A Day in the Life on the Nomad Cruise
What is a Nomad Cruise? Before I get into why it was the coolest and most impactful conference I’ve ever been to, I need to explain something to you…The Nomad Cruise is a paradox:
“The whole idea of the Nomad Cruise is incredibly ironic, yet novel at the same time.”
Digital Nomads
On one hand, you have digital nomads, those who live a life of locational independence — working and living in various regions of the world. Nomads are known for many things, and among the top of the list:
Insatiable desire to find fast wifi in obscure locations
Undying need for freedom and locational independence
Fondness of variety and different options in everyday life
Tendency to seek non-commercialized & authentic cultural experiences
Typically younger demographic, average age around 30
When you accidentally work during high tide.
Cruises
On the other hand, you have cruises, which makes me think of retirees in Florida taking a week from their golfing schedule to sip pina coladas in Key West. Characteristics of cruises conflict with the nomadic descriptions above:
Incredibly slow, unreliable, and expensive access to wifi
An ecosystem designed to keep you in one place with no ability to leave
Uniformity on the ship: the same people, places, and things every day
Structured and commercialized tours and excursion experiences
A typically older demographic, average age around 50
The most dangerous words on an all-inclusive cruise.
On the surface, cruises seem like everything nomads don’t want. It’s as if asking a nomad to go on a cruise is like asking a felon to go back to prison (ok, that might be an exaggeration).
But, having been on one cruise prior to Nomad Cruise, it wasn’t until my awareness of NC’s existence that I even considered doing another one.
How I Found Out About The Nomad Cruise
I’ve worked remotely for > 5 years and within the past 2 years have been fully nomadic — traveling while working with no real ‘home base.’ During that time I’ve lived for short amounts of time in about 15 countries on 4 continents.
I’m part of other communities catered to nomads, including:
Remote Year: Company that provides a community based travel program for professionals who want to keep their job and work remotely while traveling the world, all for one monthly fee.
Running Remote: Curated conference teaching next-level, actionable strategies and tactics to help manage and grow distributed teams.
Nomads Giving Back: Non-profit inspiring nomads, expats, and travelers to give back to local communities we call ‘home away from home.’
Nomad Summit: Conference for digital nomads, remote workers, and online entrepreneurs to learn from like-minded people.
Picture of my original Remote Year group in Cape Town in July, 2018, our last month together.
As I networked within these communities, shared ideas, and experiences, one event, in particular, kept coming up…
The Nomad Cruise
A few of my friends held keynotes on the ship during Nomad Cruise 7 and 8, and all of a sudden my social media feeds were flooded. Sean Tierney, Daria Vodopianova, Sébastien Nuñez, and Tarek Kholoussy, all people I respect and admired, were posting about their Nomad Cruise experiences.
Then, one day in Medellin, my roommate at the time, Gabe, showed me an ad for Nomad Cruise 9. The pre-sale was coming up, and I knew, no matter where it was going, I would find a way to make it work.
This post and accompanying video are a review of my experience. I hope it helps set expectations for anyone considering attending, and also connects me with other Nomad Cruise alumni. I went on Nomad Cruise 9 in November that traveled from Barcelona, Spain to Recife, Brazil over the course of about 2 weeks, called the “Atlantic Crossing.”
This review will focus on 3 things that make the Nomad Cruise special:
“The Program, The People, and The Place.”
The Program
The first thing to remember: this is a conference, not a booze cruise. The Nomad Cruise implements an application process, which, while relatively simple, can be a deterrent for people who may want to go just to party. The organizers set an intention to bring the right, high quality people together, and build a meaningful, integrated program to bear.
With a conference comes structure, which I appreciate. The formality of events on the NC create value, and there’s always something to do. The subsections below describe some of the main portions of the program:
Keynotes
During my keynote — photo by Dora Arvai.
The days are broken up into themes, whether “Growing” or “Nomading” or “Creating Buzz.” Keynotes are 45 minute talks that fit into one of the theme days. Different people from the community apply to speak in their application process and the Nomad Cruise staff selects speakers based on experience, relevance, and perceived demand for the subject. These talks are often valuable for their mass appeal and applicability to most people at the conference.
Examples of keynotes:
Networking in the Digital Age (my keynote)
Business Growth Hacking with Affiliate Marketing by Enelin Paas
LinkedIn Tips for Digital Nomads by Juliana Rabbi
How to Add Jet Fuel To Your Productivity by Harrison Hunter Reid
How I Built Multiple Successful Brands On Instagram by Sascha Bitz
Workshops
Workshops are hands-on, focused events meant to promote more interaction between the speaker and the audience. Speakers bring workbooks or exercises to facilitate with smaller groups of people interested in learning about the topic. This was similar to the keynotes, but a slightly different format, longer duration, and niche audience.
Examples of workshops:
How to Build Your Own Online Course by Jimmy Naraine
Freelancing With Confidence by Ania Krol
How to Capture and Edit Share-Worthy Photos by Christa Romano
Christa’s Instagram workshop. Photo by Dora Arvai.
Meet Ups
Each day there was a “Meet-Up Board” right outside the main stage. Meet-ups are community-driven events that anyone could organize. This created magic on the Nomad Cruise because there was a wide variety of events, and each day you could find something new to do. For introverts, and people that prefer smaller groups, this also gave an opportunity to connect in that type of environment. It was a good way to explore common interests, find subgroups, and organize others.
Examples of meetups:
Silent Disco
Acroyoga
Creative Writing
Polyamory
Board Game Night
Acroyoga, one of the most popular meet ups, everyday at 4:30pm. Photo by Dora Arvai.
Excursions
During our cruise, we had 3 stopovers where we jumped off the ship for the day to explore. This was a great opportunity to stretch out our sea legs, connect off the ship, and even snag wifi for a bit if for those who needed to work. The Nomad Cruise also coordinated excursions, where you could pay an additional fee and see a local sight with the group. Having the flexibility of doing that or going off to explore yourself was perfect.
Where we stopped:
Gibraltar, British Territory
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Mindelo, Cape Verde
Gibraltar monkey taking a selfie on Christa’s phone. Photo by Christa Romano.
Talent Show
A cruise ship tradition, the talent show. One of the most fun nights of the trip is watching your fellow nomads show their stuff on the stage. And, as you’ve gotten to know each other over the course of the 13 days, you can feel the energy and support in the room. Some of the talent show acts included:
A Yo-Yo world champion with an epic performance
A live band delivering a parody of ‘Don’t Stop Believin’
A group of girls who learned & performed a traditional Polynesian dance
Zoltan Yo-Yoing his way into our hearts. Photo by Dora Arvai.
The People
The people are the most important part of the cruise. The connections created, the collaboration and the networks formed will be lasting. Many people already plan on going on the next Nomad Cruise and the alumni reunion next year. Many are still living together in Airbnb’s, and many plan on celebrating New Years’ together.
“This is just the beginning.”
I heard that phrase multiple times from staff and alumni both. Not until I left did I understand the impact the people from the cruise would play in my life. If it’s any indication of the power of the relationships built on the cruise, three other guys and myself are moving into an apartment together for two months in Playa Del Carmen starting January.
One of two proposals on Nomad Cruise 9, with a fitting slogan on the screen. Photo by Dora Arvai.
By the Numbers
While nomads only make up a fraction of the cruise (300/1,700) on NC9, it’s apparent how much of an impact a 300 person group can have on an environment like a cruise ship. With Nomad Cruise blue present on shirts each day, meet ups on all ends of the boat, and absolute take-overs of the dance floors and buffets, you get to know these people well from seeing them over and over again in many different situations. The diversity of the group was stunning, with about 45 countries represented.
The Vibe
The Nomad Cruise is self-selecting. No one comes aboard the Nomad Cruise by ‘accident.’ Because of the application process, the Nomad Cruise Principles, and the nature of the conference, you tend to meet imaginative, open, yet respectful people. I was impressed by my ability to converse and relate in some way to everyone I met.
The Nomad Cruise Principles
These 7 practices guide the behavior of the participants and organizers as a unique and integrated community. The values were created to embody the spirit of the Nomad Cruise, and the pillars that keep people coming back.
Openness
Sharing
Respect
Responsibility
Participation
Kindness
Consent
The Result
The community is amazing. After spending almost two weeks on a cruise with the same people, you learn a lot about each other. While you can’t meet and deeply interact with everyone, you find your tribe. And, within the community, some pretty amazing things happened for those on NC9:
There were 2 proposals and 2 engagements on the Nomad Cruise
A band formed that will now be touring with each other post NC
Multiple companies or projects were formed as a result of the NC
Multiple co-living arrangements were made post NC
An iconic Coca Cola and wine brand was created
Enelin drinking her favorite drink, Cocawina: “It’s weird but I kinda like it.” Photo by Dora Arvai.
The Place
While the people make the environment what it is, the environment itself is one of a kind. Having a conference on a cruise was a huge risk initially for the creators. What they’ve found, and what participants have found is that the ship is actually the community’s biggest asset.
I may have ripped on cruises in my introduction to this article, but for good reason. I’ve been on one other cruise in my life and I got violently sick. When I first heard that the Nomad Cruise organizers expected participants to spend TWO WEEKS on a cruise ship, my stomach turned:
I figured by day 10 I’d be hugging the side of the boat, upheaving into the sea and thus becoming a full time fish feeder.
I really enjoy my alone time and couldn’t imagine being around the same people, stuck on a ship, for two weeks.
I get anxious being disconnected and unable to work — knowing I’d have two weeks without progress on my business made me feel uneasy.
Boy, was I wrong.
Group picture from Nomad Cruise 9. Photo by Dora Arvai.
No Connection Enables Connection
There was wifi for purchase on the ship, but it was bad, and expensive. I took it as a great opportunity for me to disconnect. And it was. Holy shit it was. I don’t remember the last time I was without wifi for that long. It felt so good to leave my phone in my room, disregard my usual need to check red notification bubbles, and subdue the dopamine pings that accompany mindless consumption and reacting to text messages. I felt incredibly present.
Cruises Create Forced Interaction
And it’s not a bad thing. It’s a genius strategy for a conference. It creates pockets of time where you run into the same people, over and over again, and an environment that breaks people out of their shell because they have too. And without wifi it was easier to be fully focused on each conversation. Communication and reminders were done on bulletin boards and notepads, which I enjoyed. It brought me back to a simpler time when I was a kid.⠀
Boundaries Are Important
It’s easy to get burnt out spending large concentrations of time with people. The days started early and ended late. I was fortunate enough to have my own room to get much-needed isolation throughout. I went to sleep most days before midnight. Establishing and guarding my boundaries was key to maintaining the energy required to show up each day the way I wanted to.
The silent fox means ‘you got my attention.’ Photo by Dora Arvai.
Conclusion — Embrace the Randomness
What did Nomad Cruise give me more than anything? Randomness. Sticking me in the middle of the ocean for two weeks with a bunch of strangers without connection to the outside world created pockets of interaction I can get nowhere else.
I reveled in the idea of telling someone to meet me somewhere at a certain time, knowing I’d have no way of contacting them if they weren’t there. I enjoyed learning new things from interesting people. I loved the incidental side conversations from bumping into someone in the hallway, or sitting down at a random table at dinner.
When you embrace the magic of the Nomad Cruise, you’re embracing the program, the people, and the place. You’re embracing the randomness of deep connection workshops, self-hypnosis, morning dance parties, or an impromptu mannequin challenge. It’s not for everyone. But, if you’re thinking about joining, and it sounds like your jam, go for it.
Our first dinner, a random assortment of nomads. Photo by Dora Arvai.
Embrace the vibe.
Play all out.
Take it all in.
Become the captain of your own ship.
Oh… and don’t buy the wifi… You’ll thank me later.