By Gabby Yan

Best Travel Communities for 2025

Key Takeaways

  • Travel communities help travelers connect, share advice, and find purpose, especially useful for solo travel, volunteering, or remote work.

  • Best travel communities (global & Bali-based): Travellerspoint, Worldpackers, Nomad List, Trovatrip, Outpost, Dojo, BaliSpirit, and local Facebook/WhatsApp groups.

  • Why they matter: They offer not just tips and tools, but real friendships, local insight, and meaningful connections on the road.

  • Types of communities: Digital nomad hubs, eco-volunteering networks, interest-based groups (yoga, art, entrepreneurship), and local meetups.

  • What to look for: Shared values, engaged members, offline events, safety, and inclusivity.

  • Bali as a hotspot: Known for active coworking spaces, community-driven wellness events, and an open, creative expat scene.

  • How to join: Explore forums, join group chats, attend IRL events, and participate. Communities thrive on contribution, not just presence.

Go alone if you want to go fast. Go together if you want to go far. That proverb might be ancient, but in 2025, it’s still how smart travelers move.

Let’s be honest: solo travel can be liberating, but it can also get lonely, expensive, and occasionally… confusing. Especially when your phone dies, the GPS stops working, and suddenly you’re very much not where that Instagram reel said you’d be. That’s why travel communities have exploded in popularity.

As of this year, there are over 30,000 active online travel groups, and they’re doing more than just sharing packing lists. They’re helping travelers find places to stay, events to join, and maybe most importantly, real connections on the road.

And not just any connection. We’re talking about curated groups with shared values: digital nomads in Bali co-living by the beach, eco-volunteers in Thailand building schools, or remote workers planning coworking safaris in South Africa. Yes, that’s a real thing.

This guide will show you where the best communities live – online, offline, and especially in Bali, where community culture is the beating heart of every unforgettable stay. Whether you’re in it for adventure, accountability, or a little kombucha-fueled coworking, we’ve got the networks you need.

Let’s find your people.

What Makes a Great Travel Community?

Not all communities are worth joining. Some are just glorified photo dumps with more bots than people. A great travel community? It’s alive. It gives. It responds.

Shared Values & Purpose

The best travel communities have a heartbeat, a unifying reason they exist. Whether it’s digital nomads chasing Wi-Fi, slow travelers chasing meaning, or wellness seekers chasing inner peace, these groups work because their members align. If a community’s values match yours, it’s not just useful, it’s magnetic.

Active Engagement & Support

Dead forums and silent Facebook groups are a waste of time. Look for communities where questions get answers, events get RSVPs, and members share updates like it’s group therapy. Engagement is everything. If people are helping each other without being paid to do it, you’re in the right place.

Opportunities to Connect IRL

Zoom is fine. DMs are fine. But nothing beats a real-world hangout. The best communities are those that spill over into real life, coworking sessions, group hikes, cultural tours, volunteer gigs, and even shared rentals. If a group makes it easy to meet up without it feeling like speed dating, bookmark it.

Safety, Diversity & Inclusion

We’re not here for cliques. Travel communities should be welcoming, respectful, and transparent. Bonus points if they’ve got clear codes of conduct and moderators who don’t mess around. You want spaces that value your safety as much as your wanderlust.

Best Global Travel Communities in 2025

Travellerspoint

Travellerspoint is one of the OGs. Part travel planner, part forum, part blogging platform. You’ll find route maps, travel blogs, destination-specific tips, and super helpful forums. The vibe? Veteran travelers helping rookies, and each other.

Why join: Clean interface, rich archives, and a planning tool that actually works.

The Hive Index – Travel Category

Looking for a specific niche? The Hive Index curates a collection of active travel communities across the web. From solo women travelers to hiking fanatics and digital nomads, it’s your shortcut to finding a tribe without wasting hours on Reddit.

Why join: Skip the spam. Get straight to value. Niche groups galore.

Worldpackers Community

Want to travel without burning through your savings? Worldpackers connects travelers with volunteer gigs around the world. You help, teaching English, working on farms, helping in hostels, and they give you a place to stay and a community to be part of.

Why join: Budget travel meets purpose. Also: free housing.

Lonely Planet’s Community Roundup

This isn’t a community itself. It’s a goldmine of ones to check out. Lonely Planet’s guide features inspiring networks from all over the globe, from remote work collectives to LGBTQ+ travel alliances.

Why join: Curated, trusted, and diverse. Also, you’re getting this from Lonely Planet. They know their stuff.

Trovatrip

Trovatrip is shaking up group travel by letting influencers, coaches, and creatives design their own small-group trips. It’s more than just a vacation. It’s a chance to travel with people who already share your interests, whether that’s yoga, photography, or marketing funnels.

Why join: Follow someone you trust. Travel with people who get your vibe.

Nomad List

Nomad List is less about travel advice and more about data, plus one of the largest online hubs for remote workers. Find out where to go based on cost, safety, internet speed, and even weather. Oh, and they’ve got real meetups too.

Why join: If you’re a remote worker, this is your Bible.

Best Travel Communities in Bali

Outpost Bali

Outpost is more than a coworking space. Outpost is a movement, connecting nomads and creatives across Bali and beyond. With locations in Ubud and Canggu, they offer coliving, curated events, wellness workshops, and strong Wi-Fi (yes, that matters).

Why join: Immediate tribe, great coffee, and a calendar full of events.

Dojo Bali

Dojo in Canggu is legendary. Surf in the morning, code by noon, network over coconut lattes by 3. They’ve got mastermind sessions, skillshares, beach cleanups, and a Slack channel that’s more alive than most social apps.

Why join: It’s Bali’s most plugged-in community for entrepreneurs and creatives.

Hubud (Merged with Outpost)

Hubud was Bali’s first coworking space before merging with Outpost. The same great energy still exists, now with more structure and reach. A perfect spot to plug in and zen out.

Why join: For mindful, mission-driven nomads who want to work and grow.

BaliSpirit Community

Not just yoga. BaliSpirit is a full-on conscious living hub. They host the famous BaliSpirit Festival, but year-round, they also run retreats, wellness events, and eco-conscious community initiatives.

Why join: Conscious community. Music, movement, and soul.

Facebook & WhatsApp Groups

Sometimes, the best stuff is grassroots. Bali’s local communities are thriving on Facebook and WhatsApp. A few must-join groups:

These groups are where locals and expats post everything: events, rentals, questions, rants, and beach party invites.

Why join: Real-time updates and real humans. The best way to stay in the loop while in Bali.

How to Join & Contribute to a Travel Community

Show Up and Engage Authentically

Introduce yourself. Drop a post. Answer a question. You don’t have to overshare your life story, but don’t ghost the group either. Communities grow when people contribute.

Respect the Culture

Every group has its vibe. Some are all business. Some are all feelings. Some love GIFs. Some hate them. Take 10 minutes to read the rules or scroll before jumping in.

Offer Value

It’s not about flexing how many countries you’ve visited. It’s about helping. Share a great local café, recommend a tour guide, and answer those newbie visa questions. The more you give, the more you get back.

Conclusion

Travel’s not just about where you go. It’s about who you go with or meet along the way.

Whether you’re posting from a hammock in Ubud or planning your next escape from a coworking loft in Lisbon, the best travel communities give you more than Wi-Fi and welcome drinks. They give you insight. Safety. Perspective. And in some cases, a very cool new best friend who happens to own a surfboard.

If you’re the kind of traveler who craves meaning over mileage, you’re in the right place. Join a group. Ask questions. Show up to that sunset meetup even if you’re jet-lagged and mildly suspicious of group icebreakers. You might roll your eyes, but then you might also end up dancing barefoot at a beach bonfire with 12 people who started as strangers.

Find a global tribe. Plug into a Bali crew. Build your own circle as you go. Just don’t travel disconnected in a connected world. The people you meet might just make your entire trip.

Go far, together.

Want more ways to connect with Bali’s vibrant travel scene? Our Bali Travel E-Guide includes insider tips, community hubs, and curated spots to help you plug in faster and travel deeper.

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