The cost of living crisis is not ending any time soon, and with the average rent across the UK increasing to £1,362 per month according to ONS, it might be time to assess other options.
Which options, you may ask? Well, it depends on how outside of the box you’re willing to think.
You could move cities, you could uproot your life and head overseas, or you could do what Ryan Gutridge has done and permanently moved to live on cruise ships.
It’s a lot of travelling, but if you’re a bit of a nomad and like some adventure, then why not?
On top of that, you could easily work on board with the free wifi – all you need to do is land a job that allows you to work remotely, and you’re sorted.
Ryan Gutridge started staying on Royal Caribbean cruise ships back in 2021 when he realised this.
When reflecting on his choice, he sees it as a great, cost-effective way of living if you have the privilege of being able to work no matter where you are.
Speaking to Insider, he said: “I work in IT as a cloud-solution engineer for a cloud-solution provider and started working from home in 2012.
“But because of the pandemic, my team was able to work from home and access the data they needed from anywhere.
“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. I wanted to see how the WiFi would work and if I could access some elements of my job with heavy security.”
In the summer of 2021, Gutridge booked two four-night cruises on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas – and went on both in September.
Gutridge lives his best life onboard (Ryan Gutridge)
It went extremely well, but Gutridge knew he needed to do a bit more research if he was to embark on nomadic life aboard a cruise ship.
While crunching the numbers, Gutridge realised that the cost of living at sea for 300 nights was ‘almost neck-and-neck’ with what he was paying for his apartment back home.
However, living on the cruise ship came with many added perks, including free WiFi and free drinks.
This meant Gutridge was saving money on other bills and expenses he would typically have to pay back at home.
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 (£24,000), 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.
Time to apply for that remote job you’ve been eyeing up (Royal Caribbean)
“My drinks and internet are free. If people are going to do something like what I do, I recommend trying different brands because they all offer something different. But once you commit to one, you should stick to it so you reach those loyalty levels.
“I found that Royal Caribbean has, by far, the most valuable benefits to me – discounts, free internet, and free drinks.”
Gutridge did not discuss food, but according to the Royal Caribbean website, the price of cruise tickets includes ‘most meals onboard’.
His new way of living is good for social life too, as Gutridge is able to use lunchtimes to socialise or meet people at the gym.
