Hi, I’m Tõnis, from Estonia!
In my daily work, I help freelancers, digital nomads, and e-commerce businesses to start a company abroad in the simplest way possible. 1Office is made for making business simple – as we say. And we really do it – helping to save on costs, bureaucracy, paperwork, and accounting and cooperate with e-Estonia and e-residency of Estonia.
Recently I heard from our cooperation partner and Estonian e-resident Cristoph that Madeira is heaven for Digital Nomads. So it sounded like a great plan to pack my luggage and take a week to live that life – on an island I did not know much about; however, Portugal has always had a place in my heart anyway.
I had a fantastic week in Madeira and need to agree: an amazing place for being a Digital Nomad and enjoying life! During the trip, there was so much happening, so I wanted to share my experience as a digital nomad in Madeira – in case you have questions about the island, contacts, or doing business abroad, do not hesitate but reach me out: tonis.jogeva@1office.co
Day #1 – Become a Local: Black Scabbard & Ponca
Arrival
I arrived at Madeira around 16:00 local time, and our cooperation partner and e-resident, chairman of EERICA, Christoph, with his girlfriend Olga, was already waiting for me at the Airport. The arrival was cozy and familiar as Madeira CR7 airport is small and reminds me of our local Lennart Meri airport back in Tallinn, where my journey started.
Meeting Christoph face to face after years of cooperation was lovely, and he greeted me like an old friend. We spoke with Olga already about her past by the car while Christoph validated parking. It took him at least 15 minutes to do it as a guy in front of him could not handle the Madeiran parking technology. I giggled and thought how it is all so easy in Estonia – just with apps!
Local Food
Anyway, I learned in that brief 15 minutes that Olga is from Ukraine as my dear colleague Yuliia and likewise Yuliia, Olga has lived and worked in Estonia, too. “Estonia happened” was also how they met with Cristoph, all thanks to the e-Residency system that brought them both to my homeland. It seems e-Residency not only makes handling business abroad seamless, but the community can also help you find some soulmates. Small world!
After parking, I started whining a bit. My stomach did, to be correct 🙂 So we were on a hunt for food! As locals, Christoph and Olga knew precisely where to go. It was a nice restaurant that served a lot of local food. It was mainly fish that I usually am not too fond of eating. Nevertheless, I ordered black scabbard fish with passion fruit and fried banana dressing. Surprisingly, it was delicious!
Poncha and Business
I think it was around 9 pm when we finally passed the curvy up-and-down roads and arrived at the hosts’ place. But how come the first day gets over without a Poncha – a local rum mixed with fresh juice from local fruits, like passion fruit. It is excellent but dangerous as it consists of pretty strong alcohol.
We also had our first real conversation about business and living as a nomad at a local Poncha bar, and after an hour or so, we walked back home to go to sleep. I went to sleep with the clear understanding that Estonian e-residency gives so many opportunities and benefits opening the business for Digital Nomads and seeing where we can step in to help with seamless processes. So Madeira is a place to be!
Day #2 – Who Is Filipp?
Morning Glory
The day started early, at 7 am. I woke with panic since the time was 2 hours behind when compared with Estonia, which meant that I was in line for work at precisely 9 am as my colleagues in Estonian winter. Damn, I did not envy them – had lovely sunshine over on my paradise island meanwhile!
After a few hours of work, I went outside and discovered Calheta – the place I stayed. I walked uphill downhill and was exhausted after 15 minutes. I mean, I consider myself to be in good shape, but the hilliness of Madeira is just insane. I took my break in a local bar ordering some liqueur. It was too sweet, which the bar woman tried to explain to me in Portuguese; I did not “listen,” just talked back at her with google translate. I did some more hiking and went back home to get dressed for Filipp’s birthday.
This is How the Nomad Community Works
The fun thing was that I had no idea who Filipp was. Actually, Nobody really knew who Filipp was and why we were invited to his birthday. But there was no hesitation – sure thing we will show up! As an Estonian, it was weird, but it seems that everyone at Madeira is used to it. When I arrived at the party, I understood the whole story.
I had a chance to meet many new people there – some of them also shared the same interests and ideas. Most people were not locals; they were expatriates from other countries, mainly Germany and the UK. So, such random invites to birthday parties are a way to create a community, making Madeira unforgettable. I also had a chance to meet new people with the same interests. Also, introduce 1Office and Estonian e-country and share the vibe of Nomad life. Probably these things only happen in incredible community islands like Madeira is.
Day #3 – Free Co-Working Space and Events for Digital Nomads
First Event
It is Thursday the 13th, and our first info-event with digital nomads is about to happen later today. I woke up early, around 6:30 am local time to get my work affairs in order and prepare for the speech for the Digital Nomad’s event. The weather was excellent, and the drive to Ponto do Sol – the “capital of nomads”- was so picturesque that my nervousness disappeared, and my mind emptied itself of any thoughts at all. The daytime drive around Madeira is a must and all visitors and workers here – I would suggest renting a car to enjoy the island. Sure, if you are sporty, you will be in good shape moving around by bicycle.
We arrived at Ponto do Sol around 4:00 pm, and as it is a local and free-to-use co-working space, we did some work as well. Sun was shining; the temperature was around 20C, so we decided to do the workshop outside. I could not show my prepared slides, but I still had a chance to tell all the info in a free and casual, human way- I had a fluid pitch for 10 minutes or so.
Madeira’ s Tax System and Estonian e-Residency
Christoph is a real-life example of how the Estonian e-residency has saved his business and helped it grow. What is more, he has spoken with e-residents worldwide and heard numerous use cases. I was amazed, although I have worked in 1Office for years. I had the warm feeling of mission 1Office has: making the business simple for foreigners.
Later we had back and forth Q&A with the audience and Christoph to answer their questions. Since Madeira has a lot of tax incentives for foreign investors/tax residents (NHR system) then, Christoph had to dig deep in his knowledge to answer those questions. Otherwise, it was a relatively relaxed and easy session. We found many great opportunities that e-resident digital nomads could have after opening their company in Estonia!
After the event, a Bulgarian gay couple, a Polish e-resident and business owner, and a German joined us in a pub to discuss further business and to relax and eat. It was a nice and warm startup mindset evening that ended with a couple of beers.
Day #4 – Business vs Pleasure: Restaurant, Casino and Friday-fun
Driving Around
It’s Friday morning, and I woke up like an early bird to get the day started. Must-do-stuff in front of my Mac and then borrowed Christoph’s rental car. Although the roads are curvy and steep, I was not afraid to drive there. But for me, a diesel car with manual transmission was unusual.
At the marina in Calheta, I had a local Bolo do Caco with meat inside. Essentially it was like a local burger, which I hope does not offend locals too much.
After my breakfast, I drove to a place called Miradouro da Raposeira. It is a breathtaking view looking towards the Atlantic. Actually, in Madeira, I genuinely think that every tunnel you cross ends with a beautiful view. It is a view, view, view at every place. Oh, and a lot of tunnels. I have never been to a site with this many tunnels; the longest one is about 3km. Madeira was/is one of the poorest regions in the EU and therefore has received a lot of money to fix the infrastructure. Great to see the continuous improvements!
Once back from my daily trip, I had an hour to relax and prepare for the city Funchal. It is the capital of Madeira, with around 100k people living there. The town is pretty scattered and a big area as they do not build many multi-story buildings there. The center of the city is just full of restaurants and souvenir shops.
Madeira Has It All For Fun As Well
The plan was clear – get some food and then go to a casino to meet a Polish couple. About the food, I just say that it was great in the city’s center and one of the fanciest restaurants in Madeira. And the prices, around 10€ for entrée and 10 to 20 euros for the main, were surprising for that fancy place.
Belly full of food, sleazy clothes swapped to formal ones in the trunk of the car, and we are off to a casino. I was excited as I had never been to a casino before. At first, I tried a slot machine – it sucked; I won, then lost, and then won and then lost again. I had no idea what I was doing or what I was supposed to do. The beer helped, though.
I noticed that others were at the roulette table. The polish couple Tomas and Paulina were not big gamblers just like me, but I tried my luck. Of course, first, somebody had to explain the rules. I started with the lowest risk bet on black or red. It went well, and gradually I learned what to do. Suddenly I was up to 50 € from my initial 20 €.
I thought of stopping, but it was just pure entertainment, so I kept going. Eventually, I cut my losses and left the table with 15 €. Overall, it was not that bad, with the drinks I think I spent 20 to 30 euros to have a great evening out with cool people around Europe.
To Be Continued…
We have had a look at the first four days, but we’re only half-way done. So, if you want to keep reading how the rest of my time on Madeira was, stay tuned and look for a part two of my adventures as a digital nomad.
Also, in case you have questions about the island, contacts, or doing business abroad, do not hesitate but reach me out: tonis.jogeva@1office.co
