Gonçalo Hall takes us on his journey growing up in Portugal, connecting with many different cultures, and eventually becoming a full-time digital nomad. He shares his entrepreneurial journey, and reflects on how his sports background contributed to his business success. Gonçalo also opens up about how he assessed his own strengths and weaknesses, and gives tips on selecting the right business partners. He then shares how his experience nomading in Canggu, Bali impacted and inspired him to create to Nomad Village on Madeira Island, Portugal. Gonçalo shares the story of meeting with government officials, pitching the project, and building the Nomad Village with a focus on positive local impact. He then talks about building the second Nomad Village on the African island nation of Cabo Verde, and the positive local impact it has had thus far. Gonçalo also talks about acquiring the “Nomad X” brand, partnering with “Nomads Giving Back”, and shares his vision for the future of Nomad X. He then reflects on ways to balance nomad-community building with local cultural immersion, and offers his thoughts on the future of work and the digital nomad movement. Finally, Gonçalo shares tips on nomading with your spouse and reflects on what travel means to him. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #181: Building Nomad Villages, Scaling “Nomad X”, and Prioritizing Positive Local Impact with Gonçalo Hall
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Gonçalo Hall
Gonçalo Hall is the owner and CEO of NomadX, one of the largest digital nomad communities in the world. In 2020 Gonçalo founded the “Digital Nomad Village” on Madeira island, Portugal—a community of digital nomads focused on positive local impact and deep human connections. The project was featured in CNN, Washington Post, Lonely Planet, Irish Times and many other international publications. In 2021 he replicated the project on the African island nation of Cabo Verde, with the goal of attracting thousands of remote workers and entrepreneurs while positively impacting the local economy and empowering the local population to work remotely for any company around the world. Born and Raised in Portugal, Goncalo has been a full time digital nomad with no base and has traveled the world with his wife since 2017 and has now been to over 40 countries.
What You'll Learn
- How to balance nomad community building with local cultural immersion
- How nomads can have a positive local impact
- Tips for nomading long-term with your spouse
Links From the Episode
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LEARN MORE ABOUT JOINING ONE OF THE NOMAD X COMMUNITIES
#1 BOOK THAT GONCALO RECOMMENDS
OTHER BOOK MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
TOP 2 PEOPLE WITH WHOM GONCALO MOST WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
TOP 4 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKET LIST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
LOCATIONS WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
PERSON MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Africa
- Brazil
- Budapest
- Canary Islands
- Canggu/Dojo, Bali
- Cartagena, Colombia
- Croatia
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Germany
- Mexico
- Mongolia
- Nigeria
- Poland
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Madeira Island, Portugal
- Porto, Portugal
- Cabo Verde, Russia
- Singapore
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Ukraine
ORGANIZATIONS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- AIESEC
- Erasmus
- GitLab
- DoIst
- Automattic
- How They Work
- Remote How
- Remote Europe
- Remote Portugal
- Grow Remote (in Ireland)
- Future of Work Conference
CONNECT WITH GONCALO
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[3:18] Growing Up in Portugal and Immersing in Other Cultures
[6:00] Goncalo’s Entrepreneurial Journey
[10:20] How to Select the Right Business Partners
[12:51] How Goncalo’s Sports Background Influenced to His Business Success
[14:42] The Impact of Nomading in Canggu, Bali
[18:05] Building the “Nomad Village” on Madeira Island, Portugal
[23:06] The Positive Local Impact of the Nomad Village
[27:32] The Nomad Experience on Madeira Island, Portugal
[30:04] Building a Nomad Village in the African island nation of Cabo Verde
[34:31] Acquiring the “Nomad X” brand and Goncalo’s Vision for its Future
[39:01] The “Nomad X” Partnership with “Nomads Giving Back”
[40:57] Balancing Nomad Community-Building with Local Cultural Immersion
[45:07] The Future of Remote Work, the Digital Nomad Movement, and Nomad X
[50:24] Tips for Nomading with Your Spouse
[52:58] What Travel Means to Goncalo
[56:23] The Lightning Round
- #1 Book Goncalo Recommends
- #1 Travek Hack
- Top 2 people with whom Goncalo wants to have dinner
- Top 4 Favorite Travel Destinations
- Top 3 Bucket List Destinations
[1:00:35] How to Participate in the Nomad Villages and Contact Goncalo