“Barely out of school?” You mean college? Did they even go to college? The article mentions that the boyfriend “used to drive for Uber,” implying that that was his bread and butter. If so, that ain’t much bread or butter, and I’m not surprised that they felt like they were busting their asses just to live a basic life. That said, it’s a bit early to burn out in your mid-20s.
I wonder what he majored in that resulted in “Uber driver” being his best career option (and I wonder what she used to do for a living as well).
I’m not sailing around the world, I’m not even sailing a Sunfish in the local park where I could walk/wade to shore if something happened but I have no idea how much it would cost to sail around the world. I’m guessing ≈ $2m for electronics (GPS, EPIRB, comms/radios). After that I’m out of my element. Supposing I do want to sail around the world, how much should one budget?
When I learned to sail, one of the most shocking things I found was that a license and training are unnecessary. You simply find someone willing to sell or rent a boat to you, and off you go. Doesn’t it make more sense to learn about sailing, how to read charts, use a GPS, and so on? Judging from the article, these people decided to go, and they went.
I have no idea what it should cost to buy and properly equip a boat for a round-the-world trip. But I do know that $10,000 won’t get you very much of a car. And that’s probably enough for a boat that you mostly keep docked at the marina. But for something of this level, I assume you’ll need a lot more equipment and a sturdier boat.
Some years back, we owned an honest-to-goodness blue-water sailboat, more than capable of handling just about anything the ocean could dish out. Similar vessels can be had for around $100K, less if you’re willing to do some serious work on it.
Now for that same $100K, you could get a decent coastal cruiser and outfit it was a really good suite of electronics, safety gear, and maybe even new sails. There might be enough left over for some provisioning. Speaking as someone who married her sailing instructor and who has owned 5 different sailboats since 1983, ranging in size from 23’ to 37’, I feel safe in saying there ain’t no way you’re going to get a decent boat with decent gear and then provision it for $10K - even if the seller was being extremely generous.
There’s a difference between being adventurous and ridiculously reckless.
Oh, what the hell. They had a little adventure that was cut short. It didn’t cost them that much. They’re in their 20s, so their whole life is ahead of them. Sold their car and quit their jobs? So what?
The article says that Nikki Walsh, the female half of our dynamic duo, “booked time-share tours for a living”. I don’t know what that pays, but I can’t imagine it’s very much. Insert obligatory “GET A JOB YA BUMS!!!” here.
With a job like that you would think she would be immune to “Let’s spend everything we got and blow it on a vacation we are ill-prepared to take” mentality.
