The Sueiros had it all – great careers, a community of friends and children enrolled in a top international school in Boston.
Will was a chartered accountant and Jessica ran a graphic design business from home. Life was “comfortable, uneventful, and routine,” said Jessica Sueiro.
“Life was good” for the Sueiro family before they traveled the world full time, but they wanted adventure and a worldwide education for their children, said Jessica Sueiro.
Courtesy Jessica Sueiro
However, they were over-budgeted and spent around $ 10,000 a month on their finances – not on a “pampered life” with fancy cars or weekend ski trips, Sueiro said, but on rent, private schooling and an “image” that is presentable had to be clothes and regular haircuts.
“We had the lifestyle we dreamed of,” said Sueiro. “But when we got it, we weren’t sure it was the way to go for our family.”
A “leap into the unknown”
The family went on a “summer test trip” to Paris to see if they could survive in a foreign country, Sueiro said.
“We not only survived, we also thrived,” she told CNBC. “We lived a lot less and were so happy.”
With two children, ages 6 and 10, the Sueiros sold 85% of their belongings, took out international health insurance, opted for paperless bills, and left Boston in 2014 “jumping into the unknown,” she said.
Since then, the family has visited more than 65 countries and members have traveled to all seven continents, Sueiro said.
The Sueiro family has lived in surf hostels, yurts, tree houses, pod hotels, boats, an RV and now a catamaran, Jessica Sueiro said.
Courtesy Roam Generation
For the first three years, the Sueiros lived in places for nine to twelve months, rented furnished houses, and traveled extensively, Sueiro said. The family lived in a 21-foot RV for the next 2 1/2 years, constantly moving and visiting every country in Europe as well as Morocco.
They had just arrived in Japan when the pandemic broke out. They eventually returned to France, where they have an extended stay visa, and bought a 38-foot catamaran that they have been living in since August 2020.
Yacht life for $ 2,500 a month
The Sueiros had very little sailing experience when they bought their boat, which makes traveling over water more difficult than over land – at least for now, Sueiro said.
She said she believes that “sailing will eventually become a much easier and cheaper way to travel,” despite boats “having a reputation for costing a fortune”.
“Our monthly budget since we’ve been full-time travelers has always been $ 2,500 a month,” said Sueiro, who includes health insurance but not school or business expenses. “Right now … we’re a little bit lower than that.”
There have been allegations that our children are not properly educated, that we must have family allowances, that we are lost souls.
After the initial cost of buying and equipping the boat, the bills “balanced out” and the family’s biggest recurring expenses are grocery, school, health and boat insurance, SIM cards and regular boat repairs, she said. The general rule, she added, is to allow 10% -30% of the boat purchase price for annual repairs and upgrades.
“There are many assumptions about this type of lifestyle … the number one by far is that you have to be rich,” said Sueiro. “I can’t speak for others, but I can tell you that we work a lot … we are also very economical.”
Jessica and her husband worked remotely for the first three years before starting WorldTowning, a travel coaching company for long-term travelers. Her group tours are starting again this fall and are almost sold out, she said.
The needs of a nomadic lifestyle
Items (including computers) valued at USD 10,000 were stolen from the Sueiros in Belgium. They were abused in Norway and are stuck in a rainy gorge in Turkey – at night.
“Our biggest ongoing difficulty, however, is judging how we live,” Sueiro said, adding that this has come from educators, potential employers, doctors and business customers.
“There have also been allegations that our children are not properly educated, that we have to have family allowances, that we are lost souls, irresponsible and much more,” she said.
Largo Sueiro attended a private school in Costa Rica and Ecuador.
Courtesy Roam Generation
The children have attended private and public schools and have been homeschooled (“or as we call it the world school”). Both want to go to university in the United States and the oldest, Avalon, 16, is preparing to take courses at online universities, Sueiro said.
“Will and I have adopted the philosophy that no one can vote on how we live our lives,” she said, adding that the current shift to remote work is softening attitudes towards alternative lifestyles.
Inspired by a movie
The Careys were a “normal family” who lived in a three bedroom house in Adelaide, Australia – until they were inspired to travel the world after watching a documentary about Laura Dekker, the youngest person to be alone Circled globe.
The couple saved more than two years, took sailing courses and bought a 47-foot boat “unseen” in Grenada, an island nation in the Caribbean.
The Careys worked for the Australian government, had a mortgage and credit card debt before sailing around the world, Erin Carey said.
Courtesy Roam Generation
“We basically jumped on board and did everything our own way,” said Erin with a laugh. “We ran aground, our engine failed … we had to be towed.”
Despite being “non-seafarers,” the couple and their three young sons sailed the Caribbean before crossing the Atlantic 18 months later, she said.
The family returned to their home in Australia at the beginning of the pandemic, but quickly realized that country life was not for them. The family was always “rushing” to school and sports activities, and the kids read less and stayed indoors more, Carey said.
We are a family of five and we spend probably around $ 4,000 a month.
“We didn’t spend time as a family,” she said. “There were very few moments at home when we really felt alive.”
The Careys sold their house and returned to their boat in the Azores this March.
The pros and cons of boating life
Despite the freedom and adventure, Carey said it was normal to get tired of the lifestyle because “it’s super hard to live on a boat”.
Cramped living spaces, blocked toilets, and no hot showers or cars (“we have to take our groceries everywhere”) are just the beginning. “Rolly anchorages”, a boat term for a rocking boat, prevent a good sleep.
But the days are not rushed. The kids take classes for two hours each morning through Acellus, an online school, while Carey runs a PR agency called Roam Generation from her yacht. Then the family can go on a hike or a museum, or the children can play or fish with other children in the marina. You have started reading again, she said.
“Kids on boats are really exceptional for some reason,” said Carey, who uses a private Facebook group called Kids4Sail to connect with other boat families.
Courtesy Roam Generation
Are children rare in the church? Not at all, said Carey.
The “cruise” community is well connected, and families with “boat children” visit each other.
“Often times, people change their plans and go where the kids’ boats are because happy kids make this lifestyle so much better,” Carey said.
Cruise: Not just for the ultra-rich
To finance life on a boat full time, some people save money to sail for a period of time while others sell or rent their houses. Others operate location-independent businesses from their boats. Many are retired.
“We’re a family of five and we spend probably about $ 4,000 a month,” she said. “There are people who do it for literally $ 500 a month and then obviously there are people who live on super yachts.”
Carey, whose family eats out several times a week and occasionally rents a car, believes what they spend is “pretty average” for cruise families.
Courtesy Roam Generation
With no mortgage or car, Carey said, “Life on the boat is cheaper than life in our home.” “Things on boats break all the time … so you have to be prepared.”
“Your sails are tearing, it’s going to be $ 5,000,” she said. “They say boot stands for ‘Bring Out Another Thousand’.”
Carey said while cruises were “much more difficult” in the Covid era, boat sales were “through the roof”. While the coronavirus caused some to return home, it spurred many others to start a lifestyle on board.
Carey is researching going to the Mediterranean next and then sailing back to the Caribbean around Christmas.
Cruisers (Halloween is celebrated here in Grenada) are mostly well-educated and motivated people, but “issues like wealth, social status or employment rarely come up,” said Carey.
Courtesy Roam Generation
“I think that’s the beauty of boating, it’s so unknown,” she said. “I really like that I literally have no idea where we’ll be in three months.”
Carey said that while boating is tough, “you just have to be really determined and persistent to find a way to make it work.”
