Nomad Word - a conference, a festival, an event... and more.

Digital Nomads Bring it Home

A Quick Intro

Hi, I’m Kimberly Anne and I’m thrilled to be writing these articles for you. If you don’t know my background: I relocated alone from San Francisco to Portugal in September 2022, sight unseen and without a built-in support system. Before that, I spent a year traveling solo across the U.S., living in a van. I’m also a published indie author with over 30 novels.

—If you’d rather listen to the author read this article with several ad-lib additions, click here.

The Nomad World Conference

Last week I attended, Nomad World in the Algarve! For those who don’t know, the Algarve is the southern portion of Portugal which is known for sunshine and idyllic beaches.

Nomad World, a digital nomad conference put on by local Portuguese peeps was small, as festivals or conferences go. But, it was definitely big enough with about 500 people. The talks ranged from community, to co-living and co-working to AI and automation. There was a heavy focus on solopreneurs.

All the speakers were absolutely incredible. In addition there were breakout sessions, dancing, games, yoga, sports, hiking, a co-working space, an art day and even speed dating. Groups broke off to meet and mingle and drink. There was a lot of drinking. And eating. So much eating.

I’ve been to a lot of conferences in my life but this was my first digital nomad conference so I have absolutely nothing to compare it to. In the summer of 2023 I had a ticket for the Bansko Nomad Fest in Bulgaria. This is one of the biggest festivals. I had my plane tickets, had booked my airbnbs, all of it. And then I broke my fingers, and had to cancel my entire life (and travel) for a year.

So when I saw there was going to be a conference here in Portugal, I jumped. They didn’t have the agenda up or even the speakers when I bought my early-bird ticket. But I trusted. I figured at least I’ll learn one thing, meet some awesome people and see a town in the Algarve I’ve never been to.

Before I went, I said to anyone who would listen: “I’m going to be the oldest person there.” But everyone shook their heads and told me there was absolutely no way that could be. After all, there are plenty of OG and even New G digital nomads who are older than me. Well, I’m proud to announce that I was definitely the oldest person there, by ten to fifteen years!

I’m really glad I went. Truly. I learned so much. I met amazing, beautiful, clever and kind people. I have zero regrets. I loved it. But… yes there’s a but. I don’t think it was for me. I don’t think I’ll go back, even though I really hope they have it again next year.

This was the second year Nomad World ran in person. Before that it was online for two years. It was professionally run, so much so that it exceeded all my expectations. For the first half of the first three days we were in a huge auditorium with a large wall screen. The presenters had a monitor facing them on the stage where they could see their presentations and click through. Their slides were super impressive. No one stumbled or said, “uh”. They all knew exactly what they were talking about. They were seasoned. Even the few who weren’t, did a spectacular job. I was so impressed. I’ve been a speaker on many occasions, it’s not easy. They all made it look easy.

I learned something valuable from every single presenter. 

In the afternoons we were at a “beach tent stage” which was right on the beach. In front of the ocean! You could walk through a tent flap and take a swim. It was so cool. Unfortunately it started pouring rain on day three and didn’t stop so there wasn’t a lot of ocean swimming, but it was still awesome to be on the beach. The tent was enormous and comfortable with bean bag chairs in the back and standing tables, situated behind the auditorium seating, where you could prop up your laptop and take notes.

The one thing missing from the entire affair were adequate snacks and enough coffee, oh and breaks. I (and everyone else I spoke to) would have appreciated a ten minute break between presentations. But other than that, it was golden.

At night, people met for drinks or dancing and I usually slunk back to my hotel to sleep. Because I’m old/er. Seriously, that’s not why. I need alone time to recharge. I’m an extroverted introvert. An INFJ on the Meyers Briggs scale. 

I did go out to two “after thingies”. One was an LGBTQ+ meet up, that Hannah Dixon arranged and it was so much fun. The other was a Mexican dinner on my last night and that too was super fun but way too loud for me. We basically took over the entire restaurant. Then everyone else went out dancing and I slunk back…

My Hotel

When I booked my airbnb I did not realize it was actually a youth hostel with private rooms. I just looked at the description again and it did not say this. But no matter, it was crazy inexpensive and though there were some noise issues and a shared bathroom I probably would have stayed if it wasn’t for… the overwhelming smell of pee inside my room. This smell appeared after I had settled in and did not dissipate. It got worse. When I messaged the host, he responded immediately and offered me a refund. He didn’t say the words “this has been a problem we thought we fixed” but it was implied. I moved to an “affordable enough” hotel only a block away and it was great.

The Town—Albufeira

When I first arrived in Albufeira and took a walk through old town, it was early morning. I had to walk past a gorgeous beach and in the morning light, it was enchanting. Old town was picturesque before the vendors filled it with their overpriced tchotchkes. And… before it was overrun by drunk tourists. After walking through old town two to four times a day for six days, I no longer loved Albufeira. It’s beautiful and at first it reminded me a lot of Greece, but it’s far too touristy. Still, if all the tourists (and I know I was one of them) were there but the junky tchotchke places weren’t, I would have liked it better. But old town looked like Las Vegas with blinking lights and hawkers. Not for me. Plus they have a Vegas like strip that’s even more Vegasy!

My New Bestie

The absolute best part of the conference for me was meeting an amazing woman, I’ll call Sophie. You know when you meet that person who feels like you’ve known them forever? Like they’re a sister or a brother and you’ve been friends your entire life? That’s how meeting Sophie was. I understand this is rare. So rare that the last person I felt this with was my best friend Susan who I met in 2017. Devastatingly, Susan committed suicide in 2022 right after I moved to Portugal; not because I moved here!

Sophie and I spent much of the conference together and honestly, she was the highlight for me. Our connection, conversations and laughter were next level. Luckily, she is Portuguese and lives in Lisbon (for now) so I hope/plan to see her again.

The Other Highlights

Hannah Dixon and her new community, Rainbow Remote was a huge highlight. All the people who came to her get together were amazing and her presentation at Nomad World was one of my favorites. Other people agreed. 

All the talks about AI and automation were super helpful.

The people—there was not one person I didn’t like. Love is a strong word but I’m emphatic so I can say, I loved everyone. There was an incredibly welcoming vibe, even for an old/er person like myself.

A Turning Point

And still… a random encounter at an almost throw-away event on the final day cemented the fact that perhaps these types of events aren’t for me after all. 

I’m a shades of gray person. I’m not going to say I will never go to another digital nomad festival/conference nor will I say for certainty that I will never attend Nomad World again but… I probably won’t.

There was a single moment that acted like a litmus test for me and I’m not going to write about it because it’s long and inappropriate. I’ll just say that in the end, what I saw, didn’t align with my priorities and values. It also had nothing to do with the conference itself, just with a few of the attendees.

Road Trip

I will quickly touch on the highlights of taking my time to visit several other towns on my way down to the conference and back. For years I’ve had a long list of places I wanted to visit in Portugal and I ticked off five of them on this particular trip. 

Coimbra, Portugal — photo by the author

Nazaré

Two hours south of Porto on the coast before Lisbon. 

Known as a surfer’s paradise with huge waves. It’s a beach town. I grew up near a beach town. It was cool, but not my cup of tea.

Setúbal

Just south of Lisbon, also on the coast.

Be still my heart. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time here but loved what I saw. The old town is gorgeous and the surrounding area is much larger than I realized. Before visiting, I fantasized about moving there at some point when I finally grow tired of the three hundred days of rain per year that is Porto.

Faro

Where the airport in the Algarve is located. It’s about an hour east of Albufeira. I have wanted to visit Faro ever since I saw a magical photo almost four years ago. And… as often happens with “magical photos” this one was taken at one particular spot during magic hour and sadly, it was the only really pretty spot in the entire town. In my opinion! I didn’t spend too long there, so there’s a good chance I missed some things but I did go to the historic old town and walk along the water. It was packed with tourists, even in October, and a lot of tours. Not my cup of tea and that’s okay.

Santa Luzia

An other expat living in Santa Luzia reached out to me and said if I was heading her way, she’d love to meet for coffee. The town is cute for having one street, which I am familiar with as I lived in a tiny one street town in the US for the past eleven years before moving to Porto. I’m glad I got to experience the cute little town and I always love meeting new people.

Tavira

Tavira is the largest town in the Algarve, nestled East, close to Spain. It’s not right on the ocean but close to it and built on two sides of a river. Tavira is pure fairytale magic. I loved it. So much. At the last minute I procured a very inexpensive booking.com room right on the river and spent one eve and much of the next day walking around. This town has been high on my list to visit and now I wish I could spend several months there. When I first moved to Portugal in 2022, Tavira was affordable to live but sadly, this is no longer the case. 

Tavira, Portugal — photo by the author

Lagos

Lagos is located on the west side of the Algarve, also on the ocean. I have a good friend who has a farm there and I’ve stayed with her before, in a caravan on her property. I drove there from Tavira. It was less than two hours. We had a great time, walking through town, eating lunch and drinking coconut milk bubble tea. Spending a night in her caravan felt like coming home. 

Coimbra

Coimbra is a very old university town an hour south of Porto, located east, away from the ocean. But Coimbra is also built along a river. It was number four on my top four places to live list when I first moved to Portugal. But until this week, I had never been there. And… that’s probably a good thing because I also fell madly in love with it. I love historic buildings. Always have. Coimbra is historic on steroids. It’s also quite hilly, which I like as well. I found an affordable hotel on booking and stayed the night so I could explore for an entire day. Another good friend has a vegan restaurant there and I was happy to stop by for lunch. It was even better than I had anticipated.

And there you have it, in a nutshell. I’ve tried to keep this as short as possible.

I had one funny and enlightening experience in Coimbra which I talk about in depth in my upcoming podcast, number twenty-one. It releases later this week. The podcasts, which I do read from these articles always have ad-libs, and in this one there’s about ten minutes extra where I tell two stories I never wrote about.

Conclusion

Attending Nomad World in the Algarve was an eye-opening experience. While the conference exceeded my expectations with insightful talks and wonderful people, the highlight was connecting deeply with my new friend Sophie.

And though the event didn't fully check all “my” boxes, I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow.

The road trip to various towns before and after was also lovely. From magical Tavira to historical Coimbra, I am always reminded of Portugal's immense beauty.

Though digital nomad specific conferences may not be for me, I look forward to more outings in this amazing country I now call home. Plus, more adventures in storybook Europe—where my heart soars. Oh that’s too cheesy, isn’t it?

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