How to quit your job and go sailing — without going completely broke

You can do it. Here's how to prep your finances.

This could be your boat.
(Image credit: Stuart Black / Alamy Stock Photo)

Buying a boat, quitting your job, and sailing off into the sunset may sound like a fantasy for everyone but the rich and retired. But after developing the requisite sailing skills, our family discovered that a seagoing sabbatical came down to purchasing a boat (which will be sold for close to the amount we paid for it), and a modest monthly budget. Our time on the ocean may delay retirement by a couple of years, but encounters with whales, visits to remote villages, and adventures at sea have provided our family with a lifetime of memories.

My husband Evan and I first traveled by boat when we were in our 20s. During that time we fell in love with the voyaging life. We also met a wide range of parents with kids who were taking time out from land life to bond as a family and teach their kids a different set of values. The idea intrigued us — and as soon, as we had a child of our own, we knew we wanted to take her sailing.

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Diane Selkirk

Diane Selkirk is a nomadic writer who's spent the past eight years sailing around the world with her family. Along the way she's written stories for publications including BBC Travel, National Geographic Travel, Conde Nast, and Cosmopolitan.