Romanticised?
Living life with few bureaucratic worries.
A few clothes are all you need, plus your weapons, a bottle of rum and some tropical fruit.
On a ship in a calm sea or in the West Indies, with fresh fruit and access to attractive women.
No taxes, bills, paperwork, property repairs or church tithes.
In the case of privateers, the letter of marque giving the right to steal for your country and gain glory.
The reality?
As
@Aether Blue and others have written above, there was poor access to reliable healthcare, the risk of vermin and lice, scabies, scurvy and venereal disease.
You'd risk battle wounds, harsh discipline on ship, and fights in pubs.
Shore leave might be spent in Wapping (London) where you'd find a temporary "wife" who'd store your money to stop you gambling and drinking it all away, by giving you a daily allowance.
Then go back to sea to earn more, with the loss of her affection possibly being an emotional drain.