We Quit Our Jobs to Travel - What Were We Afraid Of?

When my husband Ben and I first decided we were going to quit our jobs, sell everything, and buy a sailboat to travel the Caribbean in our late 20s, we were excited, but we were mostly scared. We had so much doubt about this adventure, and so much fear. Sometimes, the fear of the unknown that lay ahead of us outweighed the joy.

We were nervous about stunting our careers, about losing our financial stability, maintaining our health while traveling, and about handling such a large lifestyle change. We were afraid of the instability of such a crazy adventure, and fearful of the blank, unknown, canvas that was our future.

Since setting sail, we've had to face all these fears head on which has truly been an emotional roller coaster...err... an enlightening experience. Some concerns have proven to be unimportant in the big picture, but some have turned out to be real problems we deal with constantly as a part of this lifestyle choice.

We would like to share a list of the fears and concerns that consumed our thoughts before we took the plunge to live our dream, and our thoughts on them after setting sail.

What if we quit our jobs, and were never able to achieve the same income level again?

My husband and I have accepted the realization that we may never make the same amount of money as we did in our corporate positions, but we aren’t beating ourselves up about it. That's because our perspectives on money have changed dramatically.

Before this adventure, most of our waking hours were devoted to our employers, in return for salaries. With the salaries, we bought things, property, and eventually saved enough to achieve our big dream of sailing the Caribbean. But now that we live aboard a 38' sailboat, our belongings, commitments, and our expenses are very few. Gone are the days of mortgages, car payments and utilities that go along with a 9-5 life. Don't get me wrong, we still have to eat and watch a little Netflix now and then... But the truth is that living aboard has freed us from most expenses, meaning the income required to support this lifestyle is minimal.

With the weight of debt and bills lifted, our concern is now to finding a good balance of our precious time on this planet, and generating income. The fundamental difference between "living to work," and "working to live" has become crystal clear. Instead of stressing about getting that next promotion, and worrying about covering our mortgage, we're free to ask ourselves, "how much of my time am I willing to sell, for money?"

What if we become irrelevant in our careers by taking such a large amount of time off?

We’ve met several awesome adventurers who have quit their jobs to sail around the world, and stepped right back into their previous positions so they could work to do it all over again. Some even become contractors or consultants of their previous employers, instead of employees.

People take leaves of absence from the workplace all the time, to raise children, to care for family members, for health reasons, or to have a once in a lifetime adventure, like us. 1 or 2 years, or even 5 or 10 years in some people's’ cases, should not render you unemployable, although it might take some work to get up to speed in your field, and you may be re-learning a few things.

From sailing and living on the sea, Ben and I have learned a zillion new skills, gained courage, ambition, fearlessness, leadership, the willingness to try anything, and a little curiosity. If a future employer can’t see the experience we’ve gained as positive, then it clearly wouldn’t be the right employer for us.

Plus, this journey might open up doorways to new career options we'd never considered in the past. The possibilities are endless, and we're scared shitless....errrr.... excited about the opportunities that await!

What if we feel bored, or lack of satisfaction because we aren't working?

This concern has turned out to be menial, in most cases, but not all the time.

First of all, sailing is a totally new skill from Ben and I, so we've found loads of value in becoming competent. I underestimated the physical and mental capacity this would take, and somehow thought learning to sail would be easy? That navigating the sea would be easy? That understanding and maneuvering weather would be easy? That everyday things would be stress-free when you live in the middle of the sea? Looking back, I’m not sure why I thought I would have loads of time on my hands, but I was mistaken. At sea, everyday tasks become laborious escapades. For example, getting fresh water, finding somewhere to dump trash, and doing laundry are time consuming chores that take hours, or even days.

Learning to be a live aboard sailing family takes research, practice, a lot of time, some lost toenails, many marital spats, and a few tears. Although there is sometimes a full afternoon of reading in the hammock with a cocktail, most of our days are not spent wondering how to fill our time. Between preparing for voyages, making passages, maintaining the boat, fishing for food, sightseeing, and routine chores, boredom has turned out to be a menial issue.

At the end of the day, even if we DO get a little bored at times, we've learned to embrace it! Our old lives of meetings and traffic and emails led us to believe that business and success were synonymous. But thankfully, we've learned to accept personal time as a blessing, not a challenge.

How will we afford it? Isn't it super expensive to travel full time?

Yes, our initial expenses were high, but not compared to the expenses of our 9-5 lives.

When we left Kansas City, we liquidated most of our assets (house, cars, belongings), and used the cash to fund this trip. Basically, we gave up everything we owned in order to afford full time travel, because it was our priority to make our dream a reality. When we sold all our belongings, it in turn cut all our other expenses like cable, water, electricity, and insurance. Afterwards, we had very few bills, and a lump sum of cash which would fund our boat purchase and our subsequent monthly budget.

After we bought our boat and made necessary repairs, we were left with a monthly traveling budget of $1000-$1500 per month. The sailing budget includes items like provisioning, customs fees, one cell phone, diesel and gasoline, boat insurance, health insurance, and my student loan. To give you a little perspective, our monthly budget in our 9-5 lives was roughly SIX TIMES this amount! We paid for our house, all the stuff to fill the house, all the bills for the house, wardrobes for our corporate jobs we worked to earn money to pay for the stuff, a couple cars, and a million other things draining our bank accounts.

At sea, our lives are minimal which means our cost is minimal, but flexibility is key! Some months we have to buy expensive parts or pay high customs fees, but other months we've been way under budget.

How can full time travel be under budget, you may ask? Well, when we’re at sea, what are we going to spend our money on? We can’t shop in stores because there are none, we can’t shop online because there’s no internet, and we can’t go to restaurants and bars. Most days, we lay on a remote beach totally to ourselves, swim in the clear blue sea, pick coconuts from the palms, pluck fish and lobsters from the ocean, lay in the hammock on deck with a cocktail, watch the sunset, and have a home-cooked meal. We don’t have to (and technically can't) pay a dime for a day like that, and we can’t picture a more perfect one.

What will we do if we run out of money?

We watch our bank accounts closely, and are always aware of our budget. We know that we won’t be able to sail forever on our non-existent cash flow, so we will stop at our breaking point to work again.

If something were to happen, like our >>disastrous accident<< in Martinique which drained the bank accounts, we do have an emergency credit card, and also a few saved assets that could be liquidated in a hurry. Plus, we've got basic skills and are responsible professionals, so we have picked up gigs here and there for extra income. It's not part of our "career plans" but it keeps us moving and adventuring!

If we had it to do over again, we would have arranged some type of residual income scenario, like rental properties or intellectual property, so we could continue sailing and earn income. But, you live and you learn, and we still don't regret a thing.

You've only got so many days on this planet, and you can't bring your money with you when you leave! :)

What if we aren't paying into our 401Ks while we travel?

One year, two years, is menial in your 40 year career. Our 401Ks won’t go anywhere, they’ll keep on collecting interest until we join the workforce again. Yes, we’ll have a little less in that account when we finally retire, but I’m happy to make the sacrifice in return for traveling the world and gaining priceless experiences.

Plus, we're basically living our retirement, now while we're young! And our ideas of what "retirement" looks like at age 60 has changed for us.

What about health insurance?

It is true that our insurance is not as good as it was while we were employed full time in the US. But fortunately we’re both healthy adults, who take good care of ourselves. We had checkups right before leaving the US, and filled long term prescriptions of all our medications, plus extra antibiotics. We have a badass medical kit on board that can cover most minor to moderate injuries. The only medical attention we would require, on a short term like one year, is emergency care. Therefore we currently pay for emergency health insurance to cover that base, and to avoid the health care tax imposed by the US government on uninsured citizens.

But most importantly, regular health and dental services abroad are substantially cheaper abroad than they are in the United States, which makes getting proper care as a full-time traveler pretty easy.

For example, Ben and I both got our regular dental cleanings, plus one cavity filled at a reputable dental clinic in the Dominican Republic. The service was just as good as back home, and the dentist was professional and knowledgeable. A dental procedure like this would have cost hundreds back home in the US, but cost only 1500 pesos in the DR, or about $35 US. Antibiotics were around $6 per pack. With affordable healthcare and dental care abroad, we're far less concerned about insurance because we can afford to pay out of pocket for preventative visits, medications, and medical care.

What if we can't find doctors or vets abroad?

Many remote areas don’t have doctors close by. This is true of the Caribbean, it is true of Alaska, and it is true of isolated areas of Missouri. People all over the world, and the US, live in remote areas without doctors nearby, not just sailors.

In an emergency, we’d do the best we could, ourselves with the supplies we have on board from our badass first aid kit (mentioned beforehand, and highly recommended. You can tell I love my first aid kit :) ). If we can’t care for the emergency, we’ll have to call for a helicopter or flight to the nearest hospital. We could do this through our emergency health insurance company, through the local clinics if there is one, or through the VHF or SSB radios.

What if we get some foreign disease or virus?

This is an unavoidable risk of being a world traveler. It is something we’ve had to accept, and prepare for as best as possible. To prepare, we got vaccinations that were available, for things like Yellow Fever and Hepatitis. We got prescriptions for extra antibiotics, and other medications from an International Travel Immunization Clinic back home in the US before our departure.

However there are not vaccinations for all viruses and diseases, such as ciguatera. Ciguatera from eating contaminated fish is a concern, and we read up on the best fish to catch where to avoid the disease. Also lurking is the possibility of contracting mosquito borne viruses such as Zika, but we wear repellent and anchor away from land.

But don't we have these risks everywhere? It's not just foreign countries where scary viruses and illnesses pop up. Back home in Missouri for example, we run the risk of Lyme Disease from insects in the woods, mad cow disease, bird flu, and waterborne amoeba in the lakes every summer. Even the US has a slew of terrifying new diseases every year.

The bottom line is, we’re taking our chances in exchange for living this amazing lifestyle, meanwhile doing our best to protect ourselves against local diseases and risks.

What if things don't go as planned?

They probably won’t - Get used to that idea! This was hard to swallow at first by me, type A go-getter. I wanted to know when we’d be where, and plan every second of our voyage. The truth is, we're not in control.

When it comes to waypoints and route planning, we have a general plan in mind, but we understand we are dealing with the sea, and the wind, two of the most powerful forces on this planet. We travel when they are ready, not when we are ready. In a way, it removes a level of responsibility or pressure from needing to be in control all the time. Yes, we always know our next port, but we don’t know when we will arrive. We jump when the weather says go, totally at the mercy of nature.

As for boat issues, they are inevitable, and part of living on an boat. We try not to be upset by unexpected repairs, and instead to care for them as if our friend, Wanderlust, has an injury or has come down with the flu. We prepared by bringing spares, tools, and manuals but if necessary we would make it to the nearest port to get the boat seen by a mechanic.

The best thing about living on a sailboat is, you don't need the engine to travel! If the engine were to go down, we'd still be able to sail to our next port for emergency repairs.

What if we hate living on a sailboat?

We happen to love living on a sailboat, but I’ve met several folks who would not. Their personal hell involves living in 250 square feet with their spouse and a 65 pound rambunctious, slobbery, boxer dog.

Ben and I however don’t mind the cramped space, or lack of amenities. We bought our boat to get away from the excess and frivolousness of our old lives and spend quality time together, so the smallness is refreshing and simple to us. We love not worrying about what we’re going to wear, or styling our hair for the day. We love having dinner alone together, having a room temperature drink and watching the sunset, and we’re entertained by watching Ruca chase coconuts. The simplicity of this lifestyle suits us.

But it is important to be honest with yourself about your expectations. If you really love hot baths, going to the movies, your sofa, ice cold drinks, or your hair straightener, you may need to seriously rethink the sailing lifestyle. The point of moving aboard to make yourself happy, not deprive you of things you find joyful.

What if we don't get along in such close quarters?

At times, we bicker and squabble over nothing except we’re sick of looking at each other’s faces. But then we remind ourselves that our struggle is NOT real. We literally could not have it any better. We woke up on the sea, staring at a white sand beach with turquoise water, and are living our dream. Nothing is worth arguing about, really.

My advice to anyone worried about this issue is to make sure you are ready for the minimalism and solitude involved with sailing. Ensure you really like the person you’re about to spend every minute with aboard your sailboat. Talk through and address any issues you may have beforehand, otherwise they’re sure to explode at sea, where there’s no getting away from each other or the problem.

Finally, Sharks.

Turns out, in general sharks could care less about us. They're just living their lives, doing their thing. Now, if you're holding a bloody fish underwater or swimming in their personal space, they might take notice.

It is important to be smart when spear fishing or diving for seafood, and always be aware and avoid a large dangerous predator fish (I'm actually more afraid of Barracuda than sharks!). But the good news is that sharks don't generally want to eat you. They may want to eat what you caught, but apparently humans are not very tasty. Hooray!

Hopefully, this has soothed some fears some of you would-be sailors, or clarified some unrealistic expectations. Although everyone’s journey is very unique, we hope this has given you some perspective into what we've faced on our great wild sailing adventure.

The most important thing we've learned is not to let your fear hold you back from experiencing the life you want! Bad things happen, all the time, anywhere you live, and you can't keep them from happening, but you can make the good days REALLY good!

If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough!

Thanks for reading,

Ben, Quinn, and Ruca

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