Traveling the world with a remote job is great fun. But there are some issues surrounding exploitation and sustainability that a lot of digital nomads forget. Tourism, in general, can often have both positive effects on a community (like more funds and international visibility) and negative effects such as greater emissions from traveling and sectioning off services and even places that are priced for tourists and not locals. So how can you give back to the local community as a digital nomad?
Volunteering
Every place has its issues and there are usually many help groups, activists, and non-profits seeking to change their local communities. If you join them, there is a lot of direct local change that you can influence. It might not seem like a lot—volunteering can be hard and thankless work and change can be slow to the point of feeling like pushing an iceberg up a cliff. But somewhere down the line, you will see people whose lives have been impacted by your collective action.
Volunteering also has the added advantage of learning not just about the nice and positive parts of your new destinations but often about their complexities and complications. No part of the world is perfect but it can sometimes seem that way when one is passing through. So volunteer for a good cause and help the local community make their part of the world better.
Connect
Connecting with locals is very important. From afar, most countries can feel monolithic in their people—as if they are all somehow very similar. But this is really just a mirage. Every country has diverse people with wide-ranging ideas about the world and about their communities. And the only way to get to know about any of this is by meeting locals face to face.
Thankfully, this can be pretty simple. Stop by some pubs and bars and get a conversation rolling. Don’t be shy to introduce yourself. Maybe people won’t talk to you right away but there might be someone who will want to have a fun chat. Local events such as concerts, dance performances, and sports clubs can also be a good place to meet people and get them talking. Once you do talk, you can learn from one another about the world which can be a powerful way to have a positive effect on a community.
Support local businesses
One direct and simple way to affect a community is giving money to local businesses as opposed to large chains. It can often be the case that digital nomads have a bit more disposable income than locals so making sure that you buy locally sourced food, clothes made sustainably within the country, and accessories and other goods from local artists can be a huge help. Make sure you find pubs run as a labor of love, that you seek out small flower shops and stylish cafés with one or two tables. After all, these places are there for the people who call your destination home. Supporting them can go a long way towards making the community happier.
