We spent $40,000 while living on a boat for a year and traveling. It was cheaper than living on land, but there were some trade-offs.

"Elliot: Six months prior to us buying our boat, I don't think we would've said that we were going to live on a boat or buy a boat - it wasn't in the cards. The reason why it was an option was because of COVID. We were traveling full-time when COVID hit. We were in India and locked down for five months. We were planning to travel for a year, and we thought we'd figure out a way to travel longer and safer."

"We were tossing up different ideas for when we got back to the States: Do we want to do an RV thing, or build out a van, or try sailing? We were honestly 50-50 on sailing, and we decided to just try the boating thing now and then try the van thing later. Jen: I think that relationships have a yin and a yang to them. Elliot is more of the risky person, and I'm much more the risk-averse person."

"So Elliot was like, "Let's do a boat." And I'm like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. We don't know how to boat. Let's hold on here." We have to be responsible for this thing, we have to make sure we get from place to place, we have to take care of this engine, we have to make sure we don't drown or sink - there's so much to do."

Full-time travel plans changed when COVID prompted a five-month lockdown in India, which opened longer-term travel options. Options considered included RVs, van conversions, and boating, with a decision to try boating first and van life later. One partner favored risk while the other preferred caution, prompting careful selection of an inland boat and the protected Great American Loop for safer learning. Boating skills were acquired largely on the fly after only one sailing course. The experience produced significant personal growth and a lasting desire to keep boating as part of long-term plans while now living again in a van.

Read at Business Insider