Carly: „The 6 most important things when I am traveling are the right music, a bikini, passport, money and sunglasses!“

She is young, she is pretty and she has an extraordinary biography. Carly Noades is a real global player. She started in a very young age when she traveled with her hippie parents to some remote islands in South East Asia. She got infected by the virus called traveling since.

No wonder, the young English woman from Cornwall studied in her hometown Newquay Travel and Tourism. After her years at college she worked at the local airport. „I did everything“, she says. „What I don’t like is to deal with people who are going on holidays. They are so difficult to handle.“ After quitting her job she needed a break and traveled for 3 months around the Philippines.

Back home she decided to embark for Japan. Money was never enough so she worked in Tokyo in a Champagne Bar. „It was absolutely brilliant, what for a crazy place“, remembers the today 30 years old Carly. No question that she moved to London once she was back in England. She shared a flat with friends and worked in a recruitment agency. After one year she was eager to leave again. India was her new experience. „I lived for 3 months in an Ashram, did every day Yoga and felt completely away from everything. No laptops, no phone calls, no drinks and no smoking. The best experience ever“, she laughs. „I got really into yoga and meditation. I was millions of years away from the outside world.“ But home was calling after 3 months and she went back to England and her family. „I started to work in a gas and electric company. And I made lots of money!“ After 2 years of professional life she had enough. She moved to Southern Spain and got a job in a shares company. „After 2 months in the financial world I figured out that I worked in an illegal company.“ I got to know it when the police entered and the staff was running away. „My first thought was: Gosh, there is something wrong here!“ Back home in Newquay she worked in sales. „But this was not anymore my life. I did not like to be back in my hometown.“ After breaking off with her boyfriend she wanted to wander again, looking for a new challenge.

It was the year of 2008. Somebody mentioned THIS could be the right thing for me: I did a five day course, called STCW 95, which was a basic yacht training. The first 3 days of the course consisted of fire fighting on a very high level. Everything happended on a model boat. „With mask, full body suit and oxygen tank on the back. Normally, when there is a fire in a house you can run away. But on a boat it is impossible.“ The next 2 days Carly learned lessons in sea survival, first aid and social responsibility. The latter means dealing with awareness being on a boat and the facts of drugs and alcohol. „The course was very challenging, cost 800 pounds (about 1072 Euro) but I was not ready to do something with it. In first line it was an experience, just an experience!“

After the workshop her parents offered her a plane ticket. „I left England for Australia where I lived on and off for the next 3 years. In Melbourne I worked in bars and restaurants which was actually very good and got me lots of money because of all the tips.“ During her time in down under she traveled all over Asia. After 3 years Carly felt somehow „ready“ to go back to England. Back there she wrote her CV and went down to Antibes in Southern France. That’s up to now the right place when you like to work in the yacht business. „Right after one week I found a job on a 38 meters private yacht where I worked for 2 summers from April to October. In winter I spent my time traveling.“

After coming back to Antibes Carly got a new job on a charter boat. „The clients are paying lots of money to go out.“ But that kind of life is not always fun. „Certainly, it is not a dream job and it is in no way a realistic life. We live in small cabins which we share with another person and often we have a 16 hours working day.“ The crew members earn between 3.000 till 7.000 Euros a month plus tip which can be really high. „I have friends who get a 5.000 Pounds (about 6.700 Euro) tip for a 5 day charter.“

Carly and the crew members have to wear uniforms. „In my case this is a polo shirt with shorts and of course, barefoot.“ Her working day starts at 7 am in the morning. She has to prepare the breakfast table, after she and the others are cleaning the boat and at around 9 am breakfast is served to the yacht owners and/or the guests. After Carly does the laundry (lots of!), serving drinks before lunch, setting the lunch table, serving food and in the afternoon there is ironing (lots of!). „Sometimes we have a break in the afternoon. Most of the time I sleep because I am very tired.“ Dinner is around 9 pm and work finishes around 11 pm or even midnight. „All depends of the guests!“

During her job on the yacht she meets all kind of people: Movie stars, fashion designers, Formula One persons! „Happy moments are always then when we get invited by the guests to join in their parties. But this people always forget that we have to start to work at 7 am the next morning“, Carly grins. „Well, this people are normally very down to earth, even my boss. They are all very relaxed.“ She always avoids to mention the name of her boss, because this is a secret matter in this kind of business.

And then Carly admits that after one season she wanted to absolve a formal training. „I went on a Butler course at Princess Elizabeth dock next to the Tower of London. It all happened on a yacht and the trainer was the former butler of Roman Abramovich, a woman! We learned everything, how to serve food, how to pour wine, the different types of cutlery, of glasses, how to lay a table properly … My intention was to learn how to serve in a correct way. The course cost me 3.000 Pounds (4020 Euro).”

What about future plans?  Her ideas differ from her actual life: She dreams of studying psychology in England and about having a husband and children. And just to be happy – it’s so simple.

I met Carly during my time on the island of Kolanta in South Thailand. She is the daughter of a friend from a friend and it was very refreshing to get to know her. Thanks Carly for sharing your life story with me.

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