The One Where Peace Boat Ends

March 2016

After our tour around South America with stops in Buenos Aires, Ushuaia (the southernmost tip of the continent), and Valparaiso, we made our way back to Japan with visits to a handful of islands, including Rapa Nui (Easter Island), French Polynesia, and the Marshall Islands.

It was the beginning of the end of 105 days of circling the world at sea and just the start of my nautical career that would eventually send me to 34 additional countries.

The allure of being rocked to sleep by the ocean and waking up the next morning in a completely new country was addicting.

Even more so the relationships that build in such a confined and closed community was something I craved and wanted more of.

Prior to the start of the voyage, one staff member told us two things that have always stuck with me.

The first being that in the beginning you think it’s all about the ports.

Then after, you realize it’s about life on the boat.

The second thing we were warned about: Peace Boat is the best thing to ruin your life.

The people I was fortunate enough to meet, work with, and learn from were some of the most interesting humans I’ve met around the world.

I realized that these quirky, nomadic pirates set on living life the way they chose to instead of conforming to the typical lifestyle were my kind of people.

I’d found my tribe and I never wanted to go back.

After finally returning Stateside at the beginning of April following two and a half years of living abroad, I’d spend the rest of 2016 working at a beach resort in Oregon, trying to forget about life at sea, but to no avail.

Eventually resigning myself to the fact that there was no way I could ever go back to a “normal” life, I applied for positions across the cruise industry.

I was finally given a contract offer with Royal Caribbean in October and I’d soon begin yet another chapter of adventures sailing the Seven Seas for the following three years.