Unpopular opinion: I skip most digital nomad meetups on purpose

They're often superficial and I'd rather connect with locals instead.

3 comments

3 Comments

These meetups can turn into this weird bubble where everyone just talks about the same surface level stuff. You learn WAY more about a city by making friends with a local shopkeeper or neighbor. Those random conversations actually mean something.

mila_fox981mo ago

My friend moved to a new city and tried those meetup groups. She said they were all the same small talk over and over. Then she got to know the owner of a hardware store near her apartment. He shared stories about the neighborhood going back decades, stuff you'd never hear at a meetup. That connection helped her understand the city's real character. Those random chats with locals just cut through the noise.

the_max26d ago

Reminds me of a buddy who moved to Portland. He spent months going to board game nights and hiking clubs. Then he started buying his coffee from the same old diner every morning. The waitress ended up telling him which streets flooded every winter and where to find the best cheap food. That one routine stop taught him more than all the planned events.