The solar beams down on us as we focus on our nomadic existence and fervour initiatives. One second, we’re doing burpees on the seaside and the subsequent, we’re sharing our expertise and experience in a enterprise mastermind session. That is only a typical morning at one of many world’s coolest enterprise and mindset retreats, hosted by The Nomad Escape.
I lately spent two weeks with The Nomad Escape in Madeira, Portugal. The primary week was the Degree Up Enterprise Retreat, an intimate group expertise geared in the direction of enterprise and private development. And the second week was Nomad Island Fest, which is precisely prefer it sounds – a festive celebration of all issues digital nomad. Every retreat provided loads of alternatives to community, be taught new issues, and soak within the stunning island of Madeira.
For our group — starting from on-line coaches and digital entrepreneurs to content material creators and software program builders — all of us got here to Madeira for 3 issues: individuals, objective, and enjoyable. I’m glad to report that we skilled all of the above and a lot extra.
Should you’re a digital nomad trying to take your enterprise to the subsequent degree, The Nomad Escape is asking your title. And even in case you’re not a distant employee simply but, you possibly can nonetheless come alongside for the experience. You’ll go away the expertise feeling impressed to take motion on no matter journey is true and genuine to you.
Primarily based on my two weeks with The Nomad Escape as each a participant and speaker, right here’s a overview of my expertise and what you possibly can anticipate on a retreat with them.
What’s The Nomad Escape?
Earlier than leaping into my experiences at these retreats, let’s first cowl what The Nomad Escape is all about.
Led by Michelle Maree, a passionate visionary and neighborhood builder, this group hosts retreats and occasions for digital nomads all around the world. Their neighborhood additionally consists of entrepreneurs and creatives who aren’t location impartial, however are open to residing a extra nomadic way of life. The principle focus is to assist members be taught new expertise, degree up their companies, and join with like-minded individuals — all in unique places across the globe.
Nevertheless it’s not all work and no play at The Nomad Escape. These retreats provide loads of alternatives to chill out and have enjoyable, with actions like yoga, karaoke, and sightseeing constructed into the schedule. Plus, with a give attention to constructing a way of neighborhood and supporting each other, you’ll come away from the retreat feeling not solely extra productive and profitable in your enterprise, but in addition extra linked and impressed by the opposite digital nomads you’ll meet.
With out additional ado, listed below are some key takeaways from my current retreats with The Nomad Escape.
Degree Up Enterprise Membership Retreat
One month in the past, I arrived in Madeira for the Degree Up Enterprise Retreat. I went there craving new concepts and expertise to assist me degree up my enterprise, and left with all of the above and a lot extra.
I spent the week with a bunch of 15 like-minded entrepreneurs and digital nomads from across the globe. Collectively, we shared concepts and expertise from our private {and professional} lives – all whereas taking within the stunning landscapes of this unique island. Right here had been a few of my favourite components of the expertise:
Masterminding periods and workshops
I used to be completely blown away by the masterminding periods and workshops, which impressed me to make necessary modifications in my life and add extra worth to the world as a journey blogger.
For individuals who aren’t acquainted: a mastermind is a bunch of like-minded people who come collectively to share concepts, assist each other, and push one another to better heights of success. Consider it as a high-level assume tank, the place everybody is targeted on attaining their targets and serving to each other do the identical.
Throughout these periods, every of us shared some ache factors in our enterprise lives. From there, we acquired suggestions from our friends. For me, this was a strong train. Having 14 different individuals with completely totally different life experiences and views weighing in on my state of affairs was tremendous invaluable. The train additionally alerted me to some blindspots and new concepts that I hadn’t thought of earlier than.
Past the masterminding, I additionally actually loved the skill-sharing periods, the place every of us obtained to current our space of experience to the group. I did a 15-minute presentation on private branding, which I felt landed with many within the viewers. With so many group actions and workshops, there have been many alternatives to work on public talking.
Whether or not you’re trying to degree up your enterprise, enhance your private growth, or simply need to encompass your self with pushed, profitable people, these mastermind periods and workshops had been a key a part of the general expertise.
Morning exercise
For me, this was one other spotlight of the Degree Up Enterprise Retreat. Every morning, we did a exercise on the seaside – together with yoga and excessive depth interval coaching (HIIT). Some exercises had been led by Luis Calado from Madeira Associates, a non-profit that organizes health and different community-oriented actions to digital nomads, expats, and locals on the island. On different mornings, we did yoga and sound healings with Cristiano and Anna, two beautiful locals from Madeira island. Such an effective way to begin the day!
Some studying this will likely dread the considered a morning exercise as a part of a enterprise retreat, however hear me out. Once you prioritize bodily exercise, you’re not solely caring for your well being, however you’re additionally setting your self up for achievement in different areas of your life. Discovering your bodily edge in a exercise has constructive results in your bodily and psychological well being, and in the end offers you extra power and confidence to sort out every other challenges that you just’ll face through the day.
There are many different retreats on the market the place bodily exercise shouldn’t be on the menu. So, I appreciated that they integrated this into the every day schedule.
Connection Actions
Every evening earlier than dinner, we spent an hour doing heart-centered actions as a bunch. This included the Connection Card Recreation, the place we might every draw a card from a deck and reply no matter query was on it. The questions had been designed to get us a bit out of our consolation zones – encouraging us to share deep and significant ideas with the group.
We additionally spent a night watching the sundown on the seaside and one other doing karaoke and dancing. Every of those connection-focused actions introduced us all nearer collectively.
Improbable facilitators at The Nomad Escape
Such a collaborative and supportive group setting wouldn’t have been attainable with out the facilitators.
Tiago guided us by a lot of the actions and workout routines that week. Not solely is he a cool and personable man, however he additionally takes a real curiosity and curiosity in different individuals. Add to that his enjoyable and playful demeanor, and he was the proper facilitator for this expertise. Tiago was born on Madeira; his ardour for the island and private {and professional} growth was really contagious.
Along with Tiago, Michelle (the Founding father of the Nomad Escape) additionally led us by some workout routines and workshops that week. I met Michelle just about earlier than the retreat and was impressed by her ardour and drive. However as soon as I noticed her take the reins and information the group by some actions…that’s after I totally realized why The Nomad Escape is the smashing success that it’s.
The breathtaking location on Madeira Island
The Degree Up Enterprise Retreat was an unimaginable expertise in its personal proper. Nonetheless, when taking into consideration the serene location within the coronary heart of Madeira, the retreat was really distinctive.
Madeira is a tropical paradise that may transport you to a land of infinite journey and leisure. Nestled within the Atlantic Ocean, not removed from the African coast, this island gem is bursting with vibrant tradition, breathtaking landscapes, and loads of alternatives to disconnect from the hustle of every day life. It’s no marvel, then, that this was the proper retreat location.
I totally loved staying in Ponto do Sol, the sunniest a part of the island. It has a brilliant low-key and relaxed vibe that offers you an excellent style of island life. Throughout each The Degree Up Retreat and Nomad Island Fest, all the venues had been solely a brief 5-10 minute stroll from each other. So, it couldn’t have been a extra handy and idyllic place to host a retreat.
The lodging had been image excellent and handy
Past the windswept coast and gorgeous views of mountains and palm bushes, I additionally loved the lodges we stayed at. We spent the primary week on the Enotel Sundown Bay and through Nomad Island Fest, we stayed on the Estalagem da Ponta do Sol. The primary resort had an indoor pool and sauna, whereas the second had an outside infinity pool and spa space.
Every lodging provided staggering views of Madeira’s sun-kissed shoreline and nice facilities for a weeklong keep.
The Nomad Escape is aware of have enjoyable
As talked about above, there’s a very good stability of labor and play at The Nomad Escape. Considered one of my fondest reminiscences of the retreat was exploring Madeira on an open-air bus, all whereas singing karaoke songs by Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys.
We additionally spent just a few nights jamming out with a guitar and singing and dancing to our favourite songs. This gave every of us the chance to be enjoyable, foolish, and genuine – the recipe for achievement for any retreat.
However past the early 2000s throwbacks, it was additionally good enjoying video games in between workshops, together with a Rock Paper Scissors match. On the primary evening, we additionally performed a reputation recreation, the place we launched ourselves and acted out sure actions that every member of the group needed to memorize. With 15 individuals all making an attempt to recall one another’s names and poses, the sport went precisely as you’ll anticipate…it was a shit present in one of the best ways attainable, bringing a whole lot of smiles and laughs to the evening.
For sure, my internal youngster cherished all of the enjoyable and foolish actions all through this retreat.
The wonderful individuals at The Nomad Escape
Touring is all concerning the individuals, and I actually cherished attending to know every of the members and facilitators on this retreat.
With such a small and intimate group, we shared so many enjoyable reminiscences collectively. Throughout these 7 days, we realized, laughed, and grew collectively. We obtained to know one another on a private {and professional} degree – studying concerning the wins, the losses, and every little thing else that units our hearts ablaze.
I left the retreat feeling tremendous grateful for all of the wonderful occasions spent collectively. It’s all the time unhappy to say goodbye, however I’ve little doubt many people will see one another once more actual quickly.
Closing ideas on the Degree Up retreat
General, the Degree Up retreat was a brilliant enjoyable, insightful, and grounding expertise for me. In contrast to different retreats, which have a extra religious and free-flowing facet to them, I felt that The Nomad Escape offered a lot real-world worth you can begin making use of at dwelling instantly. Someway I realized a lot extra sensible data in a single week right here than I did in a semester at enterprise college.
On the finish of the day, studying ideas and instruments are nice, nevertheless it’s the comfortable expertise and enterprise experiences that matter most. By the tip of the week at The Degree Up retreat, I gained a lot readability about my distinctive strengths, pursuits, and passions that may undoubtedly make me profitable in something I set my thoughts to in life. I do know the others within the group felt the identical means.
Nomad Island Fest
My second week in Madeira was spent at Nomad Island Fest. As you possibly can most likely infer by the title, this was principally a one-week celebration for digital nomads, paired with private {and professional} growth. Although the vibe was excessive and upbeat always, we realized a heck of loads throughout that week.
Whereas the Degree Up retreat was small and intimate, Nomad Island Fest was something however. There was near 100 individuals there – together with nomads, vacationers, and artistic spirits from all corners of the globe. It was fairly the adjustment going from such a small gathering to an enormous one. Nonetheless, it was an excellent alternative to let free and have enjoyable.
Beneath are a number of the distinctive qualities of this retreat in addition to the important thing takeaways. I received’t be discussing the placement, lodging, or the morning exercises right here, as they’re all described intimately within the sections above. Now, with out additional ado, right here’s what Nomad Island Fest was all about:
Excessive vibes throughout
From the second Derek Smith, the Grasp of Ceremonies, walked on stage to kick off Nomad Island Fest 2022, I knew this was going to be a celebration. He and Michelle introduced an amazing quantity of power to this occasion, and it was a feast for the senses from the start.
We began the retreat with a pace networking session, which helped us get to know each other. From there, we had been led from one participating exercise to the subsequent – together with visitor speeches, workshops, and a lot extra. All through the week, there was such all kinds of actions and experiences that stored us entertained (and impressed). This stored the vibe excessive the entire time.
As they are saying, time flies once you’re having enjoyable. And let me inform you…this week completely flew by.
Knowledgable visitor audio system
At Nomad Island Fest, one of many greatest attracts was the lineup of visitor audio system. Okay, I could also be a bit biased as a result of I used to be considered one of them, however this was such a invaluable a part of the retreat.
All through the week, audio system offered worth to the viewers on a wide range of matters, together with entrepreneurship, private development, gross sales, sustainability, and different area of interest areas pertaining to enterprise. Considered one of my favorites speeches was by Jimmy Naraine, titled “ create your bestselling on-line course.” I hadn’t actually thought of making an internet course till that lecture, and now I’m tremendous impressed to begin one.
Different audio system mentioned matters like construct a 7-figure enterprise, scale your enterprise, and construct a killer gross sales crew. General, I discovered the content material to be very sensible, tangible, and one thing you may start making use of instantly once you get dwelling (nicely…no matter “dwelling” is likely to be for a digital nomad, anyway).
The occasion areas at Nomad Island Fest
From the Estalagem glass home and sundeck to the John Passos Cultural Middle, the venues for the workshops and actions had been completely excellent. All of the open areas at Nomad Island Fest offered a brilliant laid-back retreat expertise, which was fairly a distinct vibe than different enterprise conferences and retreats I’ve been to.
It was inspiring to be in such a lovely oceanfront location – studying about new and thrilling issues whereas taking in views of palm bushes and watching the waves as they crashed in opposition to the shore.
Island exploration
Each retreats had a devoted day for exploring the island, which was positively a spotlight of the expertise. In any case, once you’re in a vacation spot as stunning as Madeira, you need to exit and see it!
As talked about above, through the Degree Up retreat, we obtained to discover the island on an open air bus – seeing the uncooked and unspoiled nature up shut whereas doing a little karaoke.
Throughout Nomad Island Fest, we spent a day touring the island in a jeep. We visited some extremely gorgeous locations, together with Fanal forest and São Vicente. Sadly, it was wet and foggy for a lot of the drive – making it tough to see the encompassing landscapes. Seems {that a} sunny day in Ponta do Sol doesn’t all the time translate to solar up within the mountains. Madeira has 4 totally different local weather areas at various elevations, so all the time be ready with a swimsuit and a jacket!
Group dinners had been an effective way to finish the day
After an extended day of enterprise mindset and private growth actions, it was so good to chill out and revel in dinner collectively.
Every evening of the retreat, we obtained to take pleasure in a three-course meal on the Estalagem Da Ponta Do Sol Restaurant. Although there was a hard and fast menu every evening, there was positively sufficient selection to maintain vegans and carnivores alike glad. However in fact, the perfect half was attending to know others and sharing how our days went.
Closing ideas on Nomad Island Fest
Jam-packed with workshops, actions, and networking occasions, Nomad Island Fest was a dash and a marathon on the similar time. The week completely flew by and left me feeling shocked by all that had simply occurred. With so many individuals right here, this retreat carried a really totally different power than the extra intimate Degree Up Retreat expertise. Nonetheless, it was definitely no colder, inviting, and impactful.
In any article the place I overview a journey expertise, I additionally like to offer alternatives for enhancement. In any case, no retreat is ideal and there’s all the time one thing to work on. If I may provide only one means for The Nomad Escape to enhance this expertise going ahead, it might be to have a little bit additional free time to discover the island.
Certain, the jeep tour was an excellent alternative to do some exploring. And naturally, some individuals got here to Madeira early (or stayed later) — giving them ample time to see the island on their very own. Nonetheless, I imagine that only a few additional hours of free time would have been useful – not solely to discover the island in additional depth, but in addition giving individuals extra time to combine every little thing they’ve realized. Given the fast-paced tempo of the retreat, I really feel that a little bit additional exploration would’ve been good. After all, in case you had been to skip an exercise on the schedule, there can be no onerous emotions both. Simply an thought!
The Nomad Escape: the bridge between the digital nomad & private growth worlds
After two weeks of retreats with The Nomad Escape, I felt tremendous impressed and empowered to combine these new expertise and experiences into my very own life. I might 10/10 advocate these retreats for anybody who’s both a digital nomad already or is contemplating making the leap into this world.
With its wonderful management, distinctive experiences, and close-knit neighborhood, The Nomad Escape is really the very best foray into this realm of chance.
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