Expats and remote workers residing in Portugal are nothing new. But it wasn’t till 2021, during a global health crisis, when an entire village dedicated to digital nomadism was created.
In my recent blog, I stated that I would give you more information about my co-living destination and choice of location. So, here we go. ⇓
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When leaving the Portuguese mainland behind — located around 1’000 km from the European mainland and 500 km from the African continent — a true hidden gem can be found. A place where the Atlantic ocean collides with majestic mountains and Portuguese culture meets Hawaii-like panoramas.
Awarded World’s Leading Island Destination for numerous-time in a row, the volcanic island of Madeira is a terrific travel destination for young and old. With its stunning and diverse landscapes, adventurous hiking trails, and mild weather all year long, Madeira should be on everyone’s bucket list!
Although the island is super tiny and you can drive from the southern coast to the northern end in about an hour, most visitors repeatedly return to see more. Madeira simply has so much to offer and makes it really impossible to explore everything in one trip.
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While numerous nations and regions restricted the stream of people during the pandemic, Madeira’s government was courageous enough to realize an opportunity to bring back income to the suffering island’s economy. With the founding of the Digital Nomad Village, Madeira offers remote workers everything they’re looking for when choosing a remote home base.
🗺 Where is the Digital Nomad Village located?
The Nomad village lies a quick 20-minute drive from the lovely capital, Funchal, on the shores of Madeira’s southwest coast in peaceful Ponta do Sol. The village grants a shared co-working space in the historic John do Passos Cultural Centre and daily accommodates 30-40 digital nomads, who appreciate the local facilities and make use of infrastructure while extensive tourism stays away.
⏳For how long is the project running?
The first phase of the pilot project is up and running since February 1st and will go on until the end of June. During that time, the newly opened office space provides Nomads a free working space with a desk and chair, free wifi from 8am till 10pm, and access to a Slack community that informs members about activities and provides Madeira advice.
👥 By whom is it organized?
The marvelous idea to bring slow tourism (digital nomads) to Madeira was developed by Gonçalo Hall, a remote work consultant. Initially, Gonçalo Hall introduced his idea of a digital nomad village at a conference with the Portuguese economic minister in 2020. After speaking with the president of Madeira, he was later hired to promote the island in collaboration with Startup Madeira and the Madeira Government.
💡What’s special?
The village allows nomads to meet interesting people from around the world and provides an active community, all while keeping everyone safe due to the very low corona case counts (⇒Madeira is offering free COVID tests upon arrival, and the Digital Nomad village makes sure that all safety measures, such as masks and social distancing are applied.).
Moreover, the Digital Nomad Village partnered up with various local businesses, such as accommodation and car rental firms, to help the regional community overcome the pandemic facing the current decline of tourists. The relationship between the nomads and locals is the essence of the Digital Nomads Madeira and makes this project truly special!
For Madeira, this project is not just about money, it’s also about reinventing its marketplace. The sub-tropical island aspires to become a destination where highly qualified workers and young entrepreneurs from all over the world come together. A region, famous for being a “digital hub”.
Do you think Madeira will achieve that goal?
Want to see more of Madeira’s beauty? 🌺
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pydwGDsMKvA&
Thank you so much for reading my sixth blog post! 🤗 I hope you enjoyed today’s topic and that I could inspire you to put beautiful Madeira on your bucket list for a workcation!
Don’t forget to comment down below what you think of the village! +check out my recent blogs:
very interesting blog post!😊
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I had put madeira already on my bucket list, but now I’m even thinking to go for a week or two in the next semester, if classes are still remote! Loved the insights you gave!
Yes, you should definitely use the remote opportunity if you can! Studying from Madeira is simply more fun☀️😊. Thank you, Ale!
Have never heard of it before, but sounds so exciting! How did you find out about this project?
Hi Sophia, thank you for coming back to my posts!
I found it through google. When doing research on digital nomad hotspots this soon pops up (there’re many news articles about it). 😊
I agree that Madeira is a great place for remote work!