How one traveler found connection, belonging, and a second home with Madeira Friends — Year 2025
At Madeira Friends, we are always touched by the stories of people who come to the island, connect deeply with the community, and leave feeling like they have found a second home.
Recently, Ivan Chan — a photographer and traveler from Vancouver — shared his experience on Instagram, and it beautifully captured what Madeira Friends is all about. With his permission, we are sharing it here in full:
Testimonial by Ivan Chan
“After the Camino, I flew to Madeira to spend 2 weeks before heading home to Canada for the summer. I first visited this island in 2022 with 2 weeks booked and ended up staying for 7 until my Schengen visa ran out and I had to leave.
Initially drawn to the island because of its incredible nature and rugged landscapes, which definitely lived up to the hype, I soon also discovered that the island had a very welcoming community of digital nomads called Madeira Friends that organized tons of events — from workouts, to lunches, to parties, to hikes and WhatsApp groups for every activity under the sun, making it super easy to meet people. Very much a case of “came for the nature, stayed for the people.”
After the first event that I attended, a Saturday morning workout at a stunning park overlooking the coast and ocean, I could tell this community was special. Luís and Marelin, the founders of Madeira Friends, and the rest of the community had a knack for making you feel like you had been friends for a lifetime even if you had just met them, with a level of care and warmth that can be rare to find. And it was clear everyone felt the same way, from the number of people I met that were on their nth visit, or only intended to come for a couple weeks and found themselves making this island their home.
This time around, I came with no objectives in terms of photography. Let’s say I’d had my fill of adventures over the past several months and mostly wanted to just catch up with old friends, make some new ones, and soak in the island life before heading back to Vancouver. Even so, it’s truly an island where it’s hard to take a bad photo, and over the 2 weeks, I captured some beautiful moments while out and about, which you see here.
Serendipitously, I had the chance to stay in Madeira Friends’ first co-living popup with some amazing people and that made the experience all the better. It was a bittersweet feeling when I left the island again to head home, and although I would have loved to stay longer, I knew that my heart was pulling me home to Vancouver for the summer.
But I will be back! Thank you to all of you in Madeira that made my time there feel so welcomed and lovely.”
Ivan, thank you again for your words and for being such a warm part of our community. We can’t wait to welcome you back to the island!