I’m Matt Ray — a sailor, writer, and long-time computer consultant who once circumnavigated the globe by hitchhiking on sailboats.

In 2014 I lived in a four-bedroom house in Ventura, California.

A year later I moved into a tent trailer and spent about 18 months traveling around the United States while working as a computer consultant. I called it my “dry run.” I had a suspicion that I wanted something very different out of life — I wanted to sail. Living in a small space felt like a good way to find out whether I could handle the lifestyle that comes with living aboard a boat.

It turned out I loved it.

In 2016 I flew to Spain and spent three months living aboard sailboats while pursuing my Yachtmaster Offshore certificate. That experience launched a much bigger adventure.

From there I began crewing on sailboats around the world, gaining experience and eventually deciding to try something unusual — circumnavigating the globe by crewing on other people’s boats. I started calling the idea Global Hitchhiking.

Over the next few years, I sailed thousands of miles on a variety of boats and visited more than 40 countries along the way. Some passages were calm and beautiful. Others were exhausting, unpredictable, and occasionally a little terrifying. Like most good adventures, it was a mix of both.

Along the way I also spent time diving, earned my Divemaster certification, and explored places across Asia, the Caribbean, and the Indian Ocean.

These days I write about the experience of that journey and the ideas that grew out of it — sailing, travel, minimalism, adventure, and the strange ways life can change when you decide to live a little differently.

If you enjoy stories about life at sea, unusual travel, and the occasional philosophical detour, you’ll probably feel at home here.

Most of my newer writing now appears on Substack, where I publish essays, sea stories, and reflections from the road and the ocean.

You can find my latest writing here:
Substack

If you’re interested in the sailing guide that grew out of these experiences, you can find it here:
Global Hitchhiking: How I Sailed Around the World Without a Boat