Featured Image Credit: Supplied
Topics: Travel, Cruise ship, Hawaii, Money
Emily Brown
Asking "shall we just live here forever?" to your travel partner is common when on vacation, but one couple actually followed through when they gave up their Hawaii home to live on a cruise ship full time.
Of course, one of the main reasons people don't actually stay on vacation forever is because they have 'real lives' to get back to, including going to work and paying rent or a mortgage.
But when Lanette Canen and her husband Johan Bodin, both 56, gave up work, they realized they actually could find a way to vacation full time - and it was actually much cheaper than their life on dry land.
In early 2023, the couple swapped their Hawaii home for a cabin on board Ville Vie Odyssey: a residential cruise ship operated by Villa Vie Residences.
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Speaking to UNILAD about the decision, Lanette explained: "We usually say, we’re not retired—we’re rewired. Instead of waiting for 'someday', we decided to do this now—while we’re still healthy and able to really enjoy it.
"We ended up purchasing a cabin on the ship, which lets us live onboard full time and travel continuously without constantly packing and unpacking."
The best part is, the couple, who also run a YouTube channel, found that their new life cost them 'about half of what [they] were spending' on their life on Maui.
Breaking down the cost, the couple explained that cabins on board the ship 'typically start around $130,000 as an upfront purchase'.
According to Villa Vie Residences, this is the approximate cost for an inside 'Villa' cabin on the ship, with other cabin options including the 'Porthole Villa', the 'Balcony Villa' and the 'Villa Suite', which is the most expensive option starting from $439,999.
These costs allow buyers to 'purchase cabin rights and make the Odyssey your permanent home'.
Once on board, Lanette explained that the couple pay about $4,000 a month for life on the ship, which comes with a whole lot of amenities.
Lanette said: "That includes food, beer and wine at lunch and dinner, housekeeping twice a week, laundry service, gym, fitness classes, entertainment, WiFi, and gratuities," she explained.
On the flip side, there's a range of things the couple no longer have to pay for thanks to life at sea, with Lanette explaining: "We no longer have things like car payments, insurance, gas, home maintenance, HOA fees, groceries, or even traditional vacations—it’s all kind of rolled into one lifestyle now."
In just a year and a half, the couple had already been to over 50 countries and 170+ ports, and they say they're 'just getting started'.