• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Man lives on cruise ship for 300 days a year because his bills are cheaper than renting

Home> News> Travel

Published 17:12 12 Aug 2023 GMT+1

Man lives on cruise ship for 300 days a year because his bills are cheaper than renting

He even gets free drinks on board

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A man who lives on a cruise ship for 300 days a year has explained how the costs aren’t as pricey as people might assume – in fact, it pretty works out cheaper than renting with bills.

Ryan Gutridge started staying on Royal Caribbean cruise ships back in 2021, having realised he could work remotely from the seas.

But while people may associate cruises with retired people who can be away from home for long periods of time, he’s pointed out it’s a great, cost-effective way of living if you can work while away.

“I work in IT as a cloud-solution engineer for a cloud-solution provider and started working from home in 2012,” he told Insider.

Advert

“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.

Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean

Advert

“Everything worked great, and since then, I've been on a cruise pretty much every week, except for a few weeks due to the holidays,” he said.

Before taking the drastic step to embark on a nomadic life aboard a cruise ship, Gutridge said he had to do his research.

While crunching the numbers, he realised that the cost of living at sea for 300 nights as ‘almost neck-and-neck' with what he was paying for his apartment and trash service.

But with the cruise comes added perks, like free WiFi and free drinks, meaning he’s also saving money on other bills and expenses.

Advert

After all, anyone who works from home will know the pain of forking out for expensive internet, only for it to be ABSOLUTELY RUBBISH, so the deal here sounds like a pretty sweet one in that sense alone.

“I wanted to really look at the cost of cruising full-time before I began,” Gutridge continued.

“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, 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.

“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.

Advert

Probably one of the free drinks Ryan was talking about.
Ryan Gutridge

“I found that Royal Caribbean has, by far, the most valuable benefits to me — discounts, free internet, and free drinks.”

While Gutridge didn’t specify what he does for food, according to the Royal Caribbean website, the price of cruise tickets includes ‘most meals onboard’.

He said the highest loyalty level for Royal Caribbean is the ‘Pinnacle’ level, which he will reach after completing two years of cruising on the ship.

Advert

It’s also been great for his social life, too.

While Gutridge tends to have meetings in the morning and afternoons, he’s able to use lunchtimes to socialise or meet people at the gym.

“I've even met people that I stay in contact with and that have come back and cruised on this ship with me multiple times since,” 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.”

Featured Image Credit: Ryan Gutridge/Phill Jackson/Royal Princess & Princess Cruises via Getty Images

Topics: Travel, Money, Business, Technology

Jess Hardiman
Jess Hardiman

Jess is Entertainment Desk Lead at LADbible Group. She graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

X

@Jess_Hardiman

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
10 hours ago
11 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • Kennedy News and Media
    9 hours ago

    Woman diagnosed with cancer after mistaking one symptom for hay fever

    Ellen McCleary initially dismissed the symptom as hay fever

    News
  • YouTube/Barack Obama
    10 hours ago

    Barack Obama takes swipe at Trump as he speaks out on Charlie Kirk's assassination

    Trump ally Charlie Kirk was shot dead at a Utah Valley University event last week

    News
  • Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images
    11 hours ago

    Trump supporters call for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired for ‘disgusting’ comments following Charlie Kirk’s assassination

    Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University last week

    Film & TV
  • YouTube/Barack Obama
    12 hours ago

    Barack Obama sends firm message to Americans as he speaks out on Charlie Kirk's assassination

    Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah last week

    News
  • Man who lives on cruise ship for 300 days a year as it's cheaper than renting plans to sell apartment by next year
  • Couple who booked 53 back-to-back cruises because 'it’s cheaper' than retirement home reveal worst part of ship living
  • Woman commutes by plane every week to get to internship because it’s so much cheaper than renting
  • Man who lives on cruise ship for 300 days a year as it's cheaper than renting plans to sell apartment by 2025