, dating workshops, everything that you can think of about lifestyle as a digital nomad. And it has great networking opportunities. I mean, I've got tons of clients that I've met from Nomad Cruise, but then I also have made like some best friends who I just— I was just traveling with them in Tarifa. And yeah, we will hopefully see each other next month. As well. So you're never alone on Nomad Cruise, and it's a great way to meet, make friends and clients. So I definitely recommend it. Um, so yeah, I'm going on the cruise from Seattle to Sydney, and I can't wait. It's going to be amazing. It's 27 days at sea crossing the Pacific. Going to Fiji, Hawaii, American Samoa, Mystery Island. So it's gonna be such an adventure. I can't wait. And I'm gonna be with so many like-minded digital nomads who will hopefully become some of my best friends, just like on other cruises. I've been on 4 with, uh, Nomad Cruise so far. So I really recommend the, this way of making friends. And I'm really grateful to you, Hannes, who runs it, who is also really lovely. And yeah, I highly recommend it. So one last way, if you want to find out which events to go to, I recommend going on an app called Nomad Way. Really nice founders, don't want anyone to pay to be a part of the community. They're just doing it as an altruistic way to give back to digital nomads and make sure they stay connected. So I really recommend downloading Nomad Way as a way to find out different events, especially in Spain. So yeah, I highly recommend trying to find new ways of making friends, and if anyone has any other ways, put it in the comments and educate me, like how I'm educating you on how to make friends. Does anyone have any questions? Just drop me a anything that you want to say in the comments. I will read them and get back to you. Okay, so now I would like to talk about how to maintain friends as a digital nomad, because I do have a few people who've come up to me saying, you know what, I don't know if I want to be a digital nomad. I, you know, I don't really like the idea of not being around my friends, my community at home. I do want to travel the world, but you know, I don't want to lose touch with the people that I love. So here's what I have to say about that. You won't lose the people who matter to you and matter and care about you. You will never do that because those people will always stick around. They'll always stay in touch and they'll always try and get in touch with you whenever you're back in the country. Trust me, when I went remote traveling for 4 years, living out of a suitcase, I, I don't know, I just basically like kept in touch with the people that I wanted to, that I wanted and desired to speak to in the UK. I have 4 or 5 friends that I absolutely love and I always stay in touch with. Some of them already have kids. So they— their life changed and they're busy, and I always try and make sure that I'm up to date with stuff like that. If you make the effort to be in people's lives and they make the effort to be in your life, then you have a friendship that's stronger than anything, and nobody's gonna let that go lightly. So even when you're traveling, make sure that you send them a message or a picture and just keep in touch. Sometimes it might feel difficult because you, you're constantly on the go, you're constantly doing different things, you're constantly working, but make the effort and people will make effort back. And those are the people that you should stay in touch with. Whoever doesn't make the effort, whoever doesn't support you on your journey, then are they really a good friend? Are they really people that you want to surround yourself with? You want people who are like Fuck yes, I'm your friend. Fuck yes, you're the coolest person ever because you're traveling the world and doing this amazing life. Fuck yes, you have a great business. So that's what I have to say. Like, you won't lose the people who matter to you. You won't lose the people that really care about you and love you and appreciate you. And when I came back from 4 years of travelling, I got in touch with my friends, they got in touch with me because they were like, oh my God, you're back in the country, we have to see you. I want to hear about your adventures. I want to hear about your life. And I was the same to them. I was like, oh my God, what's changed in Swansea? What's changed in Bristol? What's changed in London? You know? I made sure that I was able to be a part of their life and interested in their life just as much as they were interested in my life. Another thing I will also say is you're going to meet some amazing people when you travel, and it's up to you and them to make the effort to be friends with each other. So even if you just spend a week with someone always make the effort to text them, find out how they're doing, and don't let that friendship go because travel friends are your international community. They're the people who are living on the opposite ends of the world that really understand you and care about you and you have amazing experiences with. My friends I've traveled in multiple countries with, I've gone to visit them in their homes, in Germany and in Portugal and in Hungary. And it's so nice to have that community that get my need to travel, but then also open up their homes and hearts to make sure that we stay connected. And I want that for you too. So I'm just going to leave here by saying, be kind to the people who make effort with you and make the effort with them. And never let go of the people who really matter to you. And that includes people from your hometown, people from your university, people from your travels, people who you meet at digital nomad events, people that you co-live with. If you can make sure that you have that community wherever you go and you're, you spend, I don't know, maybe a Sunday, couple of hours writing messages to all of these people, you will have that community and you will never feel alone as a digital nomad. And make sure that you go to events regularly, do sports regularly, do, do anything that you can, doing the things that you love to meet the people that will matter to you and care about you and can give you everything that you want. If anyone has any questions, just send me a message at Dina, Dina@digitalnomad.coach, or write DM. I'm always here. Dina Ramadan is my name. And yeah, I would love to help you and support you on your digital nomad journey, whether that's with lifestyle coaching or business coaching. I would like to be there to help you. Create your dream life. And that's what I'm here for. And I always have a few minutes, 10 minutes to help you on your journey. I love talking to you guys. Okay, well, that's me for now. This is a short one. I've done it in just under 20 minutes. I hope it was helpful. And all the best on your digital nomad journey. Bye for now.