I quit renting to move onto a posh cruise ship – it’s cheaper and there’s great food… I’ve made great pals too
A MAN who spends 300 days of the year living on a posh cruise ship has revealed that the overall costs aren't as high as you might expect - in fact, he believes it works out cheaper than renting with bills to cover.
Ryan Gutridge started living on Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 2021, after realising he could work remotely from the seas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although people may typically think of retired elderly or eye-watering costs when it comes to cruising the world, Ryan insisted that, in fact, it's a cost-effective solution for those being able to work whilst away, .
Before making the move, Ryan worked in IT as a cloud-solution engineer and worked from home in 2012 - but the global pandemic changed the scene and the team was able to work from anywhere as long they could access data.
The professional said: “At that time, cruise lines hadn't announced when or if they were coming back.
''I thought that if they returned, I'd want to try taking my job with me on a short cruise.
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''I wanted to see how the WiFi would work and if I could access some elements of my job with heavy security.”
A year after the health crisis hit the world, Ryan booked two four-night cruises on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, and went on both in September, 2021.
Since then, he's been on a cruise pretty much every week apart from the odd time here and there due to the holidays.
Before taking the step and drastically changing his life, Ryan had to do thorough research - and here, he came to an unexpected discovery.
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While looking at the numbers, Ryan realised that the costs of living at sea for 300 nights was basically ‘'almost neck-and-neck'' with what he was paying for his apartment and trash service.
What's more with the cruise added perks, such as free WiFi and free drinks, Ryan was also saving money on other bills and expenses.
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He said: ''I have a spreadsheet that automatically records all my expenses, which helps. I also set a budget every year.
''This year, my base fare budget is about $30,000 [£24k], and last year when I started really looking at the numbers and evaluating how much base fare I paid to be on a ship for 300 nights, I found it was almost neck-and-neck with what I paid for rent and trash service for an apartment in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.''
He also advised that if you are keen to try this out for yourself, then it's best to explore different brands - and once you find one you like the most, stick to it; this will help you reach loyalty levels and perks.
For instance, the highest-loyalty level for Ryan's-loved Royal Caribbean is the ‘Pinnacle’ level, which he will reach after completing two years of cruising on the ship.
According to the savvy IT worker, living on a cruise ship has also done wonders for his social life - he uses lunchtime to chat to others and meet people at the gym.
Some of the friendships have flourished so much that Ryan and his new pals have went back on the cruise ship and explored the waters together on multiple occasions, he said.
“Working from home was isolating. I don't have kids or pets, so it's easy to become somewhat introverted, but cruising has really helped and made me a lot more social.”