- Quick facts
- Total days on the road: 586
- Currently in: USA
- Miles Driven: 36821
- Countries Visited: 17
- Days Camping: 389
- Days Indoors: 202
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How to Find a Job on a Cruise Ship
{jcomments lock}Getting work aboard a cruise ship is slightly different than on land. You still need to write a resume and a cover letter, go to an interview and sign a contract. The difference is that you cannot simply walk up to a ship and apply for a job.
Start by looking at your experience and skills and match them to a ship board position. If you have a degree in photography then getting work as a ship photographer is easier than trying to get a job as a bartender. If you work with children or in entertainment then you can apply to be a youth coordinator or one of the cruise staff.
What's It Like to Work on a Cruise Ship?
{jcomments lock}When looking for work on a cruise ship, you are presented with pictures of idyllic beaches, happy working people and nice cabins.
Ahhhh, the awesomeness of marketing. While that image isn't entirely fake, it is far from the real life of a crew member. Let me break it down for you.
Working on a cruise ship is not the same as working on land, not all bad, just not the same. You do not have the luxury of going home at the end of the day. Complaining is futile, because everyone is in it together. Cruise ships for the most part operate in international waters and therefore do not need to comply with labor laws.
Hours
All departments have different work schedules and hours. Some only work while the ship is at sea while others operate regardless of the ship's location. Cruise lines are registered in countries other than the USA for various reasons, usually they are tax related. This also allows companies to skirt the laws of minimum wage and maximum hours employees are allowed to work in a day.
Job Classifications on Cruise Ships
{jcomments lock}Disclaimer: This article is specific to Norwegian Cruise Lines, and may or may not be the same accurate for other companies. It is based on our four years of experiences working for NCL. We welcome comments from current and past staff, crew and officers and will be happy to add them to the article.
Before we delve into life aboard a cruise ship we need to explain the hierarchy of the staff and crew. Not everyone has cushy jobs with nice cabins and time off. In fact, many employees are never seen by passengers and rarely leave the ship.
What's it Like to Live on a Cruise Ship?
{jcomments lock}A cruise ship is a veritable melting pot of work , travel, cultures, ideas and STDs. Crew from around the world slave away week in and week out to keep passengers coming back. After all, the passengers make this form of work while travel possible.
Life aboard a cruise ship is filled with tight spaces, work schedules, crew parties and time in new and interesting destinations.
Space
On every ship there are designated crew areas which, compared to passenger areas, are small and confined. Instead of nice paintings on the corridor walls there are bulletin boards and emergency evacuation information.
Reflections on My Cruise Ship Life
{jcomments lock}As I sat on the beach in Cabo San Lucas, I gazed out at the hordes of new people crowding the beach, accosted by hawkers selling trinkets. The day before was quiet, barely a soul on the beach. This morning, however, three cruise ships dropped anchor and drip fed passenger after passenger into this popular port.
I spent four years of my life at sea, working for Norwegian Cruise Line as an executive casino host, a sweet gig. I got paid to see the world and experience other cultures. Or so I thought.
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Subcategories
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Online Tools
Online Tools
As internet services continue to grow, online tools are becoming a great asset for location independent professionals. Here you'll find information about the various software tools we use while working and traveling. From managing documents and sharing files to ensuring your precious work stays safe while you're far from home.
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Managing a Business
Managing a Business
The life of a digital nomad presents unique challenges. Whether you are a freelancer, telecommuter, or an entrepreneur, working and traveling forces you to change how your business is managed. You have to maintain the books, pay taxes, write checks, pay bills, collect money and find customers, all without a permanent address. Below you’ll find our advice for dealing with these issues, and articles about how to balance work and a location independent lifestyle.
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Freelancing
Freelancing
This section addresses how to transform an existing freelance business into one that can be done remotely from around the world. How do you manage clients, get paid, work with time zone differences and not get fired when you are potentially thousands of miles away?
The Life Remotely team consists of a graphic designer, web developer and a software developer. We have such a huge variety of clients that we’re confident this advice will apply most all freelancers.
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Getting Started
Getting Started
Becoming a full-time digital nomad is a daunting task, there is much to consider and plenty of mistakes to be made. You should be willing to accept a few risks and plan for flexibility. Getting started as a location independent professional is not much different than starting a long-term travel adventure. Your goal is to combine and simplify many aspects of your life and to plan for the additional burden of working remotely while you travel.
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Cruise Ships
Cruise Ships
What is it like to live and work aboard a cruise ship? This question we have heard over and over again. In this category we hope to demystify some of these questions.
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The Lifestyle
The Lifestyle
Want to know what being a digital nomad is really like? In this section we delve into the nitty-gritty details of day-to-day life. Learn how both your work and travel habits will change. As well as logistical details like how to schedule work, maintain a work/life balance and what challenges to expect.
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Telecommuting
Telecommuting
The rise of the internet age has allowed many professionals to work remotely. Telecommuting continues to be a growing trend for a variety of careers. If you spend your day on the phone and behind a monitor, chances are your job can just as easily be done from home, or while traveling.
The articles in this section outline the types of jobs that can be done remotely, and provide helpful resources for professionals who wish to transition their jobs to telecommuting positions. We’ll also give you some advice for being a successful telecommuter and what you can do to keep your boss happy with your new lifestyle.
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Staying Connected
Staying Connected
Staying connected with your clients, friends and family is one of the most logistically challenging aspects of becoming a digital nomad. At the same time, you don’t want to be tethered to technology, whether you need to check emails, manage a project, upload files or just make a phone call. Here is some advice for maintaining your availability while keeping cost and stress to a minimum.