07: Overcoming Fears and Building Community with Digital Nomad Magali
“Just show up and say “Hey, how are you? I’m from Argentina.” That first step usually takes a lot of energy….”
Biggest challenges as a solo-female digital nomad
Magali knew that her digital nomad journey would also have a lot of challenges. In this episode, she shares how hard it was at the start. One challenge was not having anyone around that could give her tips or share personal experiences she could learn from. Going through all the challenges on her own also became expensive. The challenges that she encountered were:
- Taking the first step to meet people: one of the things that still make Magali so uncomfortable every time she travels is not knowing anyone. Her solution, even though it can take a lot of energy and motivation, is to convince herself of going to events, meet-ups to get to know new people.
- The time-zone difference: she works with remote teams and has a remote worker and traveler she always has to be aware of the time differences.
- Learning and adapting: As a solo traveler she keeps working on herself and focusing on routines that help her to feel safe and help her grow.
Practical tips to take the first step for making new friends
It’s never easy to take the first step but you kinda have to if you want to make new nomad friends. Getting out of your comfort zone and putting yourself out there is complicated for almost every single digital nomad. For Magali, this is one of the most difficult situations while traveling. Getting somewhere new and not knowing anyone, not having plans, or even not knowing where to go to meet them. Therefore, as a person who struggles with this more often than not, she has some tips for all:
- Say yes! Yes to any event you find online, to any co-working space, any meet-up you find out about.
- Just remember that we are in the same boat. We are all alone and everyone wants to make new friends.
- Co-working spaces that have a large community are a great way to meet new people. You can get a short-term pass and join all events to meet new people.
- When traveling somewhere new, go on Goole and type “city that you are at + digital nomads”. You will get some Facebook groups, blogs and best meet-up places.
Meeting new people when you are on a tight budget
Many nomads who are just starting have a travel budget. Our host Nienke Nina had a tight budget but that didn’t stop her from building community. So, she decided that the best way to meet people fast was to invest in a one-month subscription to Dojo Coworking in Bali. That month she showed up to every event, talk, party, dinner, meet-up and created nomad friendships for life.
Traveling as a solo female digital nomad
As a woman born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Magali is very aware of what is happening around her. She developed a sense of danger. Because of this she always prioritizes her health, her passport her money, and keeping her cards safe. As sad is might sound, it did give her the advantage to take the necessary actions whenever she travels. Luckily Magali has had no infortunes as a solo female traveler!
How to handle fear
Starting this journey with a lot of fears and doubts it’s completely normal. Many people experience so much fear before they even start and end up not giving the digital nomad lifestyle a try. Magali describes this fear as a big gray cloud in her mind. The cloud blocks you from understanding what is going on and you will hold on to that fear. To step away from this fear she uses a method where she’ll write down everything that she worries about. She points out the details and by doing this she identifies her fears and can separate fear from reality. With this information, she can take precautions and don’t let fear get in her way.
Routine that Magali follows to help this lifestyle
Many digital nomads follow daily routines. This could be a morning routine and an evening one before bed. Creating a routine keeps you sane and helps you adapt to a new location. Key elements in Magalies routine are:
- Sleeping +8 hrs
- Drinking 3L of water every day
- Swimming or any type of exercise
- Keeping a journal and writing everything that she is grateful for. It helps her realize everything that she has and how hard she has worked for it.
If you want to know more about morning routines, we interviewed Michael Saukulak about the power of morning routines.
How to make working online easier and more pleasurable
Working remotely has numerous perks, but it also takes a lot of process and energy to make it successful. Not only for yourself but for the people you work with. The last thing you want is to be a burden to someone else.
Magali is part of a remote team with people from different countries and cultures. As enriching as that can be, there are always some challenges. She shared some tips to help her work online and combat these challenges.
- Overcommunicate: always strive for clarity around tasks and projects.
- Make sure that everything is available for everyone all the resources, and information, and that it’s online available.
Quick takeaways
- Get out of your comfort zone and say yes!
- We’re all on the same boat and all want to make friends and have the best experience possible.
- Know what is important to you and act on that.
- Find a company or clients that match your values.
Join the Digital Nomads Meet Up in Buenos Aires
Follow her journey on Instagram @magbejar
Listen to her Podcast @tienequehaberalgomas (It’s in Spanish!!)
Find Magali on LinkedIn
Meet your host Nienke Nina Instagram @nienkeninatravels
More Digital Nomad Stories Instagram @digitalnomadsdaily
