When I received the email two days before departure with the link to register for the dinner, I immediately started filling out the questionnaire.

Then I mentioned the dinner in several posts. It was planned for the evening of the “Nomad Cruise Day 2nd – Sea Day” Then it almost happened on the evening of the “Nomad Cruise Day 3rd – Sea Day”, which then finally reached its climax on the evening of the “Nomad Cruise Day 4th – Palermo”

So, the story is already known. But, since I saved the questions before leaving, and since I’ve told you so much about this dinner, here’s a reminder of what questions the AI ​​used to find the right one. Now, where it found…

And, all joking and laughing aside: Now that I’ve read these questions for the second time, it occurred to me that it doesn’t matter who put together this set of questions. There was an assumption among us that the set of questions itself was put together with the help of AI. Now I think that it doesn’t matter at all. The essential questions of a relationship are also included in this set of questions. I’m not saying that you have to fill out this questionnaire on the first date, but perhaps several elements of these many questions will naturally come up during conversations that explore each other. You can definitely get ideas from these questions.

AI Nomad Matchmaking on Nomad Cruise 14

This survey will help match you with a compatible romantic partner at our conference. It takes about 7 minutes to complete.

Your responses will only be used for the matchmaking algorithm and will be deleted after the event. Your match will be sitting at your table during the activity, but their identity will only be revealed when both of you consent.

Please answer honestly – there are no right or wrong answers. We’re looking to understand your authentic preferences to create meaningful connections between nomads who understand this unique lifestyle.

Which relationship structure resonates with you?

• Monogamous
• Polyamorous/Ethically non-monogamous
• Open to different structures
• Still exploring

What are you hoping to find through this matchmaking experience?

• Long-term committed partnership
• Meaningful connection with potential for commitment
• Travel companion with romantic potential
• Let connections develop naturally without expectations

How long have you been living nomadically?

• Less than 1 year
• 1–3 years
• 3–5 years
• 5+ years

Your typical pace of travel is:

• Fast-paced (new location every few weeks)
• Moderate (changing locations every 1–3 months)
• Slow (staying 3+ months in each place)
• Variable depending on circumstances
• I have a homebase now

In a relationship, your ideal travel arrangement would be:

• Always traveling together
• Same general location but with independence
• Periods together interspersed with solo travel
• Primarily separate travel with regular meetups

When beginning a new relationship, you typically prefer:

• Diving deep quickly
• Taking things slowly
• Focusing on shared activities
• It varies

When you’re going through a difficult time, you usually:

• Seek support and talk
• Process independently
• Keep busy
• Depend on the situation

Select the three values most important to you in relationships:

• Independence/autonomy
• Emotional security/stability
• Growth and personal development
• Adventure and new experiences
• Deep emotional intimacy
• Trust and reliability
• Intellectual connection
• Shared purpose/vision
• Sexual Chemistry

Your ideal level of independence within a relationship is:

• Highly independent
• Balanced independence
• Mostly intertwined lives
• Depends on relationship

Your financial approach within relationships tends to be:

• Clearly separated finances
• Shared expenses for joint activities
• Mostly combined with personal allowances
• Completely shared finances

Which best describes your approach to personal development?

• Actively pursuing growth
• Regular self-reflection
• Learning through relationships
• Natural evolution

Regarding your attachment patterns in relationships:

• Aware and working on it
• Notice patterns but hard to change
• Haven’t thought about it
• Satisfied

When thinking about a future with a partner, you:

• Need a clear shared vision
• Prefer flexibility
• Balance planning and adaptability
• Focus on the present

Political views

• Liberal
• Conservative
• I dont care about politics

With the partner I am looking for now…

• We read books at night next to eachother in bed
• We hike , surf and sweat together
• We create business/ projects together
• We talk hours and hours about interesting stuff
• We are creating a family together
• We act like bunnies;)

What are your dealbreakers?

Religion

• Chatolic
• Spiritual (New Age)
• Buddhist
• Muslim
• Atheist
• Not really important for me
• Jewish

Party animal level ( 1 no party – 5 more party the better)

Describe a relationship dynamic where you’ve felt most comfortable and authentic:

What have you learned about yourself through past relationships that’s important for a potential partner to know?

What qualities or traits do you find yourself consistently attracted to in others?

What would make you feel secure and valued in a relationship while living nomadically?

Is there anything else you’d like potential matches to know about you?

The post 104. | AI matchmaking dinner first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

First of all, I think that I have had quite a few really great experiences in my life, but this trip is one of the outstanding experiences, right now. And I think that the adjective unrepeatable will also be there with it. I hope I am right in thinking that I will go on another Nomad Cruise in my life – which will definitely be a good experience (yes, my life and the Cruise too) – but the next one will definitely not be as good as this one.

What did I find? What changed?

On the last day in Athens, someone asked me if I had found what I was looking for. I answered that I was not looking for anything, but I found a lot. I had no prior expectations about the trip, but if I had, the reality would definitely surpass my expectations.

An important question was what the trip had changed in me. To which I said nothing. I arrived on this trip ready. Of course not ready for everything. But I feel completely ready to leave my previous homeland and start a new life, for months. So this is the current direction of my life, a current weight and state. With that, because I firmly believe in it and I am ready for the next steps, the cruise could not change anything. It could neither take away from it nor add to it. I did not gain more courage, nor did I find anything scary. I did not become more impatient, nor can I think about the trip any more relaxed.

That is why I feel that this trip did nothing for me. Rather, I feel that it energized me. I did not build, I did not lose anything. These many beautiful days have pushed energy into every corner of the current finished structure.

I enjoyed every minute of these days.

It was very good to experience the two discoveries aimed at myself.

My discoveries

What were these self-discoveries?

One is that I am not ready to find a partner yet. At the Deep Connection workshop, I felt that I did not need to deal with this question yet. I still need to give myself time to heal and grow. The wounds from my last relationship have not healed yet, so the best thing to do is to wait. I will feel ready one day.

The other discovery also came to me during this workshop. Before you continue reading, please be prepared for a question to follow. Try to answer the question before you continue reading! Are you prepared? Try to honestly find an answer to this question, and if you feel like it, let me know your answer! The question: what is the opposite of control? I will give you time to answer.

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The question caught me because I had already discovered the importance of control in my life. It is precisely what I want to loosen up and change. And I had no idea what my answer to this question would be. Obviously, there are many answers, but the speaker said that the opposite of control is trust. This struck me right then and there – and even now – to the heart. Because, as I mentioned earlier, I am a person who is overly controlled in almost every area of ​​my life, and I realized that I had to let go of that. It occurred to me then and there that there was an area of ​​my life where I did not want to apply control, but only complete trust. The other issue is that when I lost trust – in both cases – control crept in. In other words, in another key area of ​​my life, I was working only with trust, and I realized that control was missing from here. In other words, I should have pulled it here. Letting go on one side of my life, pulling on the other. This is how balance can be achieved in all areas.

I am grateful for these discoveries!

My Connections

What I found was a lot of connections with a lot of good people. I met a lot of open-hearted and open-minded people on the ship. Some of us connected for days, others for hours, and some even for minutes. In any case, these connections happened with natural simplicity, because openness and friendliness were the basis for the entire trip, for almost everyone.

I met introverted people who got tired sooner than the others, but I had the feeling that everyone was standing still and wanted to participate in as many programs as possible for their own benefit. So we connected with each other crosswise and lengthwise. The result of these connections was that last Friday I felt so recharged that I myself overflowed.

I felt a bit like someone who had 20% more happiness added to their 100%. It’s not the first time I’ve felt lately that being overloaded on the positive side of the scale can also cause fatigue. It’s good to have the experience that it’s not just pain that can make your eyes itch, sometimes excessive happiness can also be so painful that it almost hurts. How interesting! Painful happiness…

I’m grateful for the connections! For the ones that were just here, for the ones that will continue in the future, and for the ones that were in the past and are still going on or not going on.

At the end of last week, a discovery came to me.

What makes you happy?

The daily emphasis on connections has led me to the discovery that I am about to describe. Which I cannot put into words in any other way than the way I feel right now. I think that connecting with people makes me happy. I have a feeling that this makes many people happy, but since I can only say for sure about my own feelings, I will only talk about myself for now. And I will not start writing my book “I Found the Secret to Happiness!”. I still need to analyze and mature this question.

I have always felt good about connecting with others. Others have often confirmed that it is good to connect with me. More than once in my life I have received the recognition that “I don’t usually talk about this with anyone, I don’t know why I am telling you, but somehow I have to tell you…” So I have this feeling that this comes easily to me. There is a lot of feedback that I am doing it well. Now I have a discovery that I am not doing this selflessly – probably – but because it makes me happy. If I have this, then I feel good.

Since I believe that we are all the same, we come from the same place and are going to the same place, whether I think about it or not, I believe that something connects us. I have felt countless signs and evidence of this in my life, and now with this discovery – simply along the lines of faith – I feel that I have understood something about myself again, for which I do not need to look for evidence, I simply consider my intuition and my experiences to be enough.

If – I feel – I have found what makes me happy, then the next steps are very simple: to nurture my existing relationships and look for the next ones to see if I remain happy. If not, then I was wrong, and I am either looking for or waiting for what makes me happy to arrive.

I am grateful for this discovery as well. I will slowly start using the term enlightenment.

Ivan

I wrote so many serious things in the above that I need some loose closure.

The pronunciation of my name caused some pretty serious problems for some people. One of the bartenders called me Ivan, although he didn’t use that name. And I noticed an interesting wordplay here. If I take out the ST from ISTVÁN, it really remains IVÁN. If I put this taken out ST in front of IVÁN, I get the expression St. Ivan.

I won’t write any more now…

The post 103. | Nomad Cruise Summary first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

That’s why, when I’ve talked about Nomad Cruises recently, almost everyone’s eyes have sparkled. Everyone sees the adventure and the beautiful moments in the journey. So far, I’ve made two posts about the Cruise (“Nomad Cruise 14 – I’m going on a cruise”, “The 14th Nomad Cruise is approaching”), but the posts on the topic are going to multiply now. You can see how many such posts there are here:

https://online-dentist.hu/en/tag/nomad-cruise-en/

So far I have written 10 posts about the cruise, and this post is only indirectly related to the trip, because on this day I actually slept on dry land. But somehow I still feel like a Nomad Cruiser.

I didn’t get up too early that day. The room I stayed in is an interesting example of an accessible, but in the long run unsuitable space. It was a basement room, the window was at knee height for people passing by on the street, and at a height that was inaccessible from inside the room. So it couldn’t be opened, and there wasn’t another one. The room had air conditioning, which at least circulated the air, because without it it would have been quite difficult to sit and exist there all day. Sitting would have been the second most difficult thing, because there was neither a chair nor a table in the room, only a well-known coffee table from IKEA. Despite all these difficult circumstances, I finished a few of my posts this morning and was finally able to post them, because there was internet.

This accommodation was two kilometers from the city center. After writing, I went for a walk into the city. I had planned for an indefinite time, I had no goal, but the idea of ​​a program nested in my brain yesterday. So I went to the Electric Mama tattoo parlor not far from my room and told the guy who opened the door to me what I wanted.

The sign on my body

Yesterday I saw this tattoo parlor and a symbol was born in me. I imagined an alpha sign on my wrist. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. So I thought it would be nice to have a reminder that I had already taken the first steps in my new life, but not to be complacent, because there are still many steps to go. These are just the first steps. So we agreed on the details of the birth of my reminder symbol. He asked if I could come tomorrow, and I told him that it was my last day in Athens. So we organized something and I got an appointment a few hours later.

I hope that in thirty years I will be able to add the beta to the alpha, indicating that I am on the path. I don’t know how long the journey is, but maybe on my last day I will call a priest who can tattoo, so that the omega can be put on my skin.

Lunch

I was supposed to spend lunch with my former roommate, but he became unreachable on Saturday, and I still haven’t heard from him on Monday. I hope he’s okay. He’s involved in a family problem, so I can only hope that’s why he disappeared from the map.

In any case, I had no reason to worry then and there about having to eat lunch alone in a big European city, because on the one hand I’m not the type to worry, and on the other hand, I’ve had one of those before, not too long ago.

The menu of the second restaurant I visited caught my eye. Obviously, the traditional moussaka was one of my choices, but I also asked for some seafood, just because of the Mediterranean presence. I was still under the influence of yesterday’s unpleasant discovery, so I skipped the beer, but not the Mojito. The Mojito on the ship was much better than here in the city. I gave it several chances until the evening to change my mind, but it didn’t work out. Here – if I remember correctly – Limoncello is used in Mojito, which to me looks like someone using a stew cube to make stew simmering over a campfire.

I was sitting alone and had already eaten – while watching a movie that had just started in Hungary – when the waitress signaled that someone was waving to me from the neighboring tables. It was the Australian psychologist woman with whom the four of us had walked the streets in Palermo. I told her to sit next to me and have lunch together. And so it was. In the meantime, we discussed with the 65-year-old lady that if I were going to go to Australia, she would help me with my immigration. Amen.

After our lunch together, we went about our business. Which, for me – and I think for her too – meant at that moment that we should just keep on wandering. I didn’t go far, because while I was eating, one of the magical ladies wrote in the common group that they would be having lunch right near me. So I went there to have a coffee with the company.

The interviews

I found the company easily, some were still eating, but most had already finished. I ordered myself a coffee and joined them. I had already talked to most of the people at the table, but if that hadn’t been the case, it wouldn’t have been a problem. Slowly, however, everyone went about their business, the three of us stayed to talk.

Suddenly, the lady who had stayed there and who I had described earlier – not by chance – as magical, after a 5-10 minute conversation suddenly said that she would do an interview with me if I didn’t mind. Such a big moment cannot be missed. Why would I have any reason to mind this? She made a small handle for the microphone she had in a matter of moments and the equipment was ready.

So in the next few minutes I had a very pleasant experience. It was exciting to answer the questions asked in an imaginative and honest way. It felt good to only give myself in the meantime. At the end, I was able to ask questions. I was interested in how the lady came up with the idea for the interview. She said she likes to interview honest and interesting people with independent thoughts. I hope to see the end result.

There was another guy there, so there were three of us at the table, a Pole, an American and a Hungarian. With the microphone in hand, the sorceress also conducted a second interview, and I watched from the background. In the end, all I could say was that it was fascinating to watch the whole thing. And how many moments like that did we have during the many days…

The lady and I walked aimlessly around the city. Well, we had a goal, or rather, we wandered aimlessly. We had good conversations and walked along streets that I knew, because I had been here in Athens twice last year, and she lived here in a relationship with someone. While wandering around, we bumped into a German guy, whom none of us had seen on the boat, but we recognized from his t-shirt. After a little chat, he joined us, and we wandered around together for another 45 minutes. This is a taste of how almost every minute of the past few days has passed.

Electric Mama

Sophie was the lady who finally made the sign on my skin. She did the preparatory work while I was still talking. We discussed the direction, location, size of the alpha sign, we brainstormed for a long time about the color, but in the end every detail was clear. The tattoo itself only took about 5 minutes. Yes, it hurt. But this pain can’t really hurt, so while the machine was buzzing, we continued talking.

I’m very happy with the end result. It’s exactly how I imagined it. I have to protect it for a few days, I hope I can fix it. The cover can be removed on Thursday. I sent the fresh picture of my wrist to my daughters. Both of them immediately wrote that it was loose and that I should tell them what it meant. I told them what this stitch symbolizes to me.

The last party

I went home, rested a bit, and wanted to take a shower, but this was not possible because of the fresh tattoo. So after a little sleep I checked my mail. There are quite a few times when I can’t sort them out all day.

I decided to have a bite to eat before going to the announced party location. I saw a company on the corner next to my apartment, about 30 meters from my window in the morning. I went in there. There was a small courtyard where a magical outdoor restaurant was set up. And the smells were so good that I immediately decided to eat here. I was alone in the whole courtyard. The owner didn’t really speak English. But I was able to tell him that there were very delicious smells in the air and that I would order what I could smell. And so it was. What I ate was probably papoutsákia. I had a cozy dinner, that’s for sure.

A lot of people came from the boat to the party. I suspect almost everyone who was still in Athens. I think we picked up where we left off. Lots of talking, lots of drinking, less dancing. In addition to the previously agreed bar, the group slowly occupied the area of ​​the neighboring bar, and in fact, a few of us used the tables of the neighboring hotel for our conversations for quite a while. In vain, digital nomads have conquered the world. Or – tonight – at least Athens.

I got home in three hours. I really missed the shower, so I did. I re-attached my body mark. I packed my things, in case I overslept in the morning. Then I quickly went to bed and slept for almost 2.5 hours.

The way home

On the last night on the ship, a Hungarian guy and I found out that we were going on the same plane. I checked in for the plane that night, so I was able to book a seat next to him. After that, it was clear that we would go to the airport together. He organized the trip. We shared the costs.

We divided our time well at the airport, because we were able to check in my luggage, we had time to eat, after the security check. However, we slept well throughout the flight in our seats next to each other. In vain, those few hours of sleep were not enough for either of us.

In Hungary

The Hungarian guy and I got off the plane together, and then everyone went about their business. I had received quite a few hugs in the past few days. This was the last one from this company.

I called the parking company to let them know that I had arrived and was ready to be taken to my car. They asked for 20 minutes of patience. I thought, I’ll have a coffee until then, I’ve somehow missed this many times in the last 10 days.

Well, in the airport cafe I immediately felt that I was where I wanted to go. There were two women working in the cafe. The following message could be read on one of them’s faces: “It’s Sunday again, I’m going to fuck this slave life to hell, this cretin wants coffee too, instead of staying at home.” I obviously didn’t have much to do with her, she just made the coffees. There was minimal communication with the other woman, I told her twice what I wanted, because it didn’t go through the first time. A lot of attention, eye contact, or a smile seemed unthinkable. Of course, you can tell why my mouth is crying, I didn’t come to a circle of friends, just to a cafe. That’s true! However, in the last 10 days it felt so good that they asked me how I was every second place. Smiling. Looking into my eyes. They were happy when I asked them back. I was given a glass of water with my Mojito, even though I didn’t ask for it. Then the bartender laughed with me, barely 12 hours ago, when I pointed to the popcorn in front of me and told him, laughing, that I would never lose weight if my head was full. Here, the greeting of Josua, the bartender from the Philippines, “Isztván!” and his wide, kind smile echo in my head…

Even if the welcome wasn’t hot, the coffee was. I’ve never understood why a 90-degree liquid needs to be put in a paper cup. It could practically kill you. I could just drink it in half an hour. That’s how long I had to wait for my ride. The young guy apologized for the delay. I told him it wasn’t a problem at all, because I wasn’t in a hurry. He was a little surprised by this – like everyone usually is. I told him why not. Then the smile-free cafe, and how I felt about the atmosphere in our country, and why I was leaving. Suddenly he got very quiet. And he told me, “Man, what you’re saying gives me chills! Everyone here really fucked up like that.” I’m sorry I have to talk about things like this at home. I would feel much better if I could tell you something like, “Imagine, Josua always gave me mojitos so kindly, but his smile couldn’t compete with the Hungarian girl I saw in the café earlier…” If that were the case, maybe I wouldn’t leave here…

I even stopped at a gas station on my way home. I bought a little melon and a bottle of water with lemon, with real plants. I wanted to taste the past few days. The girl at the counter wasn’t nice here either. At least not to the woman in front of me. She tried a little too hard with me, but she didn’t break up with me. I tried to fight my feelings so as not to be hostile to her. I thought, I brought something home with me from the long trip, so I wanted to ask her how she was. And at the same time, I didn’t want to worry that she would answer with a question like, “What the f…k have to do with her, you bastard?” But looking at his face, his expression, his movements, I lost the desire to be nice to him… He asked, “with a card?”. I haven’t been waiting for full-sentence questions for a long time, we can understand what the other person wants from the first words. The card reader was in front of his hand. If he – politely – pushed it 25 centimeters forward, or, God forbid, took it in his hand and put it in front of me, then I wouldn’t have to strain myself on my stomach on the counter to pay my bill. But he wasn’t polite. It’s okay, he definitely wanted to help, he probably thought I could use a stretch after the long drive.

After the difficult mood, I arrived home. Around 1 o’clock. I told my parents and my younger brother about my most memorable adventures, then I went to my friends’ house at 4 for an afternoon and evening of board games. On the way home, I stopped by one of my friends’. So after the two less cheerful places, I was still able to collect quite a few smiles in the afternoon and evening.

The post 101. | Nomad Cruise Days +1st and +2nd – Athens (14.06.2025 – 15.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Official programs planned for today:

• Disembarkation
• Discover Athens, the adventure begins

Finally, it was possible to book a program for this day. I did this on 2025.05.29. The description of the program known in advance was this:

Join one of the original and most iconic walking tours of Athens! This immersive experience takes the participants straight into the heart of ancient Athens, where history and mythology come to life.

Additional Information:

• Date: June 14
• Starting times: 10:00, 18:00
• Duration: 2-3 hours
• Meeting point: In front of the bronze statue of Theseus, across the street from the Thissio Metro Station at 10:00 / 18:00 sharp.
• Price: Tips-based. Please note that this walking tour is tips-based. There is no fixed ticket price – just contribute what you feel the experience was worth at the end of the tour.

In the end, I didn’t go to this program that day. Especially since it was/is “tomorrow”. The last day didn’t start too early. I tried to wake my roommate up, but it didn’t work. The toilet broke down in the evening, so morning hunger and natural needs led me to the restaurant. I liked that I could eat as much as I wanted at every buffet meal. Many people complained that the food wasn’t the best on this ship. Well, this is where what I wrote in my post “The Gastronomic Revolution Was Left Out of Me” definitely worked to my advantage. I woke up with good feelings at every meal.

I packed my big backpack at night, around 0:45, because we had to put it out in front of the door by 1:00 to pick it up. So there wasn’t much left to pack in the morning, except my laptop. When I finished packing this, my roommate and I decided to stay on the boat until 2:00 PM. So, we stocked up on mojitos and looked for a sunbed in the shade. I slept well, had a couple of cocktails, and talked. Then we went to lunch and had our last drinks. Then we left the boat around 2:00 PM. The port exit was in a part of the city that I knew well. I had been to Athens twice last year, and the memories of that immediately came flooding back.

We took a taxi home, so we walked together for a while, and then I continued on foot. I got to the room I had rented just in time, I had received all the instructions, so I was able to get into my little apartment right away. I showered, rested a bit, and headed back to the city.

My ex-roommate and I walked around the city. Today was a big discovery. I don’t drink alcohol very often, but when I do, I usually drink beer and Jäger. I almost only drank cocktails on the ship, and mostly Mojitos. This week I drank quite a lot. But this drink didn’t bother me at all all week. We started with beer today, we also drank a few during the day, and I realized that beer is a heavy drink. This is quite a discovery at 49 years old. I mean, I have to say that beer is not the best alcoholic drink for me. I may only drink Mojitos for the rest of my life. Let’s just say, I have a hard time imagining the moment when I ask for a Mojito in any of the rarely visited pubs in Hungary…

We had dinner with the guy, and then everyone went home to rest their fatigue.

Today I felt like my feelings were overflowing. I have had so many good experiences, so much positive feedback, and confirmations these past few days that I felt like a full glass. Even with so much happiness, it is sometimes difficult to cope… I felt that way after Milan.

Today I went after an old symbol. Last year I bought a ring for a woman who ultimately did not love me enough to accept the meaning of this ring, and did not become my wife. I wore rings when I was young, even before my marriage, but I did not know the reason at the time, if there was a reason at all. Yesterday I understood the meaning of the ring. And I bought one for myself. The self-identity I have lived with, the acceptance and love of myself, deserves a symbol. I have engaged myself to my own life and I am sure that I will not be disappointed in this relationship. The ring will remind me that I love myself, even when there may be moments when I do not feel that way.

The post 100. | Nomad Cruise Day 7th – Athens (13.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Official programs planned for today:

• Animal flow
• Breakfast
• Unconference
• Lunch
• Unconference
• Closing ceremony and talent show
• Dinner
• Farawell drinks

On the days that the program called sea days, the ship always docked somewhere, only we, digital nomads, members of Nomad Cruise, stayed on the ship. At least the majority, because of course we have the freedom of choice. This was the first day at sea when the ship was actually moving. That is, after leaving Valletta, the sunrise had already reached me at sea. We could have spent the whole day staring at the endless water. In the evening – during dinner – the Greek coast appeared before us, but we only had the opportunity to dock the next day. I looked at the endless sea quite a few times that day. During the day, in the evening and at night. It had a special charm for me to stand in front of the endless sea, whether alone or in company.

My day started quite late, in line with the six o’clock bedtime. While the ship was moving, we jumped a time zone. I had never experienced anything like this before. Because, when I had changed time zones before, it had always been on a plane. When a plane takes off, you turn your phone off, and when it lands, you turn it back on. That is, the clock change happens automatically. On the ship, it was different. All of a sudden, we crossed the time zone. But on this day – thanks to being at sea – the internet on the ship didn’t really work, and there was no cell phone service, by the way. So – for the first time in my life – I existed in a time when we didn’t know exactly what time it was. At one point, my watch said it was one o’clock, 10 minutes later it said two, and then one again. Everyone was confused. We couldn’t even check the time because the internet wasn’t available.

It was completely irrelevant anyway, because time wasn’t important to me. It was the first day I didn’t want to do anything except work on my blog, but that became impossible. So, apart from talking, eating, and destroying cocktails, I didn’t do much for the world today.

It would be difficult to describe the quality of the conversations. I have received more and more feedback in the past few days. I have been feeling more and more that I am a part of something good. Not only here on board the Nomad Cruise, but in my own life.

The evening was all about saying goodbye. There was a last drink meeting. With quite a few summaries, falling in love with each other. There were some people I had said goodbye to earlier, some we both knew we didn’t have to. There were some people with whom the evening was superficial, but mostly full of touching moments.

On the first day, you could apply for Who Knows. The next day there was an audition and selection. The selected people had been preparing in the past few days to show their talent tonight. The few performances we saw here were very entertaining, I was sure that among so many people there were quite a few who were able to live their lives with talent.

That evening I had a “something is wrong with the world” feeling. At one point, my roommate was working at the one table and one chair, so I had no space. I went down to the bar to sit at the tables there and write for a bit. Of course, I ordered a coffee and a Mojito. By this day, the bar staff knew my name and what I liked to drink. Both in the main bar and upstairs. But I still manage to leave my mark sometimes!

So I was going to work on furthering my writing career, but the plan fell through because the whole ship was playing bingo at the central bar. There was no table. So with my laptop under my arm, a glass of cocktail in one hand and a hot long coffee in the other, I headed for the elevator to go back to my own room. It wasn’t an easy feat. At that moment, a man stopped me to ask if we could have a few words. He knows very well that my time is valuable, but if I didn’t mind, he had a few questions. After he told me, of course I stopped. I put down the drinks and we chatted for a bit. He told me that he was a two-handed construction worker, but he wanted to give more to his family and that he wanted to deal with cryptocurrencies, and he wanted my help with that, because he saw that I was a digital nomad.

He was very respectful. I told him that I didn’t know this field, but if I wanted to deal with it, what would I do. I would watch a few YouTube videos on the subject, take one or two online courses that are available, and then seek personal acquaintance with someone who is already doing this. That’s all I would dare to start with. He was very grateful for that. What shocked me was that he told me that I was about the tenth nomad he had approached, but most of them didn’t even listen to him. They didn’t even talk to him. It made me very sad. At that point, I felt a little bit like these open-minded, open-hearted people might only be like this within the company? Not with the world? It was hard to imagine that this sincere, sparkling-eyed man who wanted to do something for his family didn’t get support from the company that I knew to be strong? I encouraged the guy anyway. I told him that I believed in him and that I was sure that he could do this. I saw the gratitude in his eyes and I didn’t think about what my roommate said later: I might have been the first person to ever say that to this person… At the end of the conversation, the guy said goodbye to me by saying that he thought the world needed more people like me… It wasn’t the first time I’d heard this opinion in recent months, but I was also very grateful for his feelings then…

Back to the talent show! After that, of course, a party at the disco, hamburgers and a relatively early bedtime at two o’clock. Quietly and loudly, in the dark under the light of the fireworks, alone and with a lot of conversation, but my last night on the ship was over.

The post 99. | Nomad Cruise Day 6th – Sea Day (12.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Official programs planned for today:

• Yin yoga
• Breakfast
• Valletta day trip
• Charity dinner
• Story night

There were also programs announced for this day, and I arranged these in advance on 2025.05.29. Although there was a request to register for only one program on a day, I booked myself a place for both available programs on this day. One of the programs is free, so buying here was a generous thing on my part. The reason I want to participate in both is that both promise to be very interesting.

The two programs:

Walking Tour

Sponsored by Malta’s Nomad Residence Permit.

Ready to fall in love with Malta’s magical capital? Join us for a free walking tour through Valletta, where every street tells a story and every corner reveals a hidden gem. Together, we’ll explore the city’s rich history, baroque beauty, and secret spots.

The tour will run at 3 times throughout the day, and you’re welcome to choose your preferred time when you register. It’s free to join, but spaces are limited—so make sure to sign up and save your spot.

The cost to use the Barrakka Lift in Valletta is €1.

Additional Information:

• Date: June 11
• Starting times: 11:00, 12:30, 15:30
• Duration: 2.5 hours
• Meeting point: Outside the cruise ship at your preferred starting time. Please be on time!
• Price: Free

Malta Island Tour

Sponsored by Malta’s Nomad Residence Permit

Experience some of Malta’s most iconic sights on this 4 hour guided tour. The tour begins with a breathtaking view of the Blue Grotto caves from above, followed by a visit to the nearby village, where an optional boat ride offers a closer look at the glowing sea caverns. Then it’s off to Dingli Cliffs—the highest point on the island—for sweeping views over the Mediterranean. Wander through the quiet, medieval streets of Mdina, Malta’s ancient walled city, before ending the journey with a scenic drive around the historic capital, Valletta.

Optional: For those interested (if weather allows) Grotto boat tour available on-site for an additional €10, paid in cash. A fun extra for those who want to explore the magical sea caves up close!

Please note that to make the most of our time and visit as much as possible, there will not be a scheduled lunch stop during the day. There will, however, be opportunities to buy a quick snack or coffee along the way.

Additional Information:

• Date: June 11
• Starting time: 11:00
• Duration: 4 hours
• Meeting point: Outside the cruise ship
• Price: 65€ (early bird)

Of course, I overslept today too. After breakfast, I started writing and continuing the post about the day in Palermo, when my roommate mentioned that the meeting for the first program had changed to 10:30 instead of 11:00. It was 10:32 at the time, so I rushed off for the first tour. If I want to get off the ship, I have to go through the check-out procedure, which starts with finding the exit. There are several on such a ship, so it is not clear which way to go in the big labyrinth. Luckily, I solved the task, and in the end I was out on land in a relatively short time, and I was not late.

The first tour today was a bus trip. We had two guides who gave a very detailed presentation about the capital, Valletta.

Valletta

I learned a lot about this city. It is a very important city from a strategic point of view, its history is built on continuous defense and survival. The two leaders were obviously very proud of their country and its history, because they talked about its history with such passion that it was impossible not to pay attention to them. Well, the majority succeeded in doing so, I think they lost a lot by looking elsewhere.

We visited a small boat bay, where we took a short boat trip for 10 EUR. Six of us sat in a small motorboat and got to see the area from the sea. We went into caves with the boat, saw how clean the sea water was. It was a very enjoyable trip.

The bus stopped at quite a few places, where we could see interesting buildings, hear stories about the place and of course admire the incredible view.

After the bus tour, we had just returned to the city, and the walking city tour had already started. This tour was supported by the Nomad Residence Permit – as I knew in advance – but I only now found out what this means. The head of this organization was waiting for us and presented the opportunity of how easy it is for a digital nomad to work in Malta. We were each given a small canvas shoulder bag with presentation materials, a water bottle, a pen drive, a local chip and Malta’s well-known soft drink. And of course, an inflatable neck support, which is a must-have for every person using an airplane.

And I can think about how I would like to live here for a while.

The evening

The evening program began with a storytelling evening. Here, a few selected colleagues shared their own stories with us that served as lessons. They were prepared, and most of the stories touched me. It was an experience to participate in this event.

The day was completely permeated by many conversations. The conversation was about professional and spiritual things. We checked out the white party, which was not a separate party for digital nomads, but was organized for the entire ship. We danced a lot, the atmosphere was very good. That ended at some point, so we occupied the disco, where we were also crazy until closing. At three o’clock we went to the burger place. After we finished there, there was only an hour and a half until sunrise, so a few of us decided not to go to sleep, but to wait for this event.

About thirty of us ended up participating in the spontaneous “event”. We danced and waited with joy to catch a glimpse of the sun. It was a nice experience.

Finally, I went to bed around 6 o’clock. I think we could not have done more for today!

The post 98. | Nomad Cruise Day 5th – Valletta (11.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Official programs planned for today:

• Power workout
• Breakfast
• Palermo day trip
• Free time and meetups
• Dine with a speaker
• Silent disco

Two city programs were announced for this day: a street-food walking tour and a walking tour. Although one of my friends said that he thought there was not much to see in Palermo, and that it was worth choosing the market tour, I still decided on the simple city sightseeing program.

This was the draft city sightseeing program on 2025.05.29, when I bought this program.

Discover the heart of Palermo on this engaging walking tour that blends iconic sights with hidden local gems. We’ll explore the city’s main squares and landmarks (from the outside), but also wander into the lively backstreets where everyday life pulses and authentic street spirit shines. Along the way, your guide will share fascinating stories about Palermo’s rich history, vibrant art scene, delicious cuisine, and deep-rooted traditions. We also touch on contemporary and controversial topics to give you a deeper understanding of the city.

Additional Information:

• Date: June 10
• Starting time: 11:30
• Duration: 2 hours
• Meeting point: Outside the cruise ship at 11:30 sharp, you will be divided into groups and we will walk to the starting point at piazza Castelnuovo/Politeama (10 min walking from
• the cruise port).
• Price: 20€ (early bird)

I had planned to get up early in the morning so I could write my current post, but I didn’t even hear the alarm clock. So I woke up around the time the ship docked in Palermo. And I could already have breakfast. Then I set off on the sightseeing tour.

He usually contacted me to change the time and arrive earlier. This happened again today. I arrived at the meeting point at 10:30 instead of 11:30. Which, by the way, was quite difficult to find, because the instructions were “outside the cruise ship.” Thanks! The ships are quite large, so the port itself is also large, so I looked for possible places for a while, of course in the wrong place, before I realized what “outside the ship” meant. Specifically, it was outside the port.

As soon as we left the port, taxi drivers surprised us. Everyone wanted to take us to Palermo, I felt a bit like I was in a market where I couldn’t move because everyone was standing in front of me, talking to me, wanting my attention. I thought about wearing a T-shirt that said “I don’t need a taxi!” for such cases, but I don’t think I’ll implement this idea because no one would read it anyway.

So, when it turned out that I had arrived at the place where my group was leaving an hour early, I started thinking about what to do. At that moment, a new Greek friend of mine showed up with his friend. There was also a 65-year-old psychologist lady from Australia. Since the two guys were just walking around the city, we joined them and explored part of the city together.

Palermo

This walk was a bit like being in Milan, only I had company. We didn’t do anything special in the city, we just walked the streets. We looked at the buildings. We spent some time in one place, because all three of my companions started talking on the phone. The spirit of work must have been jealous, because right then someone called me about a job that needed to be done. This was my first, and so far (Thursday) only phone call. So, I didn’t write as a complaint that I was called too.

In another place, we sat down in the shade at a table in a small restaurant and drank a beer. It was nice to hear each other’s stories and thoughts about the world. There’s something very interesting about it, the way another person appears before me. Obviously only as a sketch, because in that much time you can’t really get to know other people, but a faint picture of the other person is already forming. When we got tired of all this and felt like we had walked around enough, we went back to the ship. Where, of course, we started the onboard programs with a late lunch, because we didn’t want to eat in the city.

I really missed the shower, so I couldn’t wait to get to my room. Where it immediately turned out that my roommate was a crazy guy. In the morning, before departure, we talked, and – among other things – he told me that he plays guitar. And when I asked him, he said that he plays rock music. Of course, I told him that I also play the guitar, sometimes rock, but mostly metal music. I think that was pretty much the point of us talking about music, but this nice and very smart crazy man went to Palermo and bought an acoustic guitar. So that we could play a little together. So the shower waited for me for a while, and we played a little before and after.

As I write these lines, it is no longer Tuesday, which is what this article is about, but Thursday. We have been at sea since last night, the ship is moving, and I must say, it has its price. Until now, the internet was almost always adequate, but now it practically barely works. This makes digital work quite difficult. Of course, I don’t need to say that the eSIM service I received for free doesn’t work at all on my phone for some reason. This trip is good in that respect too. I already have a few experiences that have given me additional tasks to solve.

We talked with my roommate until dinner. He is a really good guy, and mutual respect guided our conversation throughout.

AI matchmaking dinner

Finally the big day has arrived. This is not the first time. Today we already knew who was sitting at which table before dinner. Who is it. Because I didn’t get a message about it, but that’s only because the ship’s wifi wasn’t turned on on my phone. The problem with this is that for the 2000 EUR ship ticket you do get wifi access, which allows one device to connect. In other words, I either use my phone or my laptop. Whichever device I want to use the internet on, I have to activate it, and the other one loses the option. Needless to say, this makes it quite easy, for example, to add pictures to the post while writing it. I was kidding. They don’t make it easy.

So, after quickly activating the internet on my phone, I finally found out which table I should sit at. Here I only had to go around the rather large restaurant once to realize at the far end that the numbers written on paper on the tables were not the actual numbers of the tables, but that there was a discreet – in other words, barely noticeable – plastic table number marker on the table. So, after I went to the far end of the room, I had to go back to the entrance, because that’s where I finally found the right number. Bingo!

When I got to the table, I started to feel that this dating dinner was a bit cursed for me. Sitting at the table was a Romanian lady, whom I had talked to several times, and two other men. I also took a seat as the third, and at that time, with a faint hope that this situation would get better. It didn’t. Only worse. After we started to suspect that the other two ladies wouldn’t arrive, a fourth guy came as an extra, who wasn’t part of the planned program, but took a seat with us. So, I had a date night with four guys and a lady. Plus, one of the guys had a pretty obnoxious style that turned the lady’s excitement into frustration, but of course, only we noticed that, not the guy who was causing the problem. I think we all let that part of the night go.

We had no choice but to party the rest of the night and enjoy the freedom of our drink packages. We drank and danced like there was no tomorrow. After the party, after 2 a.m., we went to the burger joint as a group and spent some time together before going to sleep.

It was also a great day.

The post 97. | Nomad Cruise Day 4th – Palermo (10.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Official programs planned for today:

• Breathwork
• Breakfast
• Panel mastermind
• Lunch
• Deep connection workshop
• Pool party
• Theme dinners
• Karaoke

I spent a lot of time in bed due to seasickness. Fortunately, I woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and without any side effects.

After taking a shower, I decided to sit down at the bar and start writing and doing some small work. So, with a coffee, I am already sitting here at the bar at seven in the morning, as the first breakfast guest at the bar. I wrote about yesterday’s events, but I can’t stay here any longer because the ship’s wifi doesn’t work here. Fortunately, it can spin at impeccable speed in the room.

Like all ships, this one also sails the seas for profit. The only thing I’m a little dissatisfied with is the internet. I can connect to the ship’s wifi system with my card. There are no service providers at sea, so if I used my own SIM card, my pants would get wet. That’s why there is the eSIM service. Even when I boarded, I met the guy who offered this service for free to Nomad Cruise members. Unfortunately, for some reason, the service is not working for me. But at that moment I remembered that we are currently in the port. We came here just as I woke up. That is, the normal roaming service is working for me even now. So, I disconnected from the ship’s wifi and used my own mobile provider to get some internet on my laptop. That is, I can stay at the bar.

I thought, I will drink a ginger mojito for the joy of it, but nothing will come of it now, because Yettel does not provide internet here. Apparently, the digital nomad life is not always easy… In being a real digital nomad, I really have to prepare for this! It would be nice if the lord of the nets finally decided. After all, there is internet, I still have one drink and I still stay here.

Well, today is already tomorrow, compared to the previous sentences. The third day brought a lot of programs.

Let’s look at the professional programs.

Samson Wolves – AI & Human Creativity: How to Stay Relevant & Profitable

I use AI every day, I mention this a lot here on the blog. The topic of this presentation, however, was what lies beyond ChatGPT. This is an unknown area even for me, but I have often thought about how to approach the topic and, what sounds much better, its utilization. Today I got a few ideas and a few things came to mind that I will work on next week.

Three professionals presented the things that have been realized for them through their own work, out of the countless utilization possibilities. For example, the host speaker asked the question whether he could be replaced by AI, then showed a video of him talking, but later it turned out that it was a presentation generated by AI. During the night, I met the girl who made it.

On the first day, a guy I met in Marseille showed two audio recordings of how his company’s customer service contacts applicants. The question was whether the first or second video had a human customer service person. After we voted, it turned out that in both recordings, the AI ​​contacted the people.

It was a good presentation, with a lot of useful knowledge. Of course, I took notes.

Simone Vincenzi – Get Clients at Scale: Master the Art of Selling One-To-Many & Create Pitches That Convert Every Time

This presentation took the topic of the 30-second pitch deeper, with a lot of questions to answer. The speaker, who is very committed to his profession, put together very valuable material for us, and he also used the help of AI during the presentation in a significant way. I will also work on this topic at home, it requires space and time.

Jenny Song Schmidt – 6-Figure Personal Branding Experiment: Systems to Success

This is also an unavoidable topic for those who want to start their own business. The lady showed how she built her own brand in two years. How she went from an employee to a successful consultant.

Again, I have to say that there will be something to work on.

We barely had time for lunch, and we were already back to the spiritual program called Deep Connection.

Bori Vigh – Deep Connection Workshop: Building Authentic Relationships and Meaningful Bonds

Bori’s workshop was very well structured. It seems that this was not the first time he had led this topic. After proper preparation and discussing the rules, we participated in several exercises. The first two took place in parallel circles, where we stared into each other’s eyes for 15-20 seconds, creating a connection. There was an exercise where we sat opposite each other, our eyes closed, and touched each other’s palms, searching for connection and boundaries. There was a tantric hug, and I met the same guy with whom we had a very deep conversation two nights ago.

I really enjoyed this spiritual excursion. This occasion gave rise to two serious discoveries about myself. A third – already known – discovery took on a different image, so I can say that this was a rather special occasion for me.

AI matchmaking dinner

I did not participate in the pool party, but instead I had interesting conversations again, with interesting people, on interesting topics.

After the conversations, we went to the long-awaited dinner, which would have been yesterday. Well, it wasn’t today either. I was standing closest to the lady with the laptop who would have told me which table was my table. But she couldn’t find my name. Or my nickname. So, she made me wait until they solved the problem. Then I saw that this happened to many of my friends. In the end, there were so many of us standing around the tables that the restaurant’s order was completely upset. As a result, the dating dinner had to be canceled. So, it will be held tomorrow.

As a result, today I ended up at a table with completely new faces. But the conversations went the same way as always. The organizer gave us a couple of Q&A cards so that we could try them out if we wanted. We tried them out. The first question was a very standard one, “What is an experience you will never forget?” The second was a much more interesting experience in the company of strangers: “What is the sex position that you have ever tried and didn’t like?” Then immediately this: “Have you ever tried a sadomasochistic game and do you want to try it if you haven’t?” I feel that this card game can also be an important element of self-knowledge in any situation, I think everyone at the table enjoyed the meal together.

Karaoke

The white dinner had already been announced, but it was cancelled due to the AI ​​dinner that was not held. However, the karaoke evening went down, with all that it entails. What is interesting to me is that this evening, for me, the experience was not the multitude of false and badly intoned voices – as so many times before – but the fun and laughter: this company welcomed even the weakest attempter with joy, ovations and applause. We laughed a lot, applauded, and encouraged the actors. I think the highlight for all of us was the singing of the well-known song from Grease, Summer Nights, performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton. The couple who wanted to perform the song started by asking us to join them, so in a short time almost everyone was on stage, the group split into two, men and women, and we performed the song together with the “as it is written” response. I hope the video will be on my phone too. Due to respect for privacy rights, I will not post it on the blog.

From there it was almost a straight path to the disco, of course only the bar could distract us from dancing for a while. I think we danced like there was never a tomorrow. Around 3 am we relieved the pain of our slightly tired bodies with a hamburger. For this we had to push about 5 tables on the deck.

Needless to say, I went to bed quite late…

The post 96. | Nomad Cruise Day 3rd – Sea Day (09.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Official programs planned for today:

• Yoga flow
• Breakfast
• Keynotes: Scaling for freedom
• Lunch
• Workshops
• Ecstatic dance
• AI-Matchmaking dinner
• White party

This day was a little different from my previous expectations. Yesterday I received a message from my roommate, with whom I exchanged a few words before going to bed, but since he was already asleep when I arrived, there was no big introduction. In the morning we made up for it, got to know each other, and then went to breakfast together. So the day started with a meal, yoga is not for me yet.

After breakfast, I sat in all sorts of friendly groups and participated in a few programs from the preparation for vacation section. There was something to take notes on. I came across good lectures and good topics. I feel like the morning was really useful.

This series of programs was only interrupted by lunch. It’s good when people sit down at the tables in a row, because that way we have many opportunities to get to know as many people as possible.

After lunch, there was another lecture that I started to attend, but I didn’t find it interesting anymore, so I chose a program with some drinks and coffee for the world-saving conversation. This is how I spent my time until dinner. It feels great to meet like-minded people. I had a long conversation with a Greek guy about the serious issues of life. At the end, a few ladies I had met before joined us.

Here I wrote the following message to my family: “Everything is fine today. I have had many good encounters. I am using the drink package healthily. I am not seasick. Kisses to everyone!”

At that time, this was indeed the case. Then an hour later I started to get seasick. During dinner, this condition reached the point where I was actually anxious just to stay on my feet until the end of dinner. Before the dishes were served, I took a tablet to relieve my pain. I left the third course and quietly left for my room. After about two hours, I felt that the medicine was working, but I decided that I would spend this day lying in bed. The 90s-themed party – unknown to me based on the official program – started at 11:30 PM. A few people were interested in me, but I didn’t go, I didn’t want to play with fire. The AI ​​dating party was postponed to tomorrow morning, so I didn’t miss out on the fun I was expecting. The white party will be the day after tomorrow.

I enjoyed this day even though I was seasick. It’s good to be on this ship.

The post 95. | Nomad Cruise Day 2nd – Sea Day (08.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.

Official programs planned for today:

• Marseille cruise port arrivals
• Registration
• Welcome ceremony + 30 second pitches
• Newbie meeting
• Tribe dinner
• Speed friending

My day started with an alarm clock. My accommodation manager had left me a message the night before, which I read quite late, so I expected he wouldn’t be home. But a little later he came out of his room. So my day started with a really good conversation. Then I made a decision, so after I showered and packed my two backpacks, I set off on foot to the ship.

Goodbye Marseille

I decided to walk because it gave me the opportunity to see the city from another perspective. I had a 9+ kilometer walk ahead of me, but it wasn’t really a challenge for me, even with the two backpacks. My camping gear is usually heavier than my current cruise pack.

It was worth seeing the city from a different route. In the past two days, I got to know the true face of another big city. Today, this image became even stronger in my mind. First of all, I smelled grass a lot. And I’m not talking about the plant that you sometimes like to walk barefoot on, or sometimes curse because it needs to be cut regularly. It was an interesting experience that I could smell it even when I was in my room. One of my neighbors was probably relaxing. I’ve been to many places where I was surrounded by a suffocating stench, and the reason for this was the many crowded places. I really felt this a lot, everywhere on the streets. Let’s say I didn’t see a public toilet, according to my recollection. Due to the Mediterranean nature of the city and the time of year, everything is quite dry on the streets and there is a lot of dust.

Google drove along roads without sidewalks quite a few times, which I couldn’t really be happy about at a certain point. In addition to walking, my plan was to have breakfast at the first place that was open. After a few kilometers, the first place that appeared in front of me was available on the other side of a four-lane road with a cordon in the middle, so I skipped it. At the second place, the young man serving didn’t speak a word of English, it was strange that he didn’t even know the word “drink”. Although, with the experience that the French person opposite me didn’t understand a word of it, despite his fluent English, I had already been lucky enough to meet him in Paris.

In the end, I only came across a pizzeria, but it wasn’t attractive. I longed for a typical place – a place with small tables and chairs on the street – but there was no sign of one. Then the point came when the inhabited part of the city ended and there was nothing next to me but the highway. However, based on the chatter, I already knew that there was plenty of food waiting on the ship.

It was hot all day, so I sweated a lot under my two backpacks. I met many people during my walk, but I hardly remember anyone who smiled. Based on this, Marseille will definitely not be my new home.

Not far from the port, a taxi driver called me, seeing the backpacks on me. He wanted to take me to the port, for a fare of 10 EUR. I refused, but I could see that he looked stupid. He tried to convince me by saying that there was still 2 kilometers to go. He didn’t speak English well enough for him to understand when I explained to him that I was already eight behind, and that I would do the rest on foot, thank you.

Boarding

There were a lot of people waiting to board. Luckily, a girl and a guy I met yesterday were already in line, so I joined them. We stood in line for almost an hour before our large luggage was finally swallowed by the conveyor belt. At the registration desk, we received our plastic cards, which are an important part of life on a ship, because they won’t even give you water in the restaurant if you can’t identify yourself with this card.

There’s an entry on this card that refers to the participant’s group. According to this entry, I officially became a digital nomad.

A photo was taken of us as soon as we received the card. An official photographer was waiting for us and took the first official photo of us. Then we went through security. Like at the airport a few days ago, the welcome here wasn’t very nice, but at least we were done quickly. After we got our cards, we reached the security check within 50 meters in a one-way corridor, but they already asked for our cards there. Then we had to wait in another line, this time at the bottom of the ship. Here they checked everyone’s papers one by one. It was incomprehensible, since they had already done this when dropping off our luggage. It seems like they are doubling up everywhere. Because in addition to the double checks, they also took a security photo of us, of each of us, strictly one by one.

After that, we were finally on the ship. From then on, everyone was nice to us.

On the ship

The ship is a fucking labyrinth. It will definitely take some time for me to learn how to navigate it safely. Our first trip with the two guys led to the restaurant. Since I hadn’t had time to eat today, and the 10 km hike had also made me hungry, by the time I got here – it was two in the afternoon – I was almost starving. To compensate for the wait, the food available in the buffet was extremely delicious.

There was no time for coffee, because we had to go to the registration. I have never had such a warm welcome as what awaited me here. One of the members of Nomad Cruise almost jumped on my neck. I will tell him – although he probably knows – that he was a great guy.

From that point on, we were carried away by the many programs. The opening ceremony was quite difficult to find, but we finally got there. It was a very boring presentation about what the ship can do, what events are on it. I didn’t even remember a fraction of it. There was also a rescue drill that was recommended to take part in, in case the ship decided to sink. I skipped that, and had a drink instead. I decided that if the ship did start sinking, I would prepare myself for survival by drinking cocktails.

After the ship’s opening, the Nomad Cruise opening awaited us. This was much more interesting. I didn’t get much new information about the week ahead, but the presentation was very good.

We went to dinner, the original order of the programs changed a little. Here and now we found out what the tribal dinner was. We all received a little gift from the Nomad Cruise team during registration. A Tote bag with a notepad, a pen and the official program, an official T-shirt and a badge with our name on it. This badge had a small picture of an animal. I was in the hedgehog tribe. At dinner, I sat at a table marked with a hedgehog. This game reinforced what we had been doing for the past two days: talking to new, unknown, interesting people.

It turned out that this was exactly what fast friendship would be. What we did ourselves.

After the long and delicious dinner, the 30-second introductions came. Seeing how many people wanted to do this voluntarily, I didn’t join the line, even though I had my introduction text ready. We heard interesting and less interesting solutions. Perhaps the most interesting introductions were the ones that were the most common.

Actually, the getting to know each other continued until dawn. I talked a lot with interesting and smart people. I heard and told a lot of interesting stories. We went to a disco, danced together for a long time, and finally, tired from all the drinks, I went to bed around 2 am.

The post 94. | Nomad Cruise Day 1st – Marseille (07.06.2025) first appeared on Digital Nomad Blog.