The cost of living crisis is hitting families hard around the world - but one couple has found a novel way to beat it and still live their absolute best lives.
Angelyn and Richard Burk, who are originally from Seattle, have decided to give up dry land in favor of living on the high seas after finding it is actually cheaper to live on cruise ships than pay their mortgage,
The couple has found that with rising mortgage rates being what they are, it actually works out a lot more cost-efficient for them to live on board a boat rather than scrimping and saving for a home loan, as well as scratching their itch to travel.
The Burks left their jobs and packed just a single suitcase each as they began their life at sea in May 2021, after realizing they could live on a ship for as little as $43.92 a day.
Angelyn, 53, who is a former accountant, told Australia’s 7News: "We love to travel, and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense."
She and Richard, who is also in his 50s, plan to spend the rest of their lives traveling and have already been making the most of sailing around the world.
They have hopped on and off multiple cruise ships since their adventure began, including a 51-day trip from Seattle to Sydney, and say that some of their favorite locations have been the Bahamas, Singapore, Italy, and Canada.
Angelyn added: "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."
The couple has decided to put their retirement plan into action earlier than expected and worked out a way it would make financial sense for them to live a holiday life.
The pair lives frugally, making the most of sales and their loyalty memberships to get the best deals without having to ever return to their 9-5 jobs.
They began to fund their travels using their savings and worked out that by selling their home, they could retire early and start living between cruise ships immediately.
Angelyn explained: "We have been frugal all our lives to save and invest in order to achieve our goal. We are not into materialistic things but experiences."
She went on her first cruise in 1992 and caught the bug for it, which only increased when she met Richard, with the pair planning to cruise yearly, if not bi-annually.
In April 2022, Angelyn told CNN that the average cost per day to live on a cruise ship was $89, which included the price of their room on board, transportation, tips, and entertainment, as well as port fees and taxes, which was "well within" their retirement budget.
Since embarking on their seafaring adventure, the couple can count on one hand the number of nights they have slept on dry land in the past year, staying with family or friends when they have a day or two between switching ships.
Retiring on cruise ships is nothing new, however, as Reddit users commented about family members who have done the same.
One user pointed out the benefits of living on a ship include free medical care on board, explaining: "There are older retired folks who do this cause there are doctors on board those ships and it costs less than nursing homes.
"They'll be on the same ship for months, then get onto another ship for months, just back and forth. Signing up for 3+ months like that the cruise lines give out large discounts, so it's much cheaper than a single week that most people would go on."
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