Theresa Feulner is a psychologist who works remotely while on a sailboat. It has been edited to make it clearer.
I remember being so interested in the world when I was a kid. I like learning new languages and meeting people from different places. One day, I wanted to travel to as many places as possible.
I traveled to Spain. I've traveled a lot since then. I spent a year in Spain, a year in Mexico, a year in Columbia, and a year in Italy. I wanted to go to new places after these experiences. It's a great feeling to arrive in a new place and get to know the people and their way of living.
We left the Barcelona harbor to sail toward France and Sardinia. It took us around one and a half months to go somewhere. It was nice to be able to jump in the water and snorkel whenever I wanted.
I packed two backpacks with my stuff after giving up my apartment.
It's true that you give up a lot when you live on a boat. We don't have hot water for showers, there isn't a grocery store nearby, and you can't just walk down the street to meet up with friends. I realized that you don't need a lot of stuff to be happy.
Before I decided to live full-time on the sailboat, I was most concerned about getting seasick. I have never had a problem with motion sickness before but it happens to me on rare occasions now. I get off the boat if we're anchored.
The scariest thing that's happened on the sailboat so far was a bad storm when we were in the north of Sardinia. It wasn't likely that the lightning would hit us, but we couldn't stay out of it. It was the first time in my life that I felt alone. I was reassured by my partner that we were not in danger. I was scared even so.
I work 20 hours a week as a psychologist. I work at the table when I'm on the boat because we have a sim card that gives us internet on the boat. There is an open well in the deck of the boat that I use to work from time to time. I use the computer on my legs since we don't have a table there.
We can work in cafes when we anchor the boat in a new city or town that is not too rural. Because I take confidential calls with my clients, I schedule those meetings on days when I don't have to worry about them.
Depending on how busy I am, I will either work the entire day or half a day, and spend the rest of my time exploring a city, hiking, snorkeling, or relaxing on the boat.
Even though I'm completely remote, I still have a lot of clients. Complicated. Life is a platform where people can find psychologists who specialize in the areas that they need help in. New clients can find me on those platforms through a variety of methods.
All of them have been fine with it. I think it's due to the fact that many of the clients I work with travel a lot and are expatriates. They're used to this lifestyle and aren't surprised by my situation.
It takes time to get used to living on a boat. We jump into the sea to get clean when we shower. Since we don't have hot or filter water, we use the camping shower a few times a week. It took me a while to get used to sleeping in a cabin that felt like you were constantly moving.
I no longer have to worry about finding transportation or accommodations when I travel to new places. It is very sustainable to live on a boat. When there is no wind or when we want to approach a harbor, we just use the wind to propel us forward.
Between my apartment and daily purchases, I used to spend around 1,100 euros a month. All I have to pay for is restaurants, cafes, groceries, and sometimes harbors or buoy.
We don't plan to live on a sailboat forever, but we are hoping to eventually get a bigger boat with more space and head out during the spring until late autumn. We might find a base in Asia or the Canary Islands for the winter season.
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