Remote Working in the Triangle: April Newsletter π
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Happy April, co-remote workers of the Triangle! After a regrettably long hiatus from this newsletter, we're back, and hopefully have some news good enough to make it worth the wait. One thing you might have noticed recently is a slight change in our name/logo. We're now Triangle Remote Workers & Digital Nomads. There are a few reasons for tacking on the "& Digital Nomads" bit. When I first started this group nearly three years ago, I was a bit torn about whether to frame it as a group for 'remote workers' or for 'digital nomads'. In the end, I opted just for the former, regarding it as good enough to capture both groups. "All digital nomads are remote workers," I thought, "but not all remote workers are digital nomads." I've come to rethink that though. I've met some interesting people at some of our events that DO consider themselves digital nomads, but NOT remote workers -- people in industries like tech or medicine that come through the city on rotations for several months, do actually go into the office during the day, but consider themselves very nomadic. So I wanted to signal to those people that this group is a fit for them. But there's maybe an even bigger driver for the name change. One of the main reasons for starting this group in the first place was that I want to shift more remote workers' mindset from "I work from home" to "I work from anywhere." During the long stretch of working strictly from home during the pandemic, I started to feel very isolated. The mind muscles I used for social interaction began to dystrophy, so when it was safe to go out again, I was eager to reestablish some routine human contact like what you'd get in an office, even as I remained a full-time remote worker. The first thing I did was start regular co-working meetups at coffee shops around town with other remote workers. Then, I began to travel more, staying at hostels and going on co-living trips to hang out with cool people as I worked by day and enjoyed the change of environment the rest of the time...and that became an even more rewarding perk of remote work. Most of us will never be full-on digital nomads -- hitting the road for years at a time without a fixed home. But I've become a big proponent of "digital semi-nomading." In other words, still having a home base, but leveraging your remote work status to travel longer and more often. That's why we started doing our 'co-working retreats' -- to provide one avenue for remote workers in the Triangle to travel socially and get the most out of their remote status. So while I hope formally adding "digital nomad" to our name will attract more hardcore digital nomads that are passing through our lovely city on their larger journey, I'm also hoping it promotes more of a "work from anywhere" attitude among our permanent resident remote workers. ...AND that brings me to the final reason for the name change, and a development that I hope will improve our capacity to offer more "work from anywhere" and "digital semi-nomading" opportunities. As some of you may know, there's a group in Asheville very similar to ours called AVL Digital Nomads. Recently, the leader of that group got in touch about forming a national consortium of remote worker/digital nomad groups, where groups like ours could connect, share ideas and resources, and possibly facilitate in-person connections. I eagerly agreed, and this new super group is called United Digital Nomads. It's still early days and what exactly this consortium will do is still under discussion. Our local group will still be independent (ie, it won't likely change much about our day-to-day events, except to give us good ideas), but I am hoping it will facilitate better connections and 'digital semi-nomading' opportunities with sister groups. As of now, we're four member groups strong including us, Asheville, and groups in Dayton and Chicago -- with more in the works. Stay tuned for what more this project will entail, but there will be one imminent bit of fruit it will bear. Read on... What we're up toThe other bit of big news is the resumption of our co-working retreats after, again, a regrettably long hiatus. For our next retreat we'll be headed to....*drum roll*....Asheville! We'll be going from Wednesday, May 29 to Sunday, June 2. As usual, you can co-work as needed and enjoy the fresh locale the rest of the time...hopefully giving you a nice five-day vacation without needing to use any PTO. But this trip will be a little different than our past retreats. Rather than renting a big vacation home, we'll be staying at The Lazy Tiger hostel. Once you express interest in joining the trip, we'll give you a discount code for the hostel and you can book on your own directly through their website. Or you're welcome to book your own separate accommodations if you prefer. We're not taking any money for this one, so either way is fine. The activities we'll do are still TBD -- the city is known for its amazing natural scenery at the foot of the Smoky Mountains, as well as for its hippy/hipster vibe and array of breweries, restaurants, museums, etc. But one activity we'll definitely be doing is meeting up with our friends at our new sister group AVL Digital Nomads. They'll be holding an event for us to join that Thursday night, which is sure to be a good time. We already have 15 folks signed up for the trip and there's still room at The Lazy Tiger, so if this sounds like fun to you, click the button below to learn all the details and sign up.
Our upcoming eventsReminder that these are only the events already confirmed, and they are subject to change. We often post new events less than a week ahead of time, so be sure to follow us on Meetup to stay up on them as they're posted or adjusted. If you're interested in becoming an event host or joining our leadership team in another context, please get in touch!
Other events of interestIn the Triangle
(Disclosure: Some links below this point are affiliate links, meaning if you choose to make a purchase/booking after clicking one, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. If you do decide to make a purchase, please help support us by doing so via our link). Outside the Triangle
Know of an event you think should be included next month? Let us know! Venue spotlight: Hayti Collective Kitchen and CocktailsNear downtown Durham, Hayti Collective is great place to do some remote work pretty much any time of day. During the day, there's usually plenty of room to spread out or co-work with some friends. In the morning, enjoy a selection from their lovely coffee and tea bar along with some brunch. Then later in the day, the place takes on more of a low-key sports bar vibe, with burgers, wings and sandwiches. Stick around until the end of the day and you can enjoy drinks of the alcoholic kind and maybe catch a live performance. (See website)
April remote work reads
Digital nomad/co-living tripsThese are organizations providing longer digital nomad trips around the world, in which you live, work and play with a group of fellow remote workers for anywhere from a week to a year (though most are a month or less).
Thanks for making it to the end. If you enjoyed this newsletter, send this link to a friend so they can sign up too. And if you have any other questions or suggestions, write to us here. Happy working! Eric Fish PS - Here are a few more resources I've found useful as a 'digital semi-nomad': βHostelworld - For finding fun, social places to stay while traveling with reliable reviews (and there are many hostels listed with private rooms). βDonateβ |
Eric
Founder of Triangle Remote Workers & Digital Nomads
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