Ryan Gutridge began working remotely and living on a Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd RCL cruise ship two years ago. Over that time, it's cost him about the same amount to live on the cruiseliner as he pays for his apartment.
What To Know: According to a Business Insider report, Gutridge has spent almost every week during the last two years aboard a cruise ship. He still rents an apartment in Florida and leaves the ship for holidays and occasionally to visit friends.
Although he didn't go into detail on the costs, Gutridge noted that he sets aside about $30,000 a year for cruise fares.
"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 said.
Check This Out: Couple Set To Live Permanently Aboard Cruise Ship, Managing Rental Properties From The Sea
His cost basis has been falling over the years as well. He's racked up a lot of rewards points with Royal Caribbean because he cruises so often. At this point, all of his drinks are free and he doesn't have to pay for internet access. He also has access to exclusive discounts, he said.
"Because of the loyalty program, I'll actually spend less money cruising this year than I did last year, even though I cruised more," Gutridge explained.
Gutridge works full-time while on the ship as a remote cloud-solution engineer for a cloud provider. Monday through Friday, he goes through the same work routine that he would normally do on land. He has meetings in the mornings and afternoons and often works from the top deck of a lounge, which is "very quiet." He also manages to eat healthy and maintain a regular gym routine throughout the workweek.
He spends about 90% of his time aboard the ship, even though it makes several stops. Unless it's a port he hasn't been to or really enjoys, he is usually working. Still, he has been to CocoCay and Nassau in the Bahamas more than 70 times each over the last two years, he said.
It's working out so well, he eventually plans to get rid of his apartment entirely and sell the car he keeps parked there.
"Most of the time, I'm so busy that I don't even notice we're at the same place — I just know I'm not in an apartment staring at the wall. I'm stress-free," Gutrudge said.
This story is part of a new series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.
Photo: postcardtrip from Pixabay.
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