Meet Vanessa Rogeiro: Solo Traveler and Digital Nomad
We welcome, Vanessa Rogeiro, the adventurous digital nomad and solo traveler hailing from Portugal. With a thriving career in the Music Industry, she serves as an Artist Manager and Creative at a dynamic company offering comprehensive music licensing solutions for film, TV, games, apps, freelancers, and businesses of all shapes and sizes. Read more on her journey at the intersection of creativity and wanderlust!
1. How long have you been a Nomad / working remotely and what encouraged/inspired you to do it in the first place? What would be your advice to someone who wants to embark on this journey?
I started working remotely during the Pandemic, halfway through 2020. It’s hard to define where I started nomading, because I had to relocate in 2021 and escape London’s rent spikes amid such unstable times. Does that count? However, I first moved out of the UK in October 2022, after I handed over the keys to my flat to someone else, packed all my stuff, and went to the US for a couple of months.
What I originally thought it’d only be a trip to see family and meet my new co-workers, turned out to be much more than this! I didn’t know about the term ‘Digital Nomad’ until December of that same year. Once I realized this was actually ‘a thing’, there was no going back… I immediately pulled out the world map and pinned places to go to! I wanted to see so much… I still do!
But, I wasn’t being realistic, or seeing the bigger picture. And that’s the best advice I can offer: start nomading within your ‘comfort zone’, whether that means exploring your own country or staying with that friend who moved somewhere else. Traveling solo, like I do, can be scary, in a way that one may encounter loneliness more often than they like to admit! Exploring within the ‘comfort zone’ has allowed me to get to know myself, my boundaries, know those I really connect with and why. I’ll soon be stepping out of the ‘Western world’ again, expanding myself a bit further. That’s how I personally see traveling – as a tool for expanding and getting to know ourselves. Work comes second, always; your mind and peace first. I know, it’s easy to say this while I work at my dream job! (:
2. Where would you recommend a first-time digital nomad to stay long-term that isn’t on everyone’s radar and why? From this location, can you recommend some of your favorite co-working spaces or environments for remote work?
It depends on where you’re based. I’d recommend first-time nomading somewhere nearby – to that exciting city or state that you always wanted to go to. Choose a place that’s culturally interesting – you’ll be working, following your own routine but wouldn’t want to move ‘from one house to the other’; find reasons why that place is a winner. The first year of nomading can be very touristy!
In the USA, I LOVED exploring and staying in Portland, OR, where you get to adventure through the Oregon coast and natural parks nearby. I didn’t go to a co-working here, I was working at home or with my friends. Work started at 6 am on weekdays, it’s not like I had many options. But in the afternoon, when there were no calls, small cafes like Starbucks or the locals Proud Mary, Bread & Honey, or Costello’s Travel were always nice places to work from.
In Europe, the options are so vast, that it’s hard to choose! If you love mountains and the ocean, go check out the Azores (Portugal). There are a couple of co-livings on the island of Ponta Delgada. I wouldn’t recommend staying out of the co-living as there are not a lot of Digital Nomads here. Another off-the-radar place would be Mostar, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I’ve also been told that Antalya, in Turkey, is an amazing DN spot. I personally cannot wait to go to Dahab, in Egypt – that’s my definition of paradise! 🙂
3. Since our platform thrives in uplifting minorities – we want to know, in what ways has traveling as a nomad influenced your perspective on cultural diversity and global connections?
Breaking stereotypes! Being on the road means that the question ‘Where are you from?’ is brought up daily. This very often implies that the person asking will make a connection with your country, your culture, or even politics, which, let’s be honest, can be extremely unpleasant. You also get to know the ‘audience’ that’ll automatically jump to such conclusions, instead of getting to know you, as an individual. Getting to meet people from all over the world is extremely enriching; having the opportunity to do it in such a fast-paced lifestyle changes you, for the better, always. I personally feel that diversity and global connections are the greatest ‘freebie’ Digital Nomads can benefit from – both personally and professionally… Or just to simply ask – ‘I’m thinking of going to X country, how did you find it? Any suggestions?’ Get ready to get pin your digital map with the best recommendations from your fellow DN!
4. As a Digital Nomad, how has this contributed to your spiritual journey, and have you encountered any transformative moments or insights along the way?
Digital nomading has changed me inside out. I now see this physical journey at a greater level than just ‘traveling’. I’m expanding myself, changing ‘my own tides’, while trying to stay aligned with the weird phases of the Moon and the crazy Mercury Retrogrades. I didn’t even know about these terms last year! I was in Italy with a friend, in the middle of one of these retrogrades, when we started talking about this. Later that year, another friend and I started noticing patterns in our daily lives – somehow we were both having a crazy week, followed by a few days of chaos, then 2 or 3 days of confusion over what we had just experienced. We were noticing such a pattern happening at the same time with multiple people, including co-workers and family members. As a joke, I turned to astrology to justify these events. Little did I know that I was reading the future and choosing my ‘next stops’ by simply knowing which planets were due to enter a certain constellation! I’m still astonished at how accurate this is… And that brings me peace – knowing that the retrogrades will come and go, knowing that there’s a Full Moon each month!
