Welcome back to the Meet Your Neighbors series, where today we’ll introduce you to Austin and Thomas. Some of you may recognize Austin, as he is arguably our most famous resident thus far due to a now-viral interview he did with CNBC about buying a condo on the MV Narrative. Being an avid traveler, Austin was attracted to Storylines having the best of both worlds - global travel combined with the day-to-day amenities that one is used to. What especially captured the audience's attention was the fact that a young working professional could adopt this global lifestyle, which was previously associated largely with retirees.
Austin and Thomas met through mutual friends about a year ago and already live a somewhat global lifestyle brought about by their long-distance relationship—with Austin living in San Diego, California, and Thomas based in Japan for work commitments. On that front, Thomas is an actor and comedian: skills that are sure to be welcome on board, along with his yoga teaching which he demonstrated with a group of future residents on a curated experience trip to Belize and hopes to continue with the sunset yoga on MV Narrative’s open-air sports deck.
Austin works in tech, where his talent has been utilized by global companies such as Google, Microsoft and Meta. More recently, he has passed on his knowledge through private education teaching computer science. Austin feels very fortunate to be location-independent, meaning he can continue to work on board (with the aid of our high-speed satellite internet).
“One of the things I really like about the MV Narrative— it is the first time I have the opportunity to work remotely that meets the requirements of the company I work for.”
~ Austin
Both Austin and Thomas look forward to extra-curricular activities, such as diving and cycling, and making use of the equipment available on board. They plan on drawing from the knowledge and experience of their fellow residents about certain activities they are not experienced in, such as overland bikepacking when they live at sea.
“That’s the thing I’m really excited about, is just having access to that breadth of knowledge and tools and toys you need to have those experiences.”
~ Austin
Austin and Thomas are fresh off the Storylines ambassadors’ curated trip to Belize where they got to know some of their future neighbors. Both men are thrilled with the idea of exploring the world while being part of a community.
“It was just such a perfect balance of giving back but also experiencing what Belize has to offer, and I’m really excited to see how that can come together in different countries as well.”
~ Thomas
When it came to deciding to become a resident with Storylines, Thomas was sold on the globetrotting lifestyle, the potential to form lifelong friendships, and definitely the on-board oyster bar! Thomas knows that a community can make or break an experience, and after the Belize trip he was assured he and Austin will be in good hands within a community of like-minded individuals who also come from vastly different backgrounds and experiences.
“I love Storylines’ tagline of "Live Global, Be Local” and I definitely felt that experience in this Belize Trip.”
~ Thomas
“When you sit down and talk to the people you’re going to be neighbors with, you don’t feel like you’re just in a sea of tourists, or a sea of retirees. You feel like you’re in a community of vibrant people with really unique and interesting backgrounds who share an interest in exploring and getting to know the world.”
~ Austin
Thank you to Austin and Thomas for participating in Meet Your Neighbors— we’re so excited that you’re joining the Storylines community and can’t wait to see you on board!