A couple decided they wanted to live the rest of their lives on a cruise and that's exactly what they've done.
Monica Brzoska and her husband, Jorell Conley, decided not to wait for their retirement to follow their dreams so they ditched the 9-5 grind, sold up all of their possessions, and set sail on the sea.
"I was desperate to see the world," Brzoska told The Sun. "When my dad Andrzej, now 68, needed a liver transplant in August 2022, my mom Lucyna, 60, said to me: 'Don’t wait for retirement to follow your dreams. Do it now.'"
Taking on board that advice, the 32-year-old and her husband set sail and have not looked back ever since they began the adventure almost two years ago.
A couple decided they would be ditching their 9-5 to spend their time on multiple cruises. Credit: Michael Dunning/Getty
"All my meals are cooked by chefs, and staff change my bedding," stated the ex-teacher from Memphis, Tennessee. "I haven’t stepped into a kitchen or used a washing machine for a year."
But where did the love for cruises stem from?
According to Brzoska, it all started in October 2016, when the happy couple decided to go on a week-long cruise to visit Mexico, Belize, and Grand Cayman.
After realizing how great life was on the waves, they decided to start doing it more often visiting Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, and Turks And Caicos before the pandemic made all that travelling to a grinding halt.
However, that didn't stop the couple's love for cruises so once they were allowed to, they decided to sell up their stuff and live out of cheap cabins so they could enjoy seeing the world together.
"It sounds mad, but the numbers made sense," Brzoska continued. "Accommodation, food and entertainment would be included – we'd only need spending money. And because we’d been on so many Carnival cruises, we’d earned access to some amazing offers."
She also added: "If we chose the cheapest cabins, our savings from the pandemic would allow us to book eight months of cruising for £7,900 ($9,975) - some trips paid for in full, others with deposits."
The pair also rent out their home in Memphis so they have a steady flow of cash coming in to be able to continue their travels.
The 32-year-old also added that leaving life on land has been an enlightening experience.
"Before, there had always been lesson plans, cooking and cleaning," she said. "But all of that [is] gone."
Not only that, but it also improved the pair's marriage.
"Without the daily stresses of life, we rarely argued, but always told each other if we needed space or more time together," she said. "We ensured we got dressed up for a date night each week at one of the fancier onboard restaurants."
However, this major life change hasn't come without its challenges as Brzoska admitted that they both miss their families dearly.
"We miss our families, but know we can fly home if there’s an emergency," she told the outlet, but knowing her parents encouraged her to make this move, she gets to live out her dreams of travelling the world with the love of her life.
Would you ever consider doing something like this?
