Couple retires to live on cruise ships because it’s ‘cheaper than a nursing home’

The cost of living in the United States has gone up so much in recent years that living on a cruise ship has become a reasonable idea for some retirees. When Nancy and Robert Houchens of Charlottesville, Virginia, retired, they decided to sell almost everything they had and live out their golden years hopping from cruise ship to cruise ship.

“We had a 3,000-square-foot home full of furniture…and everything we own now would fit in the back of a pickup truck,” Robert told USA Today.

“We sold all of our estates except for a little condominium we have in Florida, so when we get too old to cruise, we have somewhere to live,” Nancy added. “And we did keep two vehicles, and what we kept is in half of (Robert’s mother’s storage unit), which is, I don’t know, 10×10 or something. We just walked away from everything.”


Life on a cruise ship is stress-free for the couple because their needs are taken care of on the ship. “It’s been great. I don’t cook. I don’t clean,” Nancy told the Miami Herald.

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