Frequently Asked Questions About our Adventures (2024 Updates)
A few of the questions we keep receiving are answered below. Post originally published in 2018 and updated throughout the years.
…now with 2024 updates, six years later!
All of our posts on: Boat Life @ No Texting & Tacking.
Why are you doing this?
2018 – There is no short answer to this question. We love our VA neighborhood, our family and friends.
This journey is not a way for us to run away from anything. It was an idea, which eventually grew, and we decided to go. God willing, we will keep on going!
2021 – We are still aboard, hoping to be able to see as much of the world as we can, share it with our children and have a chance to do good work along the way.
2023 – Looking back – this was an adventure of a lifetime. Despite the challenges, we did it. I would not change a thing.
Be inspired:
45 Epic Sailing Movies We Will Watch Over and Over…
81 Best Sailing Quotes & Captions. Stuff Boaters Really Say.
45 Epic Sailing Movies We Will Watch Over and Over…
2024 – We have resumed a bit more normal land life, because our teens have grown and want to follow their own paths. Are boats in our future? Stick around and find out.
What Kind of Boat do you Live on?
We started with a monohull and transitioned to a catamaran. They are quite different, but we liked them both.
I have two posts, for a quick boat tour. Because a picture is worth a thousand words (I have the word count too, in case it isn’t).
The Boat Tour – Our 1985 Grand Soleil 39.
More Boat Life
Pros and Cons of Living on a Boat. By Experienced Boaters.
Why We Never Missed Space, While Living on a Sailboat
Catamaran vs Monohull: Let’s Solve This (we Lived on Both).
Curious about touring more boats – attend a boat show.
Planning on buying a catamaran? – Buying a Catamaran in 10 Steps – Complete Guide.
When are you coming back?
2018 – We started this as a one-year adventure. We can continue beyond, or end it sooner. Once you step on a boat, you quickly understand that the calendar is of little value.
2021 – We still can never plan around a calendar, and our one-year adventure is in its third year!
2023 – After living on two boats for four years, living as expats in Bulgaria and starting a small family business, we decided to backpack through Asia. It was an amazing trip. And we really ran out of money.
2024 – We are in the US. One child is now an adult and off to a university in Bulgaria. Being “back” is a loose notion for us. We feel at home in all kinds of places around the world.
Did you win the lottery?
2018 – We did not, and probably never will, because we do not play.
Joe continues to work, while I did have to leave my job. We also carry our mortgage, for now, which puts us on a tight budget.
On the other hand, our needs/wants have shrunk significantly without busy activities and schedules.
2021 – After much praying, careful maneuvers, and major downsizing, we were able to eliminate all debt (that over $350K)! Having less provides more room to grow!
2023 – We are still hoping, especially after our Asia trip.
2024 – Having been away from the US for five years, it is hard to believe how expensive everything is here. Living in the US here requires winning the lottery. We played around Christmas, it was a complete waste of money.
How did you afford to cruise on a yacht all the time?
What people see on TV, is the vacation version of yacht life. We like to call ourselves boaters. It sounds closer to earth (I mean, water).
Our second boat was a fixer-upper, which we purchased with cash. We did many of the boat repairs ourselves, and had some savings dedicated to larger and more expensive projects.
We have lived both on a monohull and on a catamaran – we enjoyed both, but expenses on a catamaran are higher.
We also avoided marinas and prefer to anchor, which was free. And more sustainable.
We did not eat out and I hate shopping. It helps.
If neither of you is working, how do you make money?
2021 – We both became unemployed and sailed away from the US. We have been renting our fully paid-off townhouse for almost 9 years now, and that income is our only consistent monthly income.
We have also picked up projects for occasional gigs in the summer.
2023 – Joe started a remote job, working for a family company. It helps with our plans for a small business in Bulgaria.
2024 – I am planning to go back to nursing. I also have lots of time now, and a reliable internet connection to be working on the blog and really focus on making it a valuable resource, and a side income.
How much do you spend every month on the boat?
Our monthly costs varied greatly, depending on where we cruised.
On average, we spent around $2000-$2500 per month, with some months spending less than $1000, and others spending a lot more, depending on boat repairs, air travel, visas, homeschool supplies, healthcare and so on.
Wondering what your costs might be, while living on a boat? I wrote a very detailed post – The cost of living on a boat for a family. With a Free PDF table!
How do you get food?
2018 – Our off-shore sailing serves to move us from one place to another.
Once at anchor, or at a marina, we are just like any other land-based family with a small home.
We do only buy provisions for one or two meals, because our refrigerator space is quite limited.
We do not have a freezer, therefore any box of ice cream must be eaten immediately…
2021 – Fishing, duh! Still no freezer aboard.
We also take long walks to local grocery stores and try to stock up on everything. There is a lot of cooking aboard. We even bake our crackers. And cereal is a luxury item.
2023 – Bulgaria and Asia both have amazing food options. Asian street markets are by far our most favorite.
2024 – We were so used to cruising and traveling to inexpensive destinations, that coming back to the US was an unpleasant surprise at the check-out.
How do you live in such a small space?
2018 – It is a learning curve! Follow our blog for some answers.
We have exercised muscles we never thought existed. In order for us to reach our bedroom, for example, Joe and I need to jump over the couch.
2021 – No more acrobatics! We love our new catamaran; it came with quite a lot of extra space and four cabins!
2023 – As a full-time traveling family, we have become used to living out of our backpacks. It gets old sometimes. Especially when that Airbnb is not the cleanest.
2024 – We became so used to living in small spaces, with few belongings, that we still have almost no furniture in our land house. We refuse to buy anything new. Thankfully, most people do not, so Facebook Marketplace is frequently visited shop.
How unsocialized are the kids?
2018 – We meet new people at every new place. We meet people who live on their boats, people at coffee hour after church.
We keep in touch with family and friends in the meantime. It is not better, or worse than living in a community; it is different.
2021 – We have continued to make new friends on the water!
For more about socializing the kids on the water, see our post,
What about the kids – socializing on the water
2023 – The kids have become citizens of the world.
2024 – They have traveled to so many countries and have seen so much! They have made friends on different continents.
At this point, all I can say is praise be to God for keeping us all safe and together.
And if you ask them where they feel at home, you will get three different answers.
What about school?
2018 – We homeschool, and we observe everything around us, as we travel.
2021 – Still homeschooling, we are now adding a world-schooling element to our curriculum!
2023 – When we returned to the US, I gave everyone a chance to go back to “real” school.
It was a resounding “No.”
The kids are now high-school ages, and one will be off to a university abroad in 2024.
How are you going to put three kids through college?
Our children have the advantage of being EU citizens.
Colleges outside of the US offer excellent education with significantly lower tuition fees. Our daughter is headed to Bulgaria next year.
Finally, college is not a requirement, it is an educated choice. If our children decide to become captains, electricians, or Olympic medalists, we will support them.
Check out this post by another blogger:
Beyond The States – Thinking of College in Europe?
Do the kids like this?
2018 – Sometimes yes and other times, no.
We, as parents, made the decision to start the adventure.
Our life on land was comfortable, and leaving comfort was difficult. We have great times together and challenging times together. We do pray that it all goes well, and we ask for your prayers as well.
2021 – It was a rough start, three years ago. Tears were shed over everything – from homeschooling to night passages.
However, we have seen our family work as a team the way we never have before!
Sophie will be happy to never set foot on land again. Joey still prefers a non-moving home. Bobby tends to have a good time anywhere, as long as there are stars and planets involved!
The Captain is in Sophie’s camp, and Fun Police is happy to sneak in some land time, when possible.
2023 – They do. But life goes on, and they are slowly finding their own sub-callings in life (for talks on your real calling, click here).
2024 – The crew is a bit tired of constantly moving and traveling. Which gives me more time to help others do what we did.
Aren’t you Afraid of Sharks?
I am. The kids swim everywhere, all the time.
I will not use the statistics of shark attacks, versus bear attacks, versus lightning, and so forth.
Clearly, our chances of shark attack, while living on a boat are far greater, than a highway accident (because we have no cars, and there are no highways).
What helps me is useful information. So I wrote an entire post about it:
Worried About Sharks in the Bahamas? 10 Tips for a Safe Swim.
Aren’t you Seasick?
Oh, yes, every passage made us all very seasick.
But we tried a few tricks and finally found the winning combination (to some extent).
And I also wrote an entire post about it. The suggestions there can work for motion sickness as well.
You will like it: Seasickness Sucks – 21 Tried and Tested Tips to Stop it.
Are you stuck on the boat?
2018 – We have a complicated scheme of moving our cars with us. It is a bit tiresome, but it gives us the freedom to explore more than our walking-distance surroundings.
2021 – We no longer own cars and have found that to be a very liberating move!
We walk everywhere and select our anchorages accordingly. Few countries are like the US.
Most of the other places we have visited, including trips to countries prior to the boat life, offer goods and services within walking distance, or reliable means of public transportation.
2023 – We were. By choice. And some would gladly repeat. We sold our second boat, and are no longer cruising.
2024 – Becoming stuck on land feels a little scary. It doers help that we have already done it all once. We know how to repeat.
Where are you going next?
2018 – Because of Joe’s work, we need to be relatively close to an airport. This limits our journey to continental US.
We may be able to sail off to a few islands, if there is time and good winds.
The East Coast is a world of its own, especially when you look at it away from the busy highways. There is plenty to see on the continent itself!
2021 – We are no longer North America bound!
After Joe resigned from his job in Feb 2021, we were finally able to push off the US docks and sail away!
We are finding relatively creative ways of maintaining a modest monthly budget, below the US poverty line and above many of the rest of the world’s!
2023 – We do not know. We are trying to start a family business in Bulgaria. We would love to travel more. And we do not like planning much.
2024 – We have given priority to our children’s wishes and we will go where we are most needed.
I can never do something like this, are you crazy?
2018 – That was what I told my husband a year and a half ago…
2021 – That was what I told my husband three years ago…
2023 – Our families think so.
2024 – Yes, we are.
Can I do what you do?
Absolutely!
The learning curve of sailing is fairly short, after that, it comes down to being aware of your surroundings, researching and learning to carefully plan, and to then scrap the plan as needed.
With the electronics, navigation and communication instruments available these days, sailing truly is for everyone.
Send me an e-mail, let’s figure out how we can help you.
You will also like these posts.
Pros and Cons of Living on a Boat. By Experienced Boaters.
Can you Live on a Boat? Yes, and Now is the Right Time
This Sustainable Lifestyle is the Fairest of Them All. 10 Reasons Why Living on a Sailboat Matters.
Inspiring and admirable! xo
Thank you taking the time to read our continuing adventures! Much love to your family!