Would you permanently live on a cruise ship if it cost you less money?
Couple Richard and Angelyn Burke weighed their options after the cost of living rose in Seattle.
They were fed up with paying exorbitant fees of $3,500 each month to cover the basic necessities of life. Consequently, they started contemplating a different lifestyle. As avid travelers and cruise fanatics, they realized that it was much more cost-efficient to live aboard a cruise ship than on land. All in all, their cost of living aboard a cruise ship would amount to around $100 per day.
“We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” Burk told 7News.
Richard retired back in 2019 and with no real ties to where they were at. So in May 2021 they jumped on a cruise and ended up staying for longer than a vacation.
The pandemic has caused a decrease in wages and an increase in unemployment, leading to a decrease in disposable income and spending power. This has resulted in higher living costs for many people, as they can no longer afford the same level of housing, food, transportation, and other necessary items. Additionally, many businesses have had to raise their prices to account for increased costs associated with operating during the pandemic, such as supply chain disruptions, limited resources, and labor shortages.
At the point that they started cruising permanently, their home has been sold. When they do come back to land, they have friends or relatives to stay with.
Spontaneous as it may seem, they do plan cruises in advance as well.
Richard told sources, “I believe this is achievable for the everyday cruiser, but it does take effort.”
Since their journey on the sea began, the couple has explored Italy, Iceland, and Singapore, completing a cruise from Seattle to Sydney that took them a total of 51 days.
“Our original plan was to stay in different countries for a month at a time and eventually retire to cruise ships as we got older.”