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(CNN) Have you ever dreamed of giving up everything, leaving everything and going on the road to escape all your responsibilities?
It sounds good, right? But it also sounds expensive. Or at least it sounded expensive until now — because now a cruise line is launching a three-year, 130,000-mile, escape-your-daily-life cruise for a relatively affordable $30,000 per person per year.
Life at Sea Cruises has opened bookings for its three-year voyage on the MV Gemini, which sets sail from Istanbul on November 1.
Yes, November 1, 2023 — so you have eight months to get your passport, vaccinations and telecommuting skills in order.
The company promises to check off 375 ports around the world, and visit 135 countries and all seven continents. The ship will cover more than 130,000 miles over the three years, taking in iconic sights from Rio de Janeiro’s Statue of Christ and India’s Taj Mahal, to Mexico’s Chichen Itza, the Pyramids of Giza, Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China. It even accommodates trips to 103 “tropical islands”. Of these 375 ports, 208 will be overnight stops, which gives you extra time at your destination.
Passengers can work from the pool deck while roaming the globe.
The company is a spin-off of Miray Cruises, which currently has the MV Gemini on cruises around Turkey and Greece. The company has a 30-year history in the cruise industry. MV Gemini will be overhauled for the voyage.
It has 400 cabins, with room for up to 1,074 passengers.
And due to the nature of the voyage, as well as traditional cruise ship amenities, restaurants and entertainment, Gemini will also be equipped with telecommuting facilities. The company promises a full-scale business center complete with meeting rooms, 14 offices, a business library and a lounge, presumably for your mid-shift coffee breaks. Access is free.
There will also be a 24-hour hospital with free doctor visits. The company also floats the possibility of “additional tax benefits when you work as an international resident on board the ship.”
The idea is to have a home away from home, but on the sea.
“Professionals need connectivity, the right amenities and functionality to do their jobs,” Mikael Petterson, Life at Sea Cruises’ CEO, said in a statement. “There is no other cruise that offers this kind of flexibility to its customers.”
Cabins range from 13-square-foot “Virtual Inside” cabins — which start at $29,999 per person per year, and cost $179,994 for the three-year trip for two people — to Balcony Suites, which are twice as large and go up to $109,999 per person. The cheapest outdoor cabin costs $36,999 per person.
Passengers must register for all three years, although the company is launching a matchmaking scheme, where passengers are allowed to “share” a cabin with someone else, dipping in and out of the itinerary. For example, two couples could buy one cabin for the whole trip, and then split the trip between them.
Single travelers receive a 15% discount on double occupancy. A minimum down payment of $45,000 is required.
Cabin options range from indoor staterooms to balcony suites.
Beyond the business center, there will be plenty to keep you busy: a sun deck and swimming pool, wellness center, auditorium and “multiple dining options,” though full details have yet to be revealed. Instructors on board will be on hand to teach dance and music, and there will even be single mixers for those traveling alone. Want to shape up first? There will also be a gym and lounge on board.
Highlights include Christmas in Brazil and New Year in Argentina. The ship will go all the way around South America (jumping south to Antarctica), island-hopping around the Caribbean and taking in both coasts of Central America, then going up the west coast of North America and crossing over to Hawaii.
Stops in Asia include Japan (12 stops), South Korea (including Jeju Island) and China. It also takes in most of the classic destinations in Southeast Asia, from Bali, Da Nang in Vietnam and the Cambodian coast to Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
The suites are the size of a small apartment.
It goes Australia, New Zealand and island hopping through the South Pacific; travel around India and Sri Lanka; then visit the Maldives and Seychelles before crossing west to Africa, hitting the continent at Zanzibar and then looping down to Cape Town and up Africa’s west coast — with quick dips west to islands including St Helena, the Canary Islands and Madeira.
It also sails around the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
Just one word of warning: You need not only a cruise ship, but a time machine to visit any of the stops listed on the “13 Wonders of the World” list, which includes places such as the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus and the statue of Zeus at Olympia — all of which were destroyed in antiquity.
However, the cruise also includes free high-speed Wi-Fi, which should make up for any disappointment. Cruisers will also be able to have family and friends on board to visit, completely free of charge. The long list of what is included in the tour also includes alcohol at dinner plus soft drinks, juice, tea and coffee throughout the day, laundry, port fees and cleaning. All meals are also included.
