Tomás Travelho grew up in Mira, Coimbra, in central Portugal, where he still lives. During his childhood, he developed a passion for cinema by watching Charlie Chaplin films, which also fostered his ability to tell stories visually. At the age of 18, he moved to Covilhã, where he completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in Cinema at the University of Beira Interior. During his academic career, he worked as a team member on several university short films, mainly as director of photography on documentary shorts, some of which were screened at festivals, such as À Margem da Linha (2023) and Cananga (2024).