What do we like and don’t like about living on a boat?

Living on a boat is amazing. If you once experience this kind of lifestyle, you can’t go back to « normal » life. But the truth is, it’s not for everyone. We have changed few marinas and towns and met many people with many stories and all kinds of boats. From luxurious to « how can someone live in that? » boats. And that is the best thing of living on a boat. You can meet all types of people with different backgrounds, from different countries, different cultures…

In the marina with your neighbors you create a unique community, you know each other, you meet them every day on the pier, you invite them for a drink, they invite you, you create friendships easily. If someone has a problem, we help each other. I think it’s very different compared to living in a house or an apartment where sometimes you don’t even know your neighbors.

Living on a boat gives you also the sense of freedom, it’s casual, laid-back, and independent. I constantly feel like I am on a vacation. You can do with your boat whatever you want, change the interior system, install solar panels, paint any color etc. Unlike the house or apartment when you often need a permission from authorities.

And in case you don’t like the marina or the city you’re in? You turn the key, start the engine and off you go. That is my favorite perk of all. I can’t imagine living in the same place. And in case of changing the house or apartment, you need to pack everything, rent a truck, move the furniture, unpack everything… We are moving with our home and all of our things, so there is no stress at all.

We like to move, travel, discover new cities and meet new people. Yes, it’s different than travel by car or plane. It takes much longer to travel from city A to city B by boat. But you can enjoy the scenery around you, the wind in your hair, sun on your face and you can stop wherever you want and swim in the river or make a barbecue. It’s more relaxed.

And I think it’s cheaper to buy a boat than a house or an apartment. Well, depends on the size of the boat and it’s equipment inside, but still… We got a good deal with ours and in few years we are debt free. With limited space on the boat, you also think first about what you really need before buying anything. Do I really need that new jacket? Does my baby need that new toy? Gifts from others? Please don’t buy us anything else. We don’t have a place! 😀

Along with the many benefits that offers life on the boat comes some downsides as well. There is no garden for example. We have a terrace, but our daughter can’t run around all day as she would in the garden. We have to go out to the park. Grow our own veggies? Not easy. The aromatic plants have to be enough, haha. There is water all around us, so we need to be more vigilant about where our daughter is and what she’s doing. There are many rules for her as well, which sometimes leads to frustration.

Isolation. That is always the biggest topic between the people living on the boat. In summer it’s hot in the boat, in winter it is cold. You can use the air conditioning in the summer, the heating in the winter, but as soon as you turn them off, the temperature rises (or falls) very quickly. Boats are not as well isolated as buildings. And you can try anything, they will never be the same.

And the biggest disadvantage for me is maintenance. Everyone who lives on the boat knows the saying « the normal state of a boat is when something is wrong » 😀 There is lot of maintenance and sometimes problems. To me, that’s a downside, because it means Mario has to spend his time fixing, cleaning or changing something. But he likes to do that, it’s his hobby, so is that really a disadvantage? 😀

I could find more pros and cons of living on a boat. Just like people living in the house, apartment, camping car, etc. Most of our family and friends can’t imagine our lifestyle, but that’s because they have never tried it and they feel comfortable where they are. And that’s okay. As I said at the beginning, this is not for everyone.

If you want to see more pictures and more of our life and adventures, go check our Instagram LIFEALONGTHERIVER and hit the ‘follow’ button.