How the Nomad Cruise changed the direction of my life
The past shapes your future
It all started in the summer of 2014 when I was sitting in my office job of a big company while still in university. I expected so much of the real working world after all those years of studying but found myself slightly disappointed and lacking a deeper purpose. I was getting lost reading several travel blogs telling stories about the digital nomad lifestyle explaining how it is possible to earn money online while traveling the world for an indefinite time.
It sounded like my personal dream of freedom and of creating a meaningful life on your own terms and I suddenly did not see any other option than this for my life anymore. I had done my share of long-term travel but it always came with the struggle of doing a very basic job in the other country such as it is possible with the “Working Holiday Visa” option, e.g. in Australia, as I had done after finishing high school. The other option was to have a decent amount of savings so that you can go traveling for a few months… only to come back home broke.
Working from your laptop just sounded like the perfect solution but so far away from reality, at that time, because I did not know anybody in my surroundings who would do that or had even heard from such a thing.
My personality is extremely curious, dreamy, bold, ambitious and adventurous, so I got “infected” by the “digital nomad virus” and needed to find out if this is a dream or could be a reality. I like innovative ideas and possibilities and am not one of those persons who doesn’t at least TRY if it feels like the right thing to do!
Luckily, my professional career goal was to become a coach because I studied Business Psychology with a focus on “Training & Coaching” and it is something I am very passionate about. I then discovered that it is actually an option to do this online and I got so excited that I even dedicated my Bachelor Thesis to analyze this topic in order to find out more.
The turning point
Fast forward to spring 2015 when I had gone through an awful emotionally draining and months-long lasting breakup with my then-partner and the end of my university studies (finally) approaching. It was the perfect time for a new chapter in my life and I found myself in the decision process of either A) Finding a “real” job after all those years studying and settling somewhere, or B)Travel again for some time… but wouldn’t it be nice to try out the “travel while you earn from your laptop” lifestyle?
It was after one of those boring days at the office when I came across a few Facebook posts by digital nomads I had followed, who shared about a repositioning cruise by a Spanish cruise ship company. It was ridiculously cheap to cross the Atlantic Ocean, all inclusive, from the Gran Canary Islands to Salvador de Bahia in Brazil in November. Johannes Voelkner, the founder of Nomad Cruise, asked in his Facebook Group who would be interested in getting together as a group and having fun cruising to Brazil on a budget while sharing some skills and good times with each other. That was the sign I had been looking for! I did not think about it twice and booked my ticket immediately. What did I have to lose?
What was an experiment then, with around 100 nomads or simply curious traveler souls, has now turned into a great project changing many lives - and ultimately the world- due to the synergies created when you bring — at this current stage 500 — intelligent, open-minded, entrepreneurial, out-of-the-box thinking individuals together.
To this date, I am incredibly grateful that I made the decision to join the very first Nomad Cruise in November 2015, followed by the second one in June 2016 from Cartagena, Colombia to Lisbon, Portugal and the seventh one, which happened not even 2 months ago, November 2018 from Barcelona, Spain to Recife, Brazil. (Not even starting to mention the adventures we had in Brazil after the cruise…)
What about the Nomad Cruise is so life-changing?
First of all, just imagine, putting a bunch of inspiring, like-minded, growth-oriented people together on a cruise ship. The first cruise didn’t have a stop on land, so we spent nine days at sea. For the first time in your life, you feel that there are no limits. You are far away from “the real world.” It is just you as a group on the Atlantic Ocean(there are other passengers on board but still), you feel like anything is possible. Then let those multi-faceted and smart people from different countries have workshops and good times together. They also don’t have to worry about grocery shopping or preparing food — obviously. I think it is a perfect setting to bear world-changing ideas and create space for collaborations which is something that happens as a result of the cruise.
You get a totally different perspective on what is possible and (as you always do when you go traveling and away from your usual surroundings) on your current life, on yourself and also question if what you are doing now, how you are acting or feeling is what you want to settle for or if a life transformation is what needs to happen to make the best out of your time on this planet.
The workshops were held by the participants and covered topics revolving around online business and marketing strategies, travel lifestyle or personal development. In the leisure time, you connect with the tribe and enjoy the bar, disco, meals, pool etc.together.
I left with a new sense of what is possible, made incredible friends and connections and even got a virtual assistant job through someone I met on the second cruise. The community, connections, and change in mindset truly is what makes the Nomad Cruise so special and lasts for a lifetime.
After the first Nomad Cruise, I spent seven months in South and North America (Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia) working from my laptop doing copywriting for a German company which helped sustain my stay abroad.
When I came back in July 2016, I decided to settle down for a while to focus on my business development as a coach and pursued a coaching certification and several courses about online marketing to deepen my skills and knowledge while continuing to work as a freelancer. In 2017, I spent some months in Chiang Mai, Thailand and some weeks in Tallinn, Estonia to work for an entrepreneur community and to further connect with digital nomads and learn as much as I could. Now I made it my mission to empower driven freedom seekers to create a life of purpose and show them that it is possible to earn money online and live life on their own terms.
Takeaway
If I did not go on the Cruise, I would have probably not had the courage to pursue this lifestyle and business. I also would have not become friends with so many inspiring souls whose goal is to make a bigger difference and live an extraordinary life. I would also not be the open, trusting, confident, happy, giving and connected person I am today.
This 90-day content challenge is actually inspired and facilitated by my great friend Patrick Farrell whom I met on Nomad Cruise 2. You can check him out here.
I can only end this by encouraging you to follow your gut intuition, especially when it comes to making big decisions.
My rational mind, of course, said that the “safe” option would be to get a regular 9–5 job but I would be not where I am today: Inspired and inspiring to others, fulfilled, passionate about what I do, doing my best to leverage my potential, always growing, collaborating with others to make a difference in the world and making great experiences. If Johannes would have gone for the “safe” option there would probably not be this great community… just saying…
So, if you are in doubt, always choose what your heart is telling you! It is worth it!
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If you are interested to follow my adventures, check out my Instagram. If you would like support on your journey to a self-directed and meaningful life of emotional and location freedom, check out my website.
