“What if I died tomorrow, what would you do for the rest of your life?”
That’s what Malaysian Samantha Khoo asked her Singaporean husband Rene Sullivan in 2017 when he came home late from a long day at work.
“It was really sudden and it took me a while before I answered her,” he told CNBC via video from Langkawi, Malaysia. “I said, ‘Well, if that happens, then I’ll just pick up my guitar … and then travel the world’.”
Khoo replied, “Why are we waiting for me to die for you to do this?”
Living together in a sailboat allowed Rene Sullivan and Samantha Khoo to work on their communication skills. “In a house, if you’re mad at each other, you can just leave… Here you can’t. You have to make good and say you’re sorry,” Khoo said.
“Here we are pursuing these goals. Pay off your debts, get your house, run your business… We’ve done it all. We’re at this point where we’re still at: When is it ever enough?”
The couple, now in their late 40s, ran their own businesses at the time.
“It was a change of perspective. Money can no longer be our currency because … it will never be enough. Time has become our currency – how do we spend our time doing what we want?”
How they got started
The first thing the duo did was sell most of their holdings, including their businesses and real estate, Sullivan said. Read also : Science proves the power of nature: 3 ways to improve work and life.
“We’re going to start cutting everything,” he said. “You realize you don’t really need a lot of money — because you’re not paying your staff, you’re not paying your rent, you’re not paying for a property, you’re not paying for your [credit] cards.”
They have since become “small-time investors,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan and Khoo, who have been married for 22 years, said the most important thing that allowed them to travel full-time was being debt-free.
“We are not rich,” Khoo insisted. “It was very important [to be debt-free]. For example, for properties we bought, we made sure that [they] were paid within five years.”
The couple bought an ex-military van for $3,600 and converted it into a camper van. For three years, they traveled across Malaysia and “conquered all of Thailand,” Khoo said.
“The best part of van life for both of us is the freedom of not having to pre-book plane tickets or trains or buses or hotels. We can come and go as we please,” she added.
Discovering boat life
In 2019, they began planning a six-month road trip to the UK, which would have taken them through China, Mongolia, Russia and Europe. Read also : Nick Saban Considers Leaving Coach for ESPN, New Book Claims.
They were all ready to go when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. So they put their plans on hold.
Earlier this year, many countries reopened their borders to travelers, and the couple prepared to leave.
“And then the [Russian-Ukraine] war happened. Nothing said it was a good time to do land travel,” Khoo said.
With their plans thwarted, the pair began to dream about their next adventure. Khoo spent a lot of time watching videos on YouTube, and she came across one about living in a small boat.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I can do that,'” she said. But Sullivan wasn’t that keen.
“I was skeptical about everything – [with] the weather and then being completely alone in the ocean. I’m such a chicken,” he said with a laugh.
The compromise? Sullivan agreed to test the waters of the sailing life before committing to buying a boat.
They spent four months at Pangkor Marina in Malaysia, where they worked for boat owners without pay to gain knowledge about boat life and maintenance.
Sullivan eventually fell in love with the lifestyle. In April this year, the couple bought a second-hand full-keel boat for $15,000.
‘Bring on another 1,000’
While the idea of living on a sailboat is relaxing, Khoo and Sullivan said it’s anything but glamorous. Read also : Bay County offers BayROC, a real-time, high-tech crime-fighting center.
“There’s really a lot of hard work that goes into it. We’re learning new skills every day,” Khoo said. “This boat is not only our home, but it is also our university, our bedroom, our office.”
There is a common saying that “boat” stands for “bringing the next thousand,” Khoo said.
“It means that if something breaks, you’re going to spend $1,000 on it.”
A sailboat is “not only our home, but it’s also our university,” said Samantha Khoo. The couple added that they learn new skills every day – like fixing a boat’s water pump.
Sullivan added, “Learn about the engine and [fix] it yourself, you save a lot. So if you know how to do it, you just buy the parts, and you fix it yourself.”
Sullivan said he picks up skills from other boaters as well as online.
“It’s all available on YouTube … It just takes more time for you to learn,” he said.
Therefore, the couple left Talagar Harbor in Langkawi, where their boat has been anchored for the past three months.
“People are like, ‘Go ahead, you’re ready,'” Sullivan said.
But he said they are content to go slow — to focus on anchoring the boat, then back to shore for now — and review their progress quarterly.
“We don’t push ourselves because we just want to be like 1% better than yesterday,” he said.
Becoming capable sailors
Khoo and Sullivan also run a YouTube channel called 24 Hour Traveler, where they document their adventures and interview other travelers.
The couple said traveling around the clock is a matter of perspective.
“It’s about … how you can change your perspective and be happy where you are,” Khoo said.
“In Talagar Harbour, when we walk to the main gate, we pass a South African captain, a French captain, a German sailor, an Indonesian carpenter… they become your neighbors,” she added.
“If boat owners know, it’s like traveling the world,” she said.
For now, the couple is focusing on “baby steps” to reach their goal – to become able sailors and sail to Thailand next year.
“The dream is to anchor our boat in the blue water and be surrounded by islands,” said Khoo.
