Leaving Porto Alegre to Start All Over Again

Nando next to the white mini trailer hitched to the Subaru Forester, cover of the post

Six months in Porto Alegre, a mini trailer built from scratch and a new trip up the coast, with Nina and Lelê, heading to the forró festival in Itaúnas and to Pipa.

Six months in Porto Alegre, my mini trailer is ready (almost ready, practically ready), and I'm heading out on the road again.

For those who don't know, I traveled around Brazil by car for three years with my dog, Nina. It was an expedition through several states along the Brazilian coast, from 2023 to 2026. This time it'll be a similar trip, but different, with another format.

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Trip information

Starting point: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.
Home: a mini trailer I built in six months, towed by my car.
Who's going: me, Nina and Lelê.
First big destination: Itaúnas, in Espírito Santo, for the forró festival, starting July 10.
Next destination: Pipa, in Rio Grande do Norte.

Nando in an olive-green jacket, holding the microphone, in front of a stone wall and a blue door — Six months in Porto Alegre.

Why I disappeared

It's been quite a while since I showed up around here. In these six months in Porto Alegre I built a mini trailer, and it was a long process that I ended up not sharing, because I was focused on actually getting things done and less on communicating.

Those who've known me for longer might remember that, when I started the trip around Brazil, back in 2023, I was really excited and posted lots of content and videos on Instagram and YouTube. But that energy started running out. It was always a lot of work doing everything on my own: traveling, taking care of a dog, taking care of my meals, editing the videos, posting and, on top of all that, doing other work for other people.

Nando having lunch at a wooden table, with Nina sitting beside him, waiting — Taking care of everything on the road, with Nina by my side.

It was a complex process, and little by little I stopped posting. When I came back from the first big trip, I chose to live more than to post. It was a conscious decision, and a good one.

What happened in the meantime

A lot of cool things happened these last few months, these last few years. I had eye surgery: I'm not nearsighted anymore and I don't need glasses. I made my first two real estate investments: I bought a plot of land in Pipa, back in 2025, without telling anyone around here, and a 25-square-meter studio in Porto Alegre, to rent out.

I've been working and doing a bunch of things, and that's also why it was a need, a wish to stay a bit away from social media. I wanted to focus my energy on what really mattered at that moment. It was important for me to give it that time and to have my time to heal. Today I'm able to see more clearly, and with more drive too. It's a process.

Nando crouching on the sand, facing the sea, with Nina lying beside him — Nina and me, on the first trip.

I really like YouTube and this thing of sharing what I've been up to. Now I want to share again, and the best way I found to do that was to hit the road once more.

The mini trailer

And then, out of nowhere, I show up with this news: yes, I built a mini trailer. A trailer, a little house on wheels, that I'm going to tow with my car. It took me almost five months to build.

Frame of a mini trailer in a workshop, with a person in a cap putting up the walls — The mini trailer's frame, in the workshop.

Two people building the wooden cabinets inside the mini trailer, lit by a light bulb — The cabinets taking shape.

White mini trailer hitched to the silver Subaru Forester, with the low sun behind the trees — The mini trailer hitched to the car.

The new journey

This time I'm traveling with Nina and with Lelê, a friend I made in Pipa, in Rio Grande do Norte. She came to Porto Alegre to visit me, and we're going to travel together all the way to Pipa, once again, camping, heading up the coast and escaping the cold of the south.

Nina sitting in the car seat, tongue out, next to Nando driving in sunglasses — Nina, ready for the road again.

Our first big destination will be Itaúnas, in Espírito Santo. We want to catch the forró festival, which happens there starting July 10. Of course we'll stop other times to sleep and all that, but the places where we'll stay longest will definitely be Itaúnas and, after that, Pipa.

Crowd dancing forró under a wooden roof with string lights, at night — Forró night.

Reddish earth cliff over the blue-green sea, seen from the drone — The cliffs of Pipa, in Rio Grande do Norte.

Nando adjusting the white mini trailer, with a ladder and roof rack, hitched to the car on a sunny street — Practically ready.

A fresh start

This is a fresh start. Simple, honest, no frills. Follow along, because I'm going to be really excited to share these things with you all. If you have questions or comments, write to me, and I'll do my best to keep answering. Whether you followed along before or you're just arriving now, welcome to the new journey.