The World Docked in Portland, Oregon

A few days ago I was walking to work and I glanced over at where the Willamette River was supposed to be.  Instead of being able to look across the river at Mt. Hood, all I saw was a towering structure docked in the water that certainly wasn’t there the day before.  Turns out “The World”, one of only residential cruise ships on the planet, decided to make a stop in Portland.

For a long time I have thought about how the cruise industry could be a fantastic foray into a Location Independent lifestyle (if you do it correctly).  As it turns out, that big boat was what gave me the motivation I needed to write this article.

The first thing you might be thinking is why on Earth would I want to work on a cruise ship?  Cramped quarters, ridiculous hours and little pay, where is the draw in that?

The draw is that it is a way of taking action without all of the risk

What is your reason for not currently being location independent?  Is it the money? Lack of stability?  Lack of a good entrepreneurial idea?  Working on a cruise ship for six months could be your answer to all of those problems.

Think about it.  You have very little expense while on board.  Food and lodging are paid for, so as long as you can exercise a little restraint in port, you can save up quite a bit of money to fund your future lifestyle.  This will also allow you to live in a variety of different places, while still giving you the stability of having an actual job.

If it is the business idea you are lacking, the lifestyle change could be exactly what sparks a new idea.  Seeing new places and meeting new people can be two of the most useful ways to get creative.  The real downside here is that once the creativity does kick in, and you come up with a brilliant online business plan, the online part can be difficult to come by.  Many cruise ships provide internet cafes where for 10 cents a minute you can get access to a computer (which can get a little spendy if your entire business is based around the net).  You can also take your laptop with you on shore excursions and look for wifi at your destination.  Where there is a will there is a way.

So what exactly would you do on a cruise ship if you were working there?  Well if you are serious about this, I propose doing something different than the traditional housekeeping or guest services job.  Why not try something that will:

1) Allow you access to many of the ship’s ammenities (that usually aren’t available for crew)

2) Provide you with your OWN single cabin

3) Pay much better than your typical crew position.

A “Port and Shopping Presenter” does 1-3 presentations per cruise about the items available for purchase on the ship and in the various ports.  You get a base salary and then generous commisions based on what you sell.  While it may not seem like the most glamourous job, where else are you going to get paid to talk to people and travel to tropical islands; all the while striving towards your own personal goals.

I would like to make it clear that I recognize that this is still a job, and is not the end-goal for most people looking to go location independent.

However, it could be an excellent first step towards breaking away from a traditional life.  It will get you away from your desk job, and learning about what it is like to be traveling on a regular basis.  If you are interested in this type of job, I recommend you read more about it here. If you are interested in a more traditional crew job, then check out the websites for any of the major cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian etc).

Have any of you ever worked on a ship before?  Agree or disagree with these thoughts?  I want to hear about it in the comments!

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Images provided by jimg944 and chrisharley.