‘This digital nomad lifestyle, it’s really, really good, but it’s only good if you know a lot of other people who are doing this as well. During my travels I found it hard to get anything done if you’re not surrounded by other people who are living this lifestyle as well. I also realized that it’s very difficult to meet other digital nomads. I started a guide [what’s now WebWorkTravel] and I was trying to get more people interested in this topic and looking for other people who were doing this because in 2010 there were not really very many. 

One day I saw a super cheap travel offer for a cruise that was going from Las Palmas to Brazil and I just posted this on the Facebook group I created, thinking we could get all of these people to travel to different continents together because everyone follows the same patterns—you leave in November to escape the Winter. I thought wouldn’t it be great if we just basically all connect on that ship and then go travel and work together?’

‘The Nomad Cruisers are a mix of digital nomads, remote workers, entrepreneurs and freelancers. They are creative and passionate people at different stages of their digital nomadism/remote working. Nomad Cruise is for beginners as well as for pros because we believe that we all have different talents and we can all learn from each other.

The groups are heterogeneous concerning age, gender, nationality – 30 different nations/trip -, experience, skills and interests, yet homogenous regarding open-mindedness, and a love for freedom and travel.’

‘One of the fun things about Nomad Cruise is that there is something different going on every day. What is common in all 40 talks and workshops is that they are all organized by our participants for our participants.

During the days at sea, a day starts with a big breakfast before the morning talks. After lunch, there are plenty of different workshops and mastermind sessions. These can be inspirational events or full-on business oriented. There are sessions on SEO, programming, marketing, finance but also on breathing, relaxation, relationships and balance. Talks are open to the entire group, while workshops are limited to smaller groups to make them engaging and more hands-on.

We use the afternoons for meet-ups, mastermind sessions, special events like 30 second pitches or speed networking, relaxation by the pool or to make use of the leisure facilities on board, go to the gym, for a run or play basketball. Everybody can organize their own events at this time, and the outcome is often mind-blowing.

Depending on our itinerary there are island stops either in the beginning or at the end of a trip. It’s another fantastic bonding opportunity. Just to go and explore the islands together with so many like-minded people who embrace traveling to the max, is such a rare opportunity for many, who are usually on the road all by themselves. We usually leave the ship together in the morning and then either organize basic excursions to popular spots or the groups split up into smaller groups. We meet back for dinner, which is usually wild with all the stories people have to tell about their days.’

‘Nomad Cruise is just the beginning. After our arrival, everything changes. Suddenly you have a global network of new friends you can rely on, new potential business partners, travel companions, and soulmates. Many team up to travel and work together or meet in different places around the world.’

‘As the number of people working remotely grows, so does Nomad Cruise. On our 5th trip, we hosted more than 260 participants – now we are dreaming even bigger. We believe that the most valuable outcome of the cruise is the network of like-minded people, so why not gather as many inspiring, talented participants as possible? A bigger group also means an even wider range of experiences and professions, therefore a more diverse pool for skill-sharing and bonding events on board.

We will also introduce new routes, so that we can discover new spectacular places together and add more items to the 22 countries we have visited together so far.’

‘The digital nomadism as we are experiencing it today is just the beginning. The concept of working remotely has established over the last years and without a doubt: the number of people who can work location independently is growing fast. As the world adapting to these new needs and technology is evolving at a fast rate, it is getting easier and easier to live the digital nomad live. Thanks to the continuously improving internet speed and availability, the number of potential workspaces is growing, together with the number of businesses aiming to cater to the needs of digital nomads, offering coliving and coworking places for them worldwide. Many companies also realized they had to keep up with the new trends if they wanted to be attractive employers, therefore they offer more freedom and remote job possibilities to their employees. Match the millennial values with these possibilities and you’ll get a skyrocketing trend in digital nomadism in the coming years.’

‘A lot of freelancers and remote workers have the possibility to work remotely and travel, but people make it too complicated to start. What I would suggest is that if you want to try it out, start small. Take a ‘workation’ and fly to Spain, or to Lisbon. Explore, connect with some digital nomads, and attend some events. It’s not like you have to rent out your apartment or uproot your entire life. Having done it personally for five years, you don’t endlessly travel. You’ll eventually establish a base. People shouldn’t make it so complicated to start. It’s simple to buy a plane ticket to somewhere new, maybe bring a few friends from your coworking space, and see how it works for you.’