A Meta employee who wanted to travel to Europe decided to purchase a $300,000 studio on a cruise ship for a 12-year lease.
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Austin Wells, 28, bought his new home on the MV Narrative, which is set to sail in 2025. Wells is currently employed at Meta, and he plans to spend at least three years traveling the world on the ship. According to the Daily Mail, the cruise ship will have 547 condos, including a two-floor, four-bedroom unit for $8 million. Some of the homes are available for lease for 24 or 60 years, but Wells reportedly purchased the home as part of a promotion to attract new residents.
‘I’m going from this model where you want to go somewhere, you pack a bag, you get on a flight, you rent a room; to now my condo, my gym, my doctors and dentists, all of my grocery stores travel the world with me,’ he explained to CNBC.
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The ship features 20 restaurants and bars on 18 floors, a 24-hour spa and gym, a school, library, bank, and various office spaces. There’s also a movie theatre and the cruise ship company hopes entire families will live on their ships. However, residents are required to pay a monthly $2,100 per person for an ‘all-inclusive’ fee which will cover food and drinks from the cruise ships’ restaurants and bars. Wells’ studio will cost him $2,083 a monh for his studio and he plans to work remote with Meta’s virutal reality division, Reality Labs.
He explained that his shift will consist of working evenings, nights, and early mornings. The new shift doesn’t bother Wells though because he will use the time to explore various European cities. CEO Alister Punton said the residents will most likely visit different cities and scheduling day trips. Additionally, he plans to live on the ships with his wife and their children in the near future. During the three-year trip, the ship is scheduled to visit the Artic Circle and the itinerary includes three day visits to Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Albania, and Turkey.
Social media reacts to living on a cruise ship, some believe it can be seen as a good option for those who like to travel
After learning about the residential cruise ship, Twitter users were divided about living on a boat for three years as it can have its pros and cons. One user said “Cruises have always been gross to me. Even pre-pandemic, nothing about living on cruises looks appealing to me.” Another asked if living on a cruise would be considered as a tax write off since there’s no permanent address.
What would living on a cruise ship do for your tax residency? Would you be a tax resident of the flag it flies? https://t.co/qaOe8fMWg6
— Sam Reynolds (@thesamreynolds) December 24, 2022
You would hate it actually. The realities of living on a cruise ship are vastly different from what we see online and, in some cases, more dangerous.
— Femi 👑 (@obasaolorunfemi) December 20, 2022