Life Satisfaction and Alternative Lifestyle Choices: Cruising as a Lifestyle Process

The purpose of my naturalistic inquiry was to investigate the meanings cruisers attach to their experiences on the ocean. Cruisers are people who have quit their jobs and traded in their land based life for a life afloat cruising on their own boat. For the purpose of this study a cruiser had to fulfill the following criteria: own his or her own boat, live on it, and have made at least one passage. Using an interpretive research paradigm, my study was guided by theories such as Flow, specialization theory, and self determination theory, and by symbolic interactionism as a theoretical framework. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 25 cruisers, 14 themes and 18 sub themes emerged that describe the meanings cruisers ascribe to their lifestyle. The constant comparative method revealed that cruising most importantly meant freedom and independence from the work-centered, fast paced world of modern day societies. It meant being autonomous. Cruisers also described themselves as travelers who shared a deep attachment and respect for the ocean and nature in general. Choosing the cruising lifestyle furthermore meant being part of the cruising community, and sharing in its values. Cruisers were found to be high on social capital and share a tremendous sense of camaraderie and trust. Cruising was found to be a beneficial lifestyle that positively impacted overall life satisfaction, as well as psychological and physical well being. A three phase grounded theory model of this lifestyle process was developed.