It goes without saying that yachting provides intimate access to some of the worlds most exclusive islands, restaurants & activities. Sounds too good to be true? Potentially…
When looking at yachting from the outside in, it’s hard to see past the glitz & glamour thats often associated with this intense industry. So I recently posed two questions to my instagram followers…
What are the Positives of working onboard?
What are the Negatives of working onboard?
We were extremely lucky to have a Captain that allowed us to use the water toys when guests weren’t onboard.
Below is a short list of the over 200 responses I recevied!
Let’s start with the positives!
- Making friends from all nationalities (@jesgordon101)
- Traveling, exploring your independence, making friends (@she_is_a_wanderess)
- Great pay & travel (@gallichild)
- Getting into water sports, trying out new hikes in various destinations, the chef made food & earnings/savings (@soph_sealifetravels)
- Learn a lot about yourself (@theyogiyachtie)
- The people that you are surrounded with are actually PRESENT (@ohh_wonderfulworld)
- No traffic. Ever. (@Michelle_layne)
- Daily laughs in the crew mess! (@Michelle_layne)
- Making close friends all over the world, like the one’s you never see but carry on as normal when you do catch up (@alicephillips__)
- New people, new places, new loves, new life (@georgialouisetosen)
- Can help set you up for life $ wise, if you do it right (@nauticnomad)
- You become highly organized, adaptable, and creative (@gracedvornik)
- Teaches you how to think outside the box & learn problem solving skills (@over_landing)
- The delicious food prepared for you (@natsmithsa)
- Travelling! You’re never bored, life is exciting & home is even more special (@clementinesophies)
- Meeting legendary people who become family! Travel, money & FREE TOILETRIES! (@roundtheworldrachel)
Now onto the negatives!
- Being sleep deprived on charter, sometimes I’ll only get 4 hours of sleep (@_jthack)
- Seeing family once a year (@yachtstewsecrets)
- You don’t get to have your “own” timeline – it’s up to the yachts program (@nauticnomad)
- Far from family, long hours and not every roomie is pleasant (@georgialouisetosen)
- Missing family events & friends weddings/babies etc. (@lauramak3)
- It can be challenging to have a healthy life balance & your free time is delegated to you (@theyogiyachtie)
- Nomadic lifestyle, hard work, miss out on a lot of things at home (weddings, birthdays etc.) (@gallichild)
- WHEN PEOPLE LEAVE IT’S SO EMOTIONAL! IT’S SO HARD FOR MY HEART TO DEAL WITH (@poppydisleymay) I worked with Pops & can confirm that it’s recipicated! I miss her terribly now that we no longer work together!
- Tight quarters, no privacy, can be monotonous work (@iamshelbytate)
Notice how the negatives list is much shorter than the positives? Yes, there are days when you’re underway, its rough weather & your stuck inside cleaning. There will also be days when you are overcome with happiness because you just spent the day at an untouched beach, while sipping on fresh coconuts. I focus on the positive & remind myself that just as with any job, bad days come & go, its the good days that I make an effort to remember.
Without a doubt, working onboard includes sacrifice, for some crew, these sacrifices are minor whereas others can struggle at times. My advice? Allow yourself to feel emotions & try to embrace every single opportunity that presents itself. I have always told myself that I would keep doing this job as long as it gave me JOY – as soon as it becomes unenjoyable, I’ve promised myself I will take a step back.
SO curious to hear your thoughts! Do you find the positives outweigh the negatives? How do you deal with a bad day onboard? Let me know in the comments below!
Big Hugs,
Gem xx
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