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Old 27-10-2015, 12:06   #31
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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The math doesn't work with the available jobs and without having a higher education or higher skill. At that $1500 a month and keeping the "two months" of freedom assumption you would need to be making between $25 and $27 an hour 40 hours a week - not including taxes. That's a full time job making about 56K a year! I doubt there are any non-IT non-grad skills that pay 56K a year and if they do exist they are not abundant.
Correct. If the OP wants to make extra money a month then he or she should work more before cruising. Working 40 hours a week, while cruising sort of defeats the whole purpose of cruising. Even 20 hours a week which I do more times then I like is problematic.

Myself when I do make a bit more in a month, I find that there is some boat bit, that will use it up quickly. Be it batteries, wiring, new lines,etc. There is almost always more needs then money when cruising/living on a boat.
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Old 27-10-2015, 12:45   #32
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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Correct. If the OP wants to make extra money a month then he or she should work more before cruising. Working 40 hours a week, while cruising sort of defeats the whole purpose of cruising. Even 20 hours a week which I do more times then I like is problematic.

Myself when I do make a bit more in a month, I find that there is some boat bit, that will use it up quickly. Be it batteries, wiring, new lines,etc. There is almost always more needs then money when cruising/living on a boat.
My thoughts as well.

I'm cruising domestically as i fit out my new boat and build a good world cruising kitty.

I'm transporting the boat now. I find I have to stop Monday through Friday to handle my small business. It's mayhem trying to navigate, make sure everything is working properly and steer/anchor/etc while your phone is going off every 30 seconds.

There is no joy at all in cruising and working at the same instant, imo.
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Old 27-10-2015, 16:09   #33
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

If you wait until you have enough money you will never go. What is enough? Many Australians return periodically to work after two or three years away (as we did originally). Now I design and develop education materials and audit/compliance documentation, when I want. If I know I will be staying near connectivity for a period I will take the contract. If not, I work on my next book (ever hopeful).
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Old 27-10-2015, 17:49   #34
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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I would really like to be able to travel full time and manage to not only live day to day or week to week but also manage to build up a reserve. I have a background in the medical field but this occupation requires me to be harbored for fixed amounts of time. My question is anyone making a substantial living without having a special degree in computer science or IT? What are the possibilities besides those?
This is a 'cake and eat it' question.

Without a large financial reserve to manipulate or property income you will need to earn the $'s to cruise, or budget to your financial abilities.

Without a charitable benefactor, the only other way for you to cruise, WHILE earning income, would be to work as paid crew/captain on a large Superyacht that would allow you to see the world on a yacht while banking 90% of your income.

Captains on +75m yachts have annual packages well over $200k
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Old 27-10-2015, 18:02   #35
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it
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Old 27-10-2015, 19:37   #36
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

You guys are busting my bubble. I have the same dream. I manage a Residential Construction company in Denver, Co. Been in the business for 30+ years and have actually gotten quite good at it. We assume we'll have to cruise for 6 months then work for 6 months. I've never had the nerve to run my own business but I'm very good at making the businesses I work for more efficient and profitable. Maybe that'll be a marketable skill.
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Old 27-10-2015, 21:34   #37
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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You guys are busting my bubble. I have the same dream. I manage a Residential Construction company in Denver, Co. Been in the business for 30+ years and have actually gotten quite good at it. We assume we'll have to cruise for 6 months then work for 6 months. I've never had the nerve to run my own business but I'm very good at making the businesses I work for more efficient and profitable. Maybe that'll be a marketable skill.
You have skills and experience - totally different game vs. no experience, no skills, no degree...

I'm sure that cruising around with no no experience, no skills, and no degree IS happening and I'm sure people have done it successfully but its probably not common and thus there is no "formula". Each person has to find their own way.

I have a friend that left on his bike from Georgia sometime back in the 1980's and biked his way around the world with no skills, no experience, and no degree. He picked up skills along the way, laying bricks in Switzerland for example, and that kept him going. That was a long time ago though - when seeking work over seas was a different ballgame.

I've learned a lot from reading Fatty Goodlander on this topic and he has some great ideas but he also gained a lot of experience before everyone was looking for work visa's.
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Old 27-10-2015, 22:33   #38
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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Interesting comment,"... I don't believe in intellectual property." Would be a good conversation starter. 😋
I don't mean to be rude but it sounds like the sort of comment Bernie Sanders would make. After all Socialists don't believe in the private ownership of property.
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Old 27-10-2015, 22:43   #39
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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Cows... I keep a few cows.... that supports my habit......
How do you fit a few cows on your boat?
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Old 28-10-2015, 04:35   #40
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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I don't mean to be rude but it sounds like the sort of comment Bernie Sanders would make. After all Socialists don't believe in the private ownership of property.
You are mistaking socialism with communism. Very very different things.
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Old 28-10-2015, 04:41   #41
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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How do you fit a few cows on your boat?
They are reeeaally tiny.
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Old 28-10-2015, 07:08   #42
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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How do you fit a few cows on your boat?
Very Carefully! ....
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Old 28-10-2015, 12:13   #43
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

I have a degree in computer science and I have looked around a bit on the internet for freelance/telecommute jobs that would allow me to cruise a while then of course sit in a marina or on a mooring where internet access is available so that I could work and earn some money to keep going and I haven't really found all that many jobs that fit the bill. There a few websites but the people looking for work to be done basically want a lot of work for almost nothing but I'm still looking around.
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Old 28-10-2015, 12:35   #44
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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I have a degree in computer science and I have looked around a bit on the internet for freelance/telecommute jobs that would allow me to cruise a while then of course sit in a marina or on a mooring where internet access is available so that I could work and earn some money to keep going and I haven't really found all that many jobs that fit the bill. There a few websites but the people looking for work to be done basically want a lot of work for almost nothing but I'm still looking around.
That does seem to be a problem. I started out competing with people working for $8-$10 dollar an hour. I just put my profile out on one site and had companies contact me for work. It took a little time., a few months, for first one and then another to contact me. But I have three clients that I do work for and it's not too bad. Generally I'll do work for both my main clients each week.

I don't make what I would make in an office, but I'm making about 1/2 that being on the hook. Without a car, house, etc. It's enough to more then get by on.

Though computer science does seem a bit bruttal. Myself, I have a fairly narrow market and there are just not that many quality folks out there doing freelance AE engineering.
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Old 28-10-2015, 14:16   #45
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Re: How do you earn an income cruising full time?

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I have a degree in computer science and I have looked around a bit on the internet for freelance/telecommute jobs that would allow me to cruise a while then of course sit in a marina or on a mooring where internet access is available so that I could work and earn some money to keep going and I haven't really found all that many jobs that fit the bill. There a few websites but the people looking for work to be done basically want a lot of work for almost nothing but I'm still looking around.
Well telecommuting is a 'real' job, you are just not in a office. Generally expected to be online and available during business hours. Not conducive to cruising. (I've telecommuted for 5 of the last 10 years.)

Freelance/Contracting, is generally about who you know or who you've worked for in the past to get the good paying gigs. With no relationship generally you are just competing on price/cost of work. Also without a relationship I assume it would be pretty hard to convince the client that you're right for the job as a cruiser. You could do the 3-6 month contract in BFE route. Work hard for contract duration, then go cruise until the money runs out, rinse and repeat. It would also build relationships whereas the next time you could be like, "Bro do I really need to come to BFE? How about I just do the work remotely". But honestly I hate these jobs. (scope creep)

I've given a fair amount of thought to this, as I'm a software engineer.

I keep coming back to the same 3 words...

MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT
  • constant internet access not required
  • 100% offline development is possible (depending on your apps functionalities)
  • no boss
  • no clients or trying to drum up business (app promotion notwithstanding)
  • no billing/collections/BS
  • recurring income stream (app sales/in-app purchases/ads)
  • no formal education necessary
  • live and work where and when you want

Of course you would need to come up with an idea (or 10+)

Wouldn't work for the OP since he's anti intellectual property, but let's all agree, that's just crazy talk, within the context of this thread.
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