NOMAD CRUISE EXPERIENCE: REVIEW, RESULTS, REFLECTIONS & RECOMMENDATION
Have you ever wondered what it would be like living at sea on a cruise ship with complete strangers travelling across the Atlantic ocean on a professional skill-sharing and personal development adventure? What comes to your mind when you imagine that? Hold that thought for a moment.
Well, three months ago, I was on a 2-week journey of a lifetime with 299 other ordinary human beings who dared to create and live extraordinary lives. These groups of people are a non-conformity tribe who have chosen the road less travelled and defile societal norm in creating a career and life path that is authentically in alignment with who they are.
It felt overwhelming exciting yet daring to get on the boat knowing absolutely nobody but still felt like they may be the lost tribe I have longed to be waiting to reconnect with. You see I have been working remotely for about 2 years, but I did not personally know many people in my immediate circle who also work remotely so I have had little physical contact, however, I actively seek for engagements and participation in online forums that exist for digital nomads around the world. So you can imagine my excitement going on the Nomad Cruise.
Initially, I thought I was just going on a normal business conference with online entrepreneurs and travellers, but as the days draw closer and the communication got more intense; I realized that they will be nothing normal about this gathering which was what I badly needed, especially for me since it was going to be my first time sailing. So let’s get into it in a more structured manner before my emotions excitement stake over this introduction, but be rest assured that everything you will read in this article will expand your mind and blow it up in ways you may have not experienced before :
THE CONCEPT: What is Nomad Cruise? How did it start? Who is it for?
First thing first, The nomad cruise is only business conférence at sea that brings together some of the world most daring, free-spirited and independent people of all ages who have one thing in common ‘ the quest for freedom in all its forms: “money, time, life choices and location”.
And with this yearn for more freedom comes the natural alignment towards remote work and digital businesses lifestyle which hundreds of thousands of young people around the world are leaning towards today. Check out these articles I wrote to help you understand more about this digital nomad lifestyle and why it matters?
In simple terms, the growing number of digital nomads (a.k.a Mr(s)work from anywhere) means, a need for a community of like-minded people and that’s where Nomad Cruise comes in to be the networking catalyst.
At the core of all Nomad Cruisers is the desire to be free to build a purposeful life , to do work that matters the most to them and make an income that is not tied down to a physical location but that is based value that can be offered online.
Who is it for?
So it Participants are aspiring and current remote workers, creatives, freelancers, coaches, online and location independent entrepreneurs who are in search of a deeper connection to take their personal and professional lives to the next level.
The nomad cruise brings these incredible, talented and successful people together for a 2 weeks journey across the world to unplug and dive deep into the incredible possibilities of learning, sharing, connecting and creating solutions.
How did it start?
Nomad cruise was founded accidentally by Johannes Volker in 2015, at the time he has been working online for over 10 years and recognize the need to bring people together who had a similar independent lifestyle: so he announced on a Facebook group that he was going on a cruise and if anyone else wanted to join him: they are welcome! On the day of departure at the check-in counter of the cruiseliner, about a 100 people showed up, they travelled together and after that experience, the Nomad Cruise was born to take this networking experience to a deeper level.
The Nomad Cruise 9 and How I got involved
The Nomad Cruise 9, set sail from Barcelona Spain to Recife, Brazil from Nov 18th till Nov 30th 2019.
I first heard about the concept from JohnnyFD travel like a boss podcast, a podcast I have been religiously listening to & inspired by since Feb 2019 since I first learnt about Johnny from the Digital Lifestyle Conference.
I was curious and in search of deeper connections, a community, an opportunity to share and to learn how to make this lifestyle work since I committed to improving the quality of my circle. So I looked up the program online, applied and got accepted to join the tribe at sea.
This post is a review of my experience. I hope it helps set expectations for any of you considering attending, and also connects me with other Nomad Cruise alumni.
This review will focus on 5 things that make the Nomad Cruise special; following it, I will share the key results, reflections, lessons and recommendations from my experience:
The Guiding Values
Since the conference is at sea on a cruise ship with 1400 other passengers other than those participating in the business conference and the community keeps growing year after year; the nomad cruise community has a guiding principle which is value-based and participants believe in and treasure as the foundation of all relationships and interactions. These principles are as follows: Openness, Sharing, Respect, Responsibility, Participation, Kindness, Consent in all its forms. Learn about that values here
The Structure of the Nomad Cruise
Although the conference is at sea onboard a cruise ship; it’s important to remember that the organizing team puts efforts to select high-quality people and not only those who want to party to participate in the program. Thus the conference consists of keynote Speeches, Workshops, Masterminds and Meetups.
The KEYNOTES are skill and performance-based training and inspirational stories from life experiences of selected digital nomads entrepreneurs who are experts in a particular field. Every other day we have 2-3 short but highly valuable keynote presentations from the selected speakers after which questions are asked and participants gain more clarity in how to better navigate that specific area of their digital nomad lifestyle and or business. In the Nomad Cruise 9 some of following was my most impactful keynote speeches:
How to Execute and *Finally* Start Seeing Real Results by Taylor Mills
Mindset Mastery – Controlling the Little Voice Inside your Head by Joe Bruce
Networking in the Digital Age by Jordan C Caroll
Lessons I’ve learnt exploring 70 countries as a digital nomad by Jimmy Lorraine
How to Add Jet Fuel To Your Productivity by Harrison Hunter Reid
Linkedin Tips for digital nomads by Julianna Rabbi
The next program formats are action-based WORKSHOPS where experts engage with participants to speedily improve certain skills and engage in confidence-building activities.
The most symbolic of all workshop for me was the Deep connection workshop by Bori Vigh : Was the single most transformational experience that uniquely helped me to become more open in building strong meaningful relationships with other nomads on the cruise. You cannot afford to miss this workshop on the nomad cruise!
Other equally impactful ones were;
The power of your story by Marianna Zelichenko
How to Master Public Speaking by Josh Dykes,
Year in year out; the nomad cruise team are bringing the very best people to facilitate workshops to help you grow holistically so be sure to check out the next program outline and bookmark the ones you resonate with. Whatever you do, trust me don’t miss the Deep connection workshop!
MASTERMINDS: are typically done as a breakout session of the keynote speeches or presentations where the speaker’s request for people to form a small group based on certain common traits or challenges that participants share. These masterminds are like speed deep dives for small groups of typically 6 or fewer people to help participants share their problems and get a recommendation from other group members.
MEETUPS: can be organized by anyone, all you have to do is simply put up on the notice board, the topic, the date, the time, the venue and space for interested participants to sign up for it.
The meetups theme ranging from specialized business and personal development topics like Finding your purpose, AirBnB Arbitrage, Virtual Summit, Amazon Dropshipping, Affiliate marketing, Tax residency in X country among others. It also includes sport and wellness thematic meetups ranging from acro yoga, samba, salsa dance, tennis, yoga and as well as topics like relationships, Multiple orgasms, Polygamy, language etc.
EXCURSIONS: the 13 days of sailing across the Atlantic on the Nomad Cruise definitely comes with nauseous feeling especially for 1st-time cruisers like me. The nomad cruise has well-organized group excursions where you pay an extra fee to join or you can get off the boat and explore the city on your own or with others!
Whatever you decide! A day on land is always delightful: from walking on the sand barefoot, eating some fresh local meals, laying on the beach, visiting historical sights, dancing on the streets with loud music, chatting with locals and walking to get a glimpse into the daily lives of its people at the port of calls.
Pro Tips: Be sure to get off the boat on time at all Ports of Call after days at sea for a full day or a half-day adventure in a new country every 3-4 days. Also, ensure you update your watch with the local time, ask for the time or rebound. Also, ensure you buy your excursions ticket beforehand if you opt for the organized trip and if not simply grab a map and explore the city on your own. On The Nomad Cruise 9, we had 3 stops as follows
Gibraltar, a territory of the UK which I got to visit without a visa! I wrote about rhetorical about my experience, read here,
Tenerife in the Canary Islands
Mindelo, Cape Verde, before we finally arrived in Recife, Brazil.
THE SOCIALS
Being on the nomad cruise is like being on a carnival at sea! The nomad cruise is all-inclusive madness! Yes, you heard me right! All-inclusive! You can eat, drink and have access to almost every amenities onboard for FREE!
Pro tip: Do not say I did not warn you, when finally leave the cruise and go back to the real world you will find it weird that you have to pay for everything in your normal life.
Supporting Facilities
So while on board with all three-course meals and drinks, comes sports facilities to keep you in shape: the gym, the spa, the sauna, the tennis, the dance floors, the swimming pool and the running tracks. There is an endless list of activities every day to participate in from Yoga, to Acroyoga, high-intensity workout sessions, dance classes, movie and theatre performances, games at the casino (not recommended.. The house always wins) and of course happy hours! One thing I highly recommend you do in advance the nomad cruise which I did not do is to review the program outline and only select those that are most relevant to you so you can have the time to fully enjoy all of these amenities on board and don’t be just too serious on business!
THE EXTRAS
The organizers are always creatively bringing more value to the cruise every year, they listen to feedback and implement what works in other high performers personal development programs. So the Nomad Cruise 9 had 3 extra special events added to the program line up
Piranha Tank: Just like the shark tank TV Show where Entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas in front of the judges and an audience for feedback and potential investments; the same concept is used in a more impactful way at the Nomad cruise. On the 9th cruise, about 30 people auditioned to pitch their business or social venture idea to an exclusive table of judges and 8 people were selected to be coached to pitch to the entire 299 groups of Nomad cruise 9ers
I was blessed to be selected among those 8 finalists to pitch my business at the finals; funnily the pitch that got me into the finalist was my project (Africans Living Fully) however some great encounters happened before the finals that made me change the pitch to my finance business for feedback, potential partnership, collabs and investments from the audience and it was a very enriching experience. Will share more about this in the coming week.
Pro tip: So what are waiting for? If you have an idea or an existing business you are working on; take the chance and audition to pitch at the Next Nomad Cruise. You will never know whom you will be opportune to meet, work with or be advised by that can add tremendous value.
Talent show: got some talents you would like to share with other cruisers? The nomad cruise has just the right audience!
Just like other cruises, a talent show is such a fun night to showcase and come support fellow cruisers as they show off some of their incredible talents. On the nomad cruise 9, performances included
An all-male step dancer with a single lady muse
A girl group who learnt and performed an island dance
A band formed on the cruise, called Noisy Foxes who performed a sound on ‘Don’t Stop Achieving” a pledge dedicated to the nomad lifestyle! They even had other cruisers support their single album video. Check it out here
Speak-Up challenge :
Are you looking to improve your storytelling and public speaking skills? Do you have a story that needs to be heard? Do you have an idea that needs to be shared? Well, the speak-up challenge is an intensive training with storytelling, marketing and brand specialist to help you tell a compelling story; whether it is about your dog that passed, your relationship with your family or how you overcame a fear: this special session of Nomad cruise is there to help you. The stories we heard in nomad cruise 9 speak up challenge participants were incredibly captivating, heartfelt and in some cases they even made us cry or burst into laughter!
Pro Tip: Be sure to show up on time when the call for speaker trainees is made; the room gets full real quick!
What I love the most above Nomad Cruise and what you will too once you get to experience it
The Nomad cruise is that it is a safe space for you to be whoever it is you are and be loved, supported and respected just the way you are. No one here gives a f**k about your fuck ups, your past or imperfections! All they care about is genuinely helping, sharing and uplifting you to rise above! Don’t take my word for it. Register for the next nomad cruise here and find out for yourself.
The Real Value of the Nomad cruise and what makes it special
This section is inspired by my friend Jordan C Caroll who also wrote this article about his nomad cruise 9 experience and Bori Vigh the community architect at Nomad cruise who wrote this perfectly articulated piece about the real value of the Nomad cruise. I highly recommend you bookmark and read these gems too. So here is my teaser summary based on these two articles and my experience to help you gain an insight into what makes this event so special and a once in a lifetime most go event!
The guiding principles of the nomad cruise set the foundation of the real value it offers the people, the place and the genuine experiences that leave its alumni coming back year after year. You see nomad cruisers are the most genuine and non-judgemental people you would ever encounter; they don’t care what your past holds all they care is empowering and inspiring you today to create the future of your dreams; you will eat with strangers every night at dinner, dance and party with them, refine your business ideas and get challenged to do better without pressure; you will commit and be accountable to strangers. Not forgetting that everything is taken care off so you have neither decision fatigue nor have to reach out for your wallet to pay for anything; you will most likely be on a digital detox for the most part of the cruise forcing you in a good way to really be present to foster relationships and engage in deep conversations and interactions. Simply put you will be transformed like never before; especially the first comer and it would have you wanting to reconnect with fellow cruisers all around the world
PS: At this stage: I know you are already itching to know how much it costs! So here you go
The Cost Vs Value Analysis
The Nomad Cruise is typically between 10 -13 days transatlantic/trans-Mediterranean voyage. In the past, the cruise has left from Europe to South America, from the middle east to Europe and now the next cruise leaving from the Carribean to Europe.
The cruise I was on was a 13 days transatlantic cruise that set sail from Barcelona – Spain and en route visited 3 new destinations before finally arriving in Recife Brazil. It had over 10 high-level keynotes speakers some of whom are millionaires, successful online entrepreneurs, accomplished authors, parents, dashing singles that have an incredibly beautiful life! There were over 10s keynote presentations and workshops; as well as over 40 meetups and an uncountable amount of little moments of joy, happiness and realizations. There were about 1700 people on board and the Nomad cruisers constituted about 18% of the passengers on board.
The cost for double occupancy begins from a €1300 to €1,800 per person whilst single occupancy begins at €1500 up to €2400 depending on your choice of the cabin! This cost is all inclusive of room, board, food, drinks, conference program, access to keynote speakers, port charges of €195 and service charges of €156 with access to all facilities onboard except the spa where you get to pay for your own message! Plus free excursions with exceptions of a few paid excursions on land.
Pro Tip: If you are claustrophobic be sure to choose an outer cabin and split the cost with a roomie of your choice or be open to being assigned with any other participants.
In my honest opinion, the cruise is more than worth it since a simple analogy of €100 per day : the nomad cruise all inclusively of food, drinks, amenities and endless form of entertainment and professional development is way more than you would get if you were living this same level standard in most past of the world.
Side note: If you are wondering how to get a Visa to attend the Nomad Cruise, The NC team got you covered!
The nomad cruise organizers provide supporting documentation promptly when requested for your visa application. So be sure to check your visa requirements and apply early if you need one so you can get the two visas for the country of embarkment and disembarkment. For more on answers to FAQ refer here or be sure to register for the free webinar about Nomad Cruise 11.
Conclusively
Herein I present the Nomad Cruise 9 outcomes, key takeaways and recommendations in hope that it makes your experience more memorable, fun and transformational than mine.
RESULTS OF THE NOMAD CRUISE 9
As Johannes the founder of NC always says; the cruise e is only the beginning of new relationships. Partnerships, friendships and exponential growth and life transformations: what you get out of the nomad cruise depends on what you invest into it and how to open you are to both receive and to give unconditionally. So on the NC 9, here are some highlight of the key outcomes:
299 adults + one baby came into contact with one another
2 proposals and engagement happened on board
New business relationship and partnership were created
Multiple publicity and cross-promotion to elevate one another happened in different ways
Multiple co-living arrangements were made: in fact, as I write this some groups are living together in Playa del Carmen- Mexico, Lisbon – Portugal, Cartagena – Colombia, Buenos Aires Argentina and Bali – Indonesia
New Friendship and relationships were fostered: that may last a lifetime
Some people even got employed remotely by company founders
A band was formed that will be touring around the world with each other was created
An iconic new brand of drink: a fusion of coca-cola and wine: a.k.a cocowina was formed
KEY TAKEAWAYS AND LESSONS
The nomad cruise experience is such a unique mixture of work, adventure, surprise, emotions and genuine encounters!
I felt all kinds of way and emotions during the 13 days voyage; I laughed, I cried, I danced without a care in the world, I was happy, I was uncomfortable sometimes, I fell ill and other times I felt awkward; but amidst it all, I was at peace with myself, with the place, the people and all that was happening. Here are some of my key lessons and take away from the nomad cruise :
Your story is powerful and yours to write
Vulnerability is powerful
You can only be you and no one else
Being present is necessary and respectful of yourself and others around you
Your level of openness you willing to give, to receive will depend on the amount of help you will get
Your experience is unique and your life is a masterpiece, and most importantly you have the power to create that masterpiece every single day
The Universe is on your side! And you attract who you are and what you think
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
I think I have finally cracked the code on why the average nomad cruisers come back at least once: lol it’s not only because the conference keeps getting better but also because first-time participants discover and realize how much more they could have maximized their experience and enjoyments on board during the cruise. So when I got off the boat and surprisingly won a ticket to any of the next cruise 2 weeks later after sharing a brief about my experience (read more here )It was no brainer I knew I will be back on the cruise soon!
So here are some recommendations, to help you have a better first-time experience at the Nomad Cruise:
Plan ahead: review the program outline before embarking on the cruise. Be sure to thoroughly review the program line up to select the session they are most relevant to you, check the parties on board and special events and activities that would need special clothing, lol don’t be as dysfunctional as I was; pack one piece of clothes for fancy dinner, all-white party, theme parties, beach days, excursions, hiking trips etc.
Doing this will allow you not to get overwhelmed with too much information and will save you time and efforts of deciding when to do what and where. So be prepared and create a mini personal schedule for the cruise while leaving room for surprises and unplanned encounters.
When you arrive at the Cruise: give yourself time to adjust: be open to new encounters and experiences but don’t rush it.
You do not need to be at every workshop, social meetings, dinner table, party, yoga class, gym session: give yourself time to adjust with the large crowd. If you are anyone like me who lives alone and could go weeks without sharing my personal space with anyone else; you may find the nomad cruise overwhelming at first sight; so don’t feel obliged to go for every happy hour, pool game or organized group events. Give yourself a day or 2 to get comfortable; don’t be hiding in your room all day! Lol so find a balance
Try something you haven’t done before
There will be something, an activity, an experience, an encounter, food or something that would be unfamiliar with you on the cruise; try it out! The cruise is about discovery too: to indulge your curiosity, fascination or taste bud. Just be sure it is consensual lol if it involves another pass!
Do not be afraid to organize a meetup
Yes! If you have a skill, a business or personal experience that could be of value to others; don’t be afraid to organize a meetup you’d be surprised by the number of people that would sign and show up for it. Remember the conference is a skill-sharing experience so you do not need to be a keynote speaker or workshop facilitator to share your invaluable knowledge and experience with others.
Engage genuinely with others and be present during conversations
Know your limits and Create boundaries
For your Sleep, alcohol, party, poker etc: create limits and boundaries for yourself and for others. You do not want to get burn out or stepped on by others; so indulge in the drinking and partying with caution, set your own bedtime and don’t always fall into the temptation of following the crew to every pop crawl
7. Don’t be too serious: have fun!
This goes to me personally! The cruise is supposed to be fun and relaxing too: so if you happen to go on it, take out time to fully enjoy the experience, use the facilities, go for more parties and wake up earlier; watch the sunset and sunrise more. Just be in the moment; sometimes no agenda is the best agenda.
8. Watch more sunrise and sunset during the cruise
Don’t take my word for it. It is one of the most beautiful you would see from the horizon of the sky kissing the sea in a beautiful marital bliss!
LASTLY, If you do decide to (and you should) Join the Next Nomad Cruise 11 setting sail from St Martins in the Carribean to Lisbon Portugal (with an option to embark from Cartagena in Colombia); Use this link here to register with my coupon code you get €100 off and give me €100 too!
If you have any questions about the nomad cruise be sure to register for the upcoming register for the free Q&A webinar. If you miss it, send a DM directly to the organizer or feel free to reach out to me on Instagram.
One of the key reasons why I wrote this piece is for everyone to have the opportunity to experience transformational encounters like the NC as I did! Whether you are from Africa, Asia or other developing economies, with the internet today; we all have equal access to resources, tools and opportunities that can propel us forward towards creating the life we want! All we gotta do is put in some extra work and take action continuously to tap into these resources and harness our full potential. And that is one of the reasons I have created this media platform Africans Living Fully.
So on the next Nomad Cruises, It would be great to see more than 3 Africans on the boat and more importantly it would be great to have many more diverse groups creating the freedom to live and work from anywhere in the world, whether it is through a remote job, a digital business or even a traditional business that allows you not only to be location independent but also financial independent.
If you are new to this concept and would love to know more, be sure to read this article I wrote about the digital nomad lifestyle and why it matters. And once you are ready to take the leap to check out this comprehensive list of 21 skills that can enable you to work remotely and live anywhere! Also if you need accountability partner(s) and access to resources and job alerts to help you on your journey to remote; Join the new ALF Digital nomads Facebook group here!
And if you do get inspired by this article and go on the nomad cruise, use the hashtag #ALFNomadCruise to share your experience and we would be happy to feature it on our platform!
Happy Nomad cruising!!
