How do you see yourself living your life during retirement?
Retirement is all about kicking back and living your dream life.
This is exactly what #cruiselife is about too.
For Angelyn and Richard Burk, this was a perfect match for their golden years.
Living in Seattle, WA, and in their 50s, the Burks always had this vision of traveling once they hit retirement.
They chose a life at sea, hopping from one cruise ship to another.
Why?
Because they adore cruising and, believe it or not, it’s actually more budget-friendly than paying a mortgage!
According to FOX 56 WOLF, their daily expenses on a cruise sum up to roughly $43, or about $15,696 annually.
CNN’s figures are a bit higher, ranging from $89 to $100 per day.
Angelyn admits they occasionally splurge up to $135 daily, which totals around $49,275 a year.
“Currently, this year, we have secured 86 cruise days with an average all-in cost of $89/day for both of us,” Angelyn shared with CNN.
“Which includes room, food, entertainment, transportation, gratuity, port fees and taxes. This is well within our retirement budget.”
Angelyn’s love for cruises began in 1992, and after tying the knot with Richard, the couple started enjoying yearly cruises, sometimes even twice a year.
Their cruise-filled retirement is funded by their combined savings and the future sale of their house.
They started planning this unique retirement early in 2021 and set sail on this new life adventure in May 2021.
Angelyn once told 7 News Australia, “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. We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense.”
The couple’s travel gear?
Just one suitcase each.
They cleverly plan their journeys so that one cruise ends where the next begins.
If there’s a gap between cruises, they enjoy some downtime on land, often visiting family and friends.
According to Angelyn, this has rarely happened.
Their goal?
To explore every corner of the world while living on cruise ships.
The Burks have already been to Singapore, Italy, Canada, Iceland, and the Bahamas, and some places more than once.
“We have been frugal all our lives to save and invest in order to achieve our goal,” Angelyn explained.
“We are not into materialistic things but experiences.”
Angelyn believes that many people can live the cruiser lifestyle with proper planning and budgeting.
It requires a love for the sea, joining loyalty programs, snagging deals, being flexible with travel dates, opting for budget rooms, avoiding extra expenses like beverage packages and gambling, and traveling light.
Get inspired by the Burks’ story in the accompanying video below! Would you do this?
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