From São Paulo to Ireland, France, Belgium and Portugal — the story behind Andre On Digital.
In July 2022, Nicoli and I stood at the airport in São Paulo with two suitcases and a thousand thoughts running through our minds. We had a destination, but honestly, we didn’t really have a plan.
Like many people who decide to move abroad, we had created this picture in our heads of what Europe would probably look like. We imagined opportunities, learning English, building a better future, and finally stepping into a different chapter of life.
What we didn’t realize was that moving abroad doesn’t simply change your address. It changes you.
At the time, we weren’t thinking about websites, digital work, travel tools, or creating content. We were simply two people trying to figure things out.
Ireland became our first home
Ireland was where our new life actually began. Both of us arrived as students hoping to improve our English and create opportunities that felt difficult to find back home.
Very quickly, the excitement of arriving turned into everyday reality. Rent had to be paid. Work had to be found. Bills kept arriving.
Life became less about taking photos and more about building stability. I started working in restaurants, and later we both worked at McDonald’s, where I eventually became a manager.
Europe looked very different once we actually lived here
Social media has a funny way of making life abroad look simple. Beautiful streets, weekend trips, coffee shops and perfect photos make everything seem exciting.
But living abroad isn’t a permanent vacation. Behind every nice photo, there are things people rarely talk about: long work shifts, homesickness, paperwork, uncertainty and moments where you start questioning your decisions.
Slowly, Europe stopped feeling temporary. It started feeling like home itself.
Travel started changing the way we looked at life
As our routine became more stable, we finally started traveling more. Turkey and Thailand were supposed to be just a break from work and routine.
For the first time, we started paying attention to things we had never really thought about before: how to stay connected abroad, how to transfer money internationally, and which tools actually made travel easier.
During that trip we used an eSIM for the first time, and suddenly we realized that these tools were becoming part of our everyday lives.
Portugal gave us something we didn’t have before
Eventually our journey brought us to Portugal, more specifically Figueira da Foz.
Portugal gave us something we hadn’t had in years: space. Space to think. Space to create. Space to finally slow down and ask ourselves what we really wanted.
The beginning of Andre On Digital
Andre On Digital didn’t start with a business plan or a perfect strategy. It started with experiences, frustrations, mistakes and questions we wished someone had answered earlier.
That idea eventually became Andre On Digital — a platform where we review the best eSIMs for Europe, money apps like Wise, VPNs, travel insurance, and airport transfers.
Not from a spreadsheet. From real life — from four countries, two suitcases, and a journey that started at an airport in São Paulo.
If you’re reading this from Brazil — or from anywhere in the world — thinking about making a similar move, know that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth it.
Ours certainly wasn’t. But it was ours.
Thanks for being here.
André & Nicoli
Andre On Digital · São Paulo → Dublin → Paris → Brussels → Figueira da Foz → Tilburg
