A couple from the USA want to live on a cruise ship for three and a half years and travel around the world. To do this, they have sold almost everything they own.
It is the trip of a lifetime: the married couple Grace and Jerry Grady, over 70 years old, are fulfilling their biggest dream.
Together with around 800 other guests, they will embark on a three-and-a-half-year cruise around the world. The shipping company Villa Vie Residences announced the trip in advance as the longest cruise in the world.
“It has always been my dream to see the world,” says Jerry Grady. The journey begins on May 30 in Belfast on the cruise ship “Villa Vie Odyssey”, which will take them to 425 ports in 147 countries on all seven continents. The Gradys’ story was published by “Euronews Travel”.
The Gradys previously sold their house in the USA and returned to Grace’s home of Sicily two years ago, where they currently live in rented accommodation.
They sold almost everything they owned to cover the cost of the trip. “We sold most of our things to friends,” says Grace. Since then, they have lived with only the bare necessities and wear the same clothes every day, which they wash by hand in the evening. They sent several suitcases to the cruise ship in advance.
The cost of living on board the ship seems high at first glance. But the Gradys are convinced: “It is no more expensive than living on land.” The annual rent for a cabin on the “Villa Vie Odyssey” is around 40,038 euros, with the most expensive outside cabin with a balcony costing around 66,960 euros per year. The daily costs for passengers vary between 82 and 183 euros depending on the cabin type.
Meals for passengers are included in the cost. In addition to food, drinks and 24-hour room service, the price also includes free Wi-Fi, weekly cleaning and a bi-weekly laundry service. “It’s also a much easier way to travel than booking individual trips and flights yourself,” explains Grace.
Although the trip around the world takes almost three and a half years, the trip can be arranged flexibly for passengers. It is possible to book sections of 35 to 120 days.
This text was created with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and edited and checked by the editorial team (Luisa Stickeler). More about our rules for dealing with AI can be found here.
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The original of this article “Couple sells everything to live on a cruise ship: “No more expensive than on land”” comes from Express.de.