HOW TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES AS A DIGITAL NOMAD

DIGITAL NOMAD

7 ways you can leave your positive mark on local communities as a digital nomad
Many local communities don’t appreciate digital nomads and think they only make their lives harder. Locals accuse digital nomads of going into places, increasing housing costs, and sectioning off services. Is that the case, though?

Tourism always has negative effects on the local communities. Let us tell you this isn’t what digital nomads want. We’re looking for experiences and beautiful places and once we find them, we’re not trying to destroy them.

Digital nomads are able to make a positive impact on local communities in many different ways. This article is dedicated to showcasing these different ways and teaching remote workers how to make a positive impact with their actions and habits.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Content
Volunteering
New working positions
Money spend
Ideas exchange
Visa programs
Diverse communities
Making connections
Good or bad for the local community?

Volunteering

Many holiday resorts look perfect to the tourist’s eye. There’s literally nothing negative about them. The food is awesome, the people are kind, the beaches are beautiful, etc. However, not a single one of these places is perfect. Locals know this but they’re trying to cover it up for your best experience.

Digital nomads that decide to stay somewhere for a long time (some months) should be aware of the place’s problems. Not only should they be aware but they should also be active and helpful. Volunteering is a great way to make yourself useful and make a positive impact on local communities. This way you’re actively trying to solve problems and provide for the community. It’s also a great way to meet new people and make relationships.

New working positions

Remote workers have needs and these needs create new working positions for the locals. With the increase of digital nomads, there was an increase in jobs like food delivery services, meal plans, coworking spaces. These jobs are mainly conducted by locals and that’s just one way digital nomads can help local communities.

Many companies also train their employees to be able to help remote workers. Many of them learn English and new digital skills. This way the company can make more money and both locals and digital nomads are happy.

Money spend

Digital nomads are bound to spend money wherever they choose to stay. This is obviously very positive for the local community as they receive more funds and global visibility. The best thing digital nomads can do if they want to support local communities is to choose local businesses instead of large chains.

You can get clothes, food, accessories, and anything else you need from local shops and businesses. This is a more direct way of saying thank you to the locals and collaborate with the community.

Ideas exchange

Digital nomads can bring knowledge and resources to local communities. Doesn’t matter if it’s work-related knowledge or cultural knowledge, everything can be useful to the local community. Many governments have noticed that digital nomads lead local people to an entrepreneurial lifestyle and mindset. That of course has many benefits for the local people themselves and the country’s economy.

But it’s not just entrepreneurship. Knowledge is always useful and communicating with people from all around the world comes with many benefits.

Visa programs

More and more governments are launching visa programs in order to attract remote workers to stay in their countries. We’re talking about favorite expat destinations like Costa Rica, Malaysia, Croatia, and more. Usually, there are visa requirements and in most cases they need you to have a high income. The requirements vary depending on the country.

This way governments can generate money. Many countries charge thousands of dollars just for a visa application. Even if you get rejected, they still make money.

Diverse communities

This way of giving back to the community doesn’t require spending money or hiring someone. It’s the simplest way to give back and that is to be active as a member of the local society. If time allows it, you should be part of as many communities as possible. What is it that you’re offering?

You’re offering diversity. You contribute to the creation of diverse communities that thrive through helpfulness, friendliness, and social acceptance. These diverse communities usually consist of young people and they’re always open to new perspectives and different viewpoints and cultures. We’re sure you’ll fit right in.

Making connections

Being polite and making connections is also a way of leaving a positive mark on the local community. This is pretty easy and straightforward. You can stop by some cafes or pubs, start conversations, meet new people, join local festivals or concerts, or join a sports club… your options are endless.

While doing all these, you’ll meet new people and make many connections. This way of making a positive impact can be combined with other ways we mentioned before like volunteering and diverse communities.

Digital nomads: Good or bad for the local community?

After mentioning some of the best ways a digital nomad can make a positive impact on local communities, it’s time to answer this critical question as objectively as possible.

We believe that digital nomads are good for local communities. They can boost the local economy, contribute to teams and communities, volunteer, and more. They can offer so much and help locals by sharing ideas and knowledge.

Sure, not everything digital nomads do is great but we believe their positive impact exceeds their negative one.

In this article, we mentioned the best and most effective ways a digital nomad can make a positive impact on their local community. It’s not just money you can offer as a digital nomad. You can also offer knowledge, culture, help, and support overall. We also made it clear that digital nomads make a positive impact more than they make a negative one. From now on, you shouldn’t be affected by any negative opinion about digital nomads and their contribution to local communities.
Lost Coconuts

Hi! We are María & Toni, digital nomads and creators of Lost Coconuts.

On our blog we share travel guides, tips for digital nomads and free tutorials with everything we’ve learned so that you too can start your own digital projects. About us

Now in: Madeira PT

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