A couple in the US who sold everything they owned three years ago to live their dream of sailing around the world say that is cheaper than living on land. John and Melody Hennessee, a couple from Florida, sold their home, business, and most of their belongings to embark on global travel in 2020, according to the New York Post.
The couple initially bought a motorhome to travel across the United States. However, when Mr Hennessee got tired of driving, they decided to take to the seas. The couple saw a Facebook ad for a Royal Caribbean cruise that lasted 274 days, and 9 months and jumped at the opportunity.
They quickly registered their names on the board and have since travelled all over the world. So far, they have journeyed to Australia, New Zealand, and various parts of the South Pacific and are presently navigating around the Dominican Republic. They say that it's cheaper than the landlocked life they led before.
''We now have a telephone bill, a shipping bill, and a few credit card bills for when we go ashore, but that's it. We no longer have a mortgage or the expense of homes. We no longer have vehicle insurance, property insurance, or utility bills. The list goes on. We are certain cruising is cheaper. Right now it is probably close to half of what it was when we lived on land," Mr Hennessee told Sky News.
The pair usually dock at their destination and explore for three to five days at a time. They are fully booked with trips until December 2024 and will soon be boarding a residential cruise ship Villa Vie.
Notably, the Villa Vie Odyssey is an all-inclusive cruise ship providing permanent residences, with approximately 30% of passengers becoming full-time inhabitants. It will set off from Southampton in May next year.
''We wanted to buy a cabin so we can design it how we want. It's going to be home for us, for probably a minimum of 15 years on the ship. We are just water people. We are both boaters. We love being on the ocean,'' said Melody Hennessee.
Not just the Hennessees, Angelyn, and Richard Burk, also from America, sold their home for a life at sea after a freak accident ten years ago. They told CNN that their cost of living before their retirement was 59,000 pounds a year. They claimed after the move it dropped to just 27,000 pounds.
