I've been a singer on cruise ships for more than 13 years. Being away for long stretches has its ups and downs — but it's hard to imagine giving it up.

• Rachael Hudson has worked as a singer on major cruise liners since July 2009.
• The lack of home comforts can be hard, but the job also has many good points, she said.
• Hudson has had nine contracts with Royal Caribbean Cruises. She lives near Manchester, UK.

This is an as-told-to essay, based on a conversation with Rachael Hudson. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Insider has verified her employment details and the length of time she has worked in the industry.

As a singer on board a cruise ship, I'm well looked-after and stay in some very nice accommodation but being away from home for long periods has its ups and downs.

It's a very fun job, but cruise performers have to work hard to get to where we are. Over the years, working on a cruise ship has become work that's much more sought after.

I auditioned for jobs in London's theatre district, but there wasn't very much work. I ended up working on cruise ships and I've been doing it for more than 13 years. I've done nine contracts over that period for Royal Caribbean, which have mainly been about eight to 10 months. I also did a short one, which was four months.

The main difference I've noticed over the years is how much connectivity has improved. It's much easier to keep in touch with people.

It was hard for me when I was starting out at 23. You had to book a time slot to speak to loved ones and make sure that you could fit it in with time-zone differences. Whereas now you've got your phone with you all the time and we can buy internet access. It's not always great when you're out at sea but you still have access all the time.

There are double, maybe even triple the number of ships there were back when I started. They are also much larger. In a way, it's good because there are more opportunities for people.

In the last few years, the industry has changed dramatically because of COVID-19. There are more restrictions in place for safety and health — it's highly important that everybody is healthy — but even just the changes that have happened in the past few years have been a big shift.

Obviously, it's nice to travel the world. I've been able to see lots of places that I probably wouldn't have without this job.

One of the things that I always find hard, though, is not being able to get home comforts. You have to come prepared and take everything you think you're going to want with you. That's because it's easy to forget that you can't always get the same things that you get at home.

I never want to completely draw a line under the job because it's been such a massive part of my life. I'm in a position where I'm happy to have a bit of time at home because my last contract was essentially a year.

Making an official decision to say goodbye to the cruise industry would be hard. It's been a massive part of my life and it's got so many good points. My age is probably something that I'm getting more bothered about now — but I think singers have a little bit longer than some other cruise workers. I could essentially do this now until I was 50.