I live a pretty spontaneous life. I use that word because it’s how the older version of me, who lived a mainstream life, would historically describe the life of a person like me. But spontaneity isn’t how I prefer to describe this life now. So let me rephrase…
I live a life led by intuition and flow. For many years now, if you asked me where I would be in a few months’ time, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Years on the road taught me that sometimes it’s OK to not plan for the future. In fact, planning for the future – having our minds in the future – is the exact opposite of presence. If you’ve read my book, you’ll see I talk a lot about this cognitive contradiction – the “plan for your future or live every day as if it was your last.” I’m no far left or far right extremist when it comes to these views but the way I live my life sits somewhere towards the latter. And there are a whole lot of people choosing to live life this way. Call us impetuous, call us intelligent, call us whatever you want – but we often like to call ourselves “digital nomads.”
And that brings us here, to a small town at the foot of the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria.
One of my good friends, and fellow long-term nomad, Tarek Kholoussy, planted the Bansko seed in my mind a few months ago – one of those seeds (or ideas) that nestle in a corner of your mind (or heart) and grow depending on how much you nurture them, like a gardener tending to a new seedling in a garden. Originally, I was hoping to get a speaking spot at the Bansko Nomad Fest to talk about my journey with ‘Soul Truth,’ but at the time all the speaking slots were full (did I mention the challenges about living a life in flow? – Missing out on speaking spots and good flight deals.) So instead, I figured I’d follow my intuition to Bulgaria and join the proclaimed yearly festival that is a “celebration of the location independent lifestyle and nomad mindset.” At the very least, I’d be able to connect with people in this community and open myself up to the inspiration this week has to offer.
How Bansko emerged as a hub for digital nomads
Over the past six years, Bansko has emerged as a prominent digital nomad hub in Europe. A digital nomad hub is essentially a town or city that allures those who live a location-independent lifestyle (aka digital nomads.) Hubs that thrive usually encompass a few key elements that enhance this lifestyle – affordability, accessibility, community and connectivity (aka good Wi-Fi.) Bansko has all of these.
“When I first visited Bansko in 2015 as a digital nomad, I saw its potential to become a popular location for people who work remotely, mostly because of the mountains, affordable housing and food prices, but also because of the low taxes on profits in Bulgaria,” says Coworking Bansko co-founder Matthias Zeitler.
Matthias and his team are the brains and bones behind the Bansko Nomad Fest. “[The festival was] created to introduce people to the potential of Bansko and the coworking community it offers. The event serves as a week-long gathering where attendees can enjoy keynote speeches, participate in various activities, and have fun together,” he said in a recent interview. “The idea was inspired by my experience at an event called Freedom X Fest, which took place several years ago in a small ski resort near Barcelona.”
Matthias’ venture, Coworking Bansko, serves as the community’s epicentre, hosting approximately 150 nomadic members each year. Many nomads have become permanent Bansko residents, while others return after exploring the globe. Over the past six years, Bansko Nomad Fest has encapsulated the appeal of this town in a week-long event, highlighting all that Bansko has to offer and sharing this unique experience with hundreds of attendees. Last year’s event was sold out with 550 attendees. This year over 750 nomads ventured to Bansko.
Watch the official Bansko Nomad Fest video below:
Related: Best Things to Do in Summer in Bansko – 2023 Guide
What went down at the Bansko Nomad Fest 2023
What I came to realise early on is that the Bansko Nomad Fest really is a choose-your-own-adventure. The seven days not only offer activities such as yoga, hiking, speed-dating, pool parties, bonfires, rafting, culinary experiences, volunteering, horseback riding, quad biking and wine tours, but they also offer talks and workshops from over 60 thought leaders. In addition, the festival hosts an “Unconference” that enables regular participants to share thirty-minute workshops on their topic of choice – meaning another 100 activities to choose from. So the week was very unique for each and every one of the participants, including me.
If you’re hoping for some juicy storytelling about parties and hookups and nights that turned into mornings, I’m afraid I can’t help you. I chose a pretty PG-rated experience (other participants, please do feel free to reveal your risqué stories.) I filled my days with thought-provoking talks from people who choose this lifestyle, lunches with new and old friends, and evenings either walking in nature or recovering in an introvert coma (indeed, the event is socially demanding – in a good way though!)
There were a few talks that really stood out to me during the week:
Taryn Raine’s ‘The #1 Way to Overcome Self-doubt in Life and Business’ where I learned about how self-doubt is a kind of fear that inhibits us from stepping into wholeness. Although I write a lot about self-doubt in my book, it’s always a nice reminder to acknowledge your own unique capabilities as human beings.
Beck Power’s ‘Home: Finding a Definition that Works for You,’ where I learned their story about moving to Porto, Portugal after ten years on the road. Beck taught us about the reasons we choose home and how ultimately, home means different things to all of us.
Monika Rizovska Tanevska’s ‘AI-powered Tools that Boost Remote Work Productivity,’ where I learned of some emerging AI tools that are helping people to boost their productivity. I’ve been using AI in my work and can see the benefits. Ask me about it sometime.
Ian Cummin’s ‘Future Travel Trends: 25 Hot Startups and Projects to Follow,’ where I found out about some great initiatives in the travel space that are making travel more accessible and more sustainable. Find the full list here.
Nicole Graaf’s ‘Get out of the Nomad Bubble! – How to Create a Deeper Travel Experience,’ where I was excited to hear advice for nomads wanting to create deeper experiences in the places they visit. Nicole talked about cultural immersion and sensitivity, as well as giving practical advice on how to be a global citizen.
Samson Vowles’ ‘Selling With Storytelling,’ where I learned how to tell more engaging stories (how am I doing?) and had a laugh at his engrossing presence and storytelling abilities on stage.
Lizz Quain’s, ‘Yes you CAN be a Digital Nomad WITH Kids!’ where I learned that this lifestyle is possible no matter what your stance is on having children. Lizz runs this active Facebook group for those who are nomadic with kids or planning to.
There were also a number of panel topics where groups of experts shared their knowledge and opened up to Q&A. The one I found most engaging was, ‘Meet the Academics – What We Really Know About Nomads,’ where experts Shaun Busuttil, Kaisu Koskela and Alma Andino-Frydman took the stage to discuss what research we have so far about this new and evolving lifestyle choice that has been made possible by the advancing technologies available in our world today, among other things like safety and freedom of movement. Read more detail on my thoughts about this panel over on my LinkedIn page.
Related: Find Love at the Nomad Soulmates Retreat in Bali | October 2024 | Get 10% off using the code NS_BIANCA
Related: Sustainable Nomading – This Is How You Can Have A Positive Impact
There were so many other amazing talks but with two main stages it was hard to catch them all (*insert self-reminder to watch the re-runs.)
Then there was the ‘Unconference,’ an opportunity for all participants to pitch an idea and host a thirty-minute workshop on one of the days in the park (a beautiful event space set up beneath the trees of the Bansko City Park.) Throughout the week, I attended some of the workshops including ‘Coaches Connect and share ideas,’ ‘Nomad van life,’ ‘Spiritual Architecture,’ ‘Introverts abroad,’ and ‘How to manage your energy flow to enhance productivity.’ More inspiration flowed in and around me.
Related: What Happened at Bansko Nomad Fest
Members of the event held group gatherings. I was invited to a Japanese lunch by my friend and fellow Nomads Giving Back! Ambassador, Akina, where we enjoyed homemade ramen and miso soup and learned about the first Japanese digital nomad co-living community in Fukuoka. I attended a breakfast for SafetyWing ambassadors where I met fellow members and travel bloggers of the SafetyWing community. And I attended a traditional Bulgarian lunch with the team at Travel Massive. There were so many opportunities to connect with others – a real choose-your-own-adventure-in-Bansko.
The concept of the Bansko Nomad Fest and its appeal (IMO)
Reflecting further on the reason I chose to join this experience, I uncovered one of the main reasons was connection – to connect with like-minded and forward-thinking people.
On the first day of the festival, as 700 people trickled into the Nikola Vaptsarov Square in the town’s centre, collecting their bright pink festival t-shirts, I couldn’t help but sense a feeling of belonging. When I recounted the experience to my friends and family back in Australia, I kept using the term “people like me.”
Related – Citizens of the World? Digital Nomads, Mobility and Cosmopolitanism
In many ways, we are a minority group. As the academics shared in their panel, and much of Shaun Busuttil’s ethnographic research has uncovered, never before have we seen nomadism embraced in this way. Indeed, humans have been nomadic for thousands of years – but digital nomads are unique in their ability to tap into a technological revolution that enables freedom of movement and work from anywhere like never before. This also means that we don’t often fit more common social identities. Alma Andino-Frydman’s study found that digital nomads consider location independence much more important than their national identity, religion or occupation. This identity construction completely opposes a historically more common social identity centred around patriotism, career and material wealth (half of us live out of a backpack most of the time!). So in a way, we are different. And I think we feel it, at least I do. As Beck Power humorously explained in their talk about how to decide on a definition of home – “who cares what people say [about your lifestyle], our families already think we’re mental!”
So what happens when a minority group finds one another? They embrace connection. As a social species, it’s our innate nature to want to be connected – to a group, to a community, to a belief, to someone. It’s how we feel seen and heard. And for people who are a minority, the need to feel seen and heard when you feel as though you are the one fish swimming in the opposite direction of all the others can become quite strong. I can’t speak for everyone – I know the joy to be found in being an individualist, a trailblazer if you will – but for me, connection is what I am here for.
They say you are influenced by the people you spend the most time with. It’s fair to say that this week I’ve certainly felt influenced in the most positive of ways. To be surrounded by people with courage; the courage to live their truth no matter what obstacles get in their way, is truly inspiring. And that is what this week is all about – embracing connection and allowing ourselves to be inspired.
For more information on Bansko Nomad Fest or to sign up for next year’s event, visit their website.
Do you have questions about the digital nomad lifestyle? Ask me anything.
Travelling to Bansko?
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