The Nomadic Network: A Community Update & More Events

Posted: 7/20/20 | July 20th, 2020

Last year, we launched The Nomadic Network, a global travel initiative designed to connect travelers with like-minded people in their area in order to inspire, educate, and provide them with the tools they needed to travel cheaper, better, and longer.

We wanted it to be a global travel club with chapters around the world. Something you could do in your own city but also one the road. (Want to make some local friends? Find a meetup where you’re going.)

This video of The Nomadic Network NYC chapter launch will give you a feel for what they were like:

Shout out to TNN NYC community member Rich for the video!

By the time March rolled around, we’d hosted over 37 events in 22 cities: Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Dublin (Ireland), Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Indianapolis, London (UK), Los Angeles, Madison, New Orleans, New York City, Paris (France), Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Washington, DC. (Note: Some of these chapters are still looking for leaders, so if you’re interested, apply here.)

Over 1,150 people attended our live events. In each city, we heard numerous stories about how happy members were to finally be able to exchange the travel stories they’d been dying to talk about with people who are just as excited to hear them.

But, when COVID made the world come to a screeching halt in March, so did our events.

Since then, however, we’ve been building up our online presence and launched three new endeavors to get people excited and involved:

First, we have been hosting virtual events. We’ve hosted discussions, speakers, Q&As, and travel game sessions so far. These events offer a chance for people to connect with like-minded travelers from anywhere in the world.

We’ve also hosted chapter-specific happy hours for people to get to know others in their vicinity while social distancing.

By doing these events, we’re continuing our mission to connect travelers with people and resources that will have them traveling cheaper, better, and longer when the world opens up again.

If you’re interested in attending a virtual event, here are our talks:

• Visiting Bhutan: What You Need to Know (Tuesday, 7/21)
• Celebrate FLYTE’s Five Year Anniversary (Wednesday, 7/22)
• Freelance Travel Writing in the Age of Coronavirus (Thursday, 7/23)
• What’s Your Traveler Footprint? Unpack your Racialized Baggage (Tuesday, 7/28)
• The Black Travel Alliance: Why It Exists & How You Can Get Involved (Wednesday, 7/29)
• How to Move to France (Thursday, 8/6)

We have more coming out constantly, so check out our full list of events here!

Second, we’ve started a community blog! It’s for those of you who want to share your story with other travel enthusiasts. Here are some recent posts:

• A Reflection on Italy During Quarantine, by Cassandra Santoro
• Less Is More: The Freedom of Not Having Much, by Catalina Muñoz
• How to Travel Sustainably and For Very Little Cash, by Kendal Karstens
• How Carson Studied, Worked, and Lived in Spain, by Carson Cree
• How Nabila Traveled as a Full-Time College Student, by Nabila Ismail

We’re looking to feature travel enthusiasts with all sorts of travel backgrounds who want to share their own unique story.

If you’d like to submit a post, please send an email to info@thenomadicnetwork.com with the subject “TNN guest blog post.”

Finally, we’ve relaunched our travel forums! For years, we had forums on the website, and now we’ve fully integrated them with our new community network so everything is under one roof. You’ll be able to ask questions, share your advice, and connect with other travelers!

Now that Lonely Planet’s Thorntree is shut down, the world needs a travel forum. Our goal is to make this the best one out there! So come over to our forums ask a question, share your knowledge, and meet some cool people in the process!

***

We’re focused on growing The Nomadic Network online right now, creating a space where travelers can learn, meet people in their area, ask questions, or share knowledge.

Best of all? It’s entirely free! All you have to do is create a profile to use any part of the website.

I’m super excited to continue building this program up, even if COVID-19 has quashed our in-person events for the foreseeable future. There’s no real club out there just for travelers and I want to build one. I think it’s the next step for this community and, whenever it is safe, I’d like to work towards creating like a giant event where we can all meet somewhere and hang out! (But one step at a time!)

After all, one of the things COVID-19 has taught us (or at least it has for me) is that we shouldn’t take community for granted.

P.S. – We also have an awesome Instagram page where we highlight travelers, upcoming events, and TNN members. Check it out!

P.P.S. – While this program is free, a lot of work goes into making it happen! If you’d like to support our community, please check out our Patreon where you can get untold travel stories, photos, weekly Q&As, free guides, courses, and more as part of your monthly membership. If you’d like to make a one-time donation, you can do so via Paypal.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)

Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all those I use — and they’ll save you time and money too!

The post The Nomadic Network: A Community Update & More Events appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

July 20, 2020 at 11:51AM

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