I Live In A Box. So What? A Life Spent At Sea, Avidly Cruising

I sold my home in Asheville, North Carolina this week. With housing values gone to crap, who needs the burden of a mortgage anyway? After all, as a friend told me recently, “You never really own your home; the government does.”

Not mine. My home is a box. No more mortgage, no onerous property taxes, no lawn to mow. I put all of my stuff – the mountain of junk I had accumulated in my life – in boxes and put those boxes in a larger box, a container stored in a lot somewhere in Asheville. If I never see it again I won’t care.

I didn’t need a home or all that stuff anyway. For the past 20 years, I’ve spent my life on cruise ships and in destinations that cruise ships touch. I am the Avid Cruiser, not known to you perhaps but known within the cruise industry.

I live a life of luxury. As I write these words, I am in a suite on a luxury cruise ship, the owner’s suite no less. I was born to a poor family, but I adapted quickly to the cruising lifestyle. My arm instinctively knows just the right arc to align itself to grab a glass of champagne without breaking the rhythm of my stride. I could, if I desired, live on caviar and champagne, except I don’t like caviar.

I live the luckiest of lives in that I get paid to take vacations and write about them. Of course, I realize that this raises issues of credibility, but as I suspect you will soon see, I consider myself to be a consumer advocate and my goal is to provide people like you with the resources they need to make informed cruise vacation decisions.

I don’t want you to be confused, happy or ripped off. I am here, champagne in hand, to help you make the best decisions for you – and if it applies – for your family.

You should know that I engineered my life to cruise avidly. Long ago, I figured out that cruising can take you nearly anywhere on the globe. If a destination is without a shoreline, you can bet a cruise company offers what are called “overland” programs. Moreover, though you won’t get to know destinations intimately on a cruise, it is refreshing to be able to pack and unpack only once while visiting several destinations.

You should also know that not all cruises are for those seeking luxury. And champagne is offered free of charge on only the priciest of cruises. Cruise vacations, in fact, come in many flavors and for all ages. In coming posts, my goal is to help you understand the flavor that you may appreciate most.

Return here for some good advice from someone who is homeless – by choice.