Woman quits 6-figure job to live on cruise ships and discovers complicated reality 2 months in

We've all thought about it. Almost every one of us has been at the beach, at a resort, or on a cruise and thought, "Wow, I really wish we could just stay forever." The dread of going back to "real life" hits hard on that last day of vacation, and it's hard to stop your mind from wondering what exactly it would look like to just... stay.

Some bold folks actually do it. Cruise ships, in particular, are a popular destination for people who want to permanently live on "vacation" because they can be relatively affordable and come with built-in food, adventure, and entertainment.

Emma, who is in her thirties, recently decided to pull the trigger and do exactly that. Earlier this year, she quit her six-figure job in order to live full-time aboard cruise ships.

Emma's partner of several years makes a living gambling on cruise ships as a professional poker player. Emma, who goes by A Broad That Travels, says he would be gone for weeks or months at a time sailing, and she finally had enough of all the time apart.

"There was a point in time where we were just apart for more than half the year while he was cruising and I was doing my corporate grind, and it was really difficult," she says. "There were some cruises and some adventures he was doing where I was like...we have to do this together."

So she decided to leave her six-figure career in corporate tech sales behind and join him. Though they had cruised a lot together, the couple had their first cruise as a part of their new lifestyle just two months ago, the first of a four-month stretch of non-stop cruising.

"At the end of the day, if you're not with the ones you love and you're not doing something you enjoy, then what's the point?" she says. "What's the point of having a job that makes you a lot of money if you can't enjoy the perks?"

Everyone wants to know how Emma manages the finances of only working part-time and living on a cruise ship, and the answer is unique and fascinating: "The finances of the cruise actually work really well because we get free cruise offers from the casino. All we pay are port fees and taxes, which are minuscule in comparison to the standard costs of a cruise."

(Emma's partner, Cael, for his part, also vlogs about the inner workings of his life as a poker player and how he's able to get so many free cruises.)

Living on Royal Caribbean cruises, sailing to exotic ports, partying, eating incredible food. They're living the dream. Right?

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Except Emma says that, while living aboard cruises is fun and adventurous, the lifestyle comes with its challenges. Two months into her journey, she was hit by some of the "dark side" of full-time cruising.

Many people who choose to live permanently on cruise ships are older and retired, or have enough savings to live off of for a while. Emma is young and still working part-time in data analytics and studying for her MBA, which poses some unique hurdles.

"Too much of a good thing is challenging," she says. "It's fun and it's really difficult."

Emma says the overstimulation—the constant noise, music, people, crowds—is a lot to handle. Finding a quiet space on the ship other than her tiny room to work or study has proven to be almost impossible. About four to six weeks in, she says in a video update, she found herself wanting to go home.

"I think the biggest misconception is that people think it's going to be just fun non-stop and that I'm on vacation the entire time," she says. "I work and go to school, so I'm quite busy!"

She says it's challenging to get up every day to work, study, eat normally, and exercise when the entire cruise atmosphere is built around excess and partying.

The lifestyle can also, surprisingly, get lonely. Emma says that it's fun meeting people and making friends aboard the ship, but almost all of them disembark at the end of the week, never to be seen again. It's hard to build community and lasting connections.

"I'm definitely missing community engagement, things like that," she says.

On the cruise, everyone is a stranger, all the time. The other high-status cruisers Emma and her partner meet are often much older, so making friends their own age is a challenge.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

However, Emma says that they have found ways to make it work, and they're adjusting to their new way of life.

One thing that's helped is making connections and friendships with the staff aboard. Those are the only other people that are doing anything close to resembling "living normal life."

They've found other ways to find community, family, and friendship as well: "We [recently] sailed with family for a 10-day cruise and had a blast! It's really great to spend time with family after being away from home for so long."

She adds that the longer they stay aboard Royal Caribbean cruises, the more they start to see some of the same familiar faces.

"We also ran into some friends on a cruise last month that we met on a cruise in the summer of 2024 going from Miami to Spain," she says. "We ended up hanging out with them most of the cruise and catching up. We're starting to notice a little bit of a community of frequent cruisers!"

In the end, living permanently aboard a cruise ship (or any kind of vacation environment) seems appealing, but it's not for everyone. The lifestyle shift can be jarring, and it can be a huge adjustment.

"A few people have said it's their dream to do what I'm doing and think there's no way anyone could have any difficulty with the lifestyle," Emma writes. "While it is fun a lot of the time, and it is an amazing experience, there are also many aspects of living on a cruise ship that are difficult for me. Travel is often glamorized and I don't think people like when I break even a small part the illusion."