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Joy

A couple in their 50s live permanently on a cruise ship because it's cheaper than a mortgage

They hope to spend around $36,000 a year.

via Pexels

The Emperor of the Seas.

Imagine retiring early and spending the rest of your life on a cruise ship visiting exotic locations, meeting interesting people and eating delectable food. It sounds fantastic, but surely it’s a billionaire’s fantasy, right?

Not according to Angelyn Burk, 53, and her husband Richard. They’re living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. "Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across and entire calendar year," Richard told Upworthy.

The Burks have called cruise ships their home since May 2021 and have no plans to go back to their lives as landlubbers. Angelyn took her first cruise in 1992 and it changed her goals in life forever.

“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,” Angelyn told 7 News. But a few years back, Angelyn crunched the numbers and realized they could start much sooner than expected.

“We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” she said. They looked into deals they could find through loyalty memberships and then factored in the potential sale price of their home and realized their dream was totally affordable.

The rough math makes sense. If the couple hits their goal of spending $100 per night to live on a cruise ship, that’s $36,500 a year. Currently, the average price of a home in Tukwila, Washington—where the couple has a house—is about $607,000. Let's say you moved there today, put down 20% and financed the rest, the mortgage would cost you around $44,000 a year.

Plus, on a cruise ship, the couple doesn’t have to pay for groceries.

The Burks are able to live their dream because they’ve spent a lifetime being responsible. “We have been frugal all our lives to save and invest in order to achieve our goal,” she says. “We are not into materialistic things but experiences.”

Angelyn says that cruising takes the stress out of travel. “It is leisurely travel without the complications of booking hotels, restaurants, and transportation while staying within our budget,” she told 7 News. The couple travels lightly with just two suitcases between them and if they need anything, they just buy it on the ship or in the next port.

The one thing to consider before embarking on a never-ending cruise is COVID-19. The coronavirus is easily spread in close quarters and a cruise ship that recently docked in Seattle had 100 people on board who tested positive for the virus. The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated before going on a cruise and that immunocompromised people should consult with their physicians before traveling.

Richard told Upworthy that he believes COVID-19 safety is still very important and has had both his shots and a booster. "I would suggest wearing a mask at all times when out in public no matter whether on a ship, in a movie theater, at a restaurant or even meeting with friends inside or outside," he said.

After leaving their jobs and the mainland behind, the Burks completed a 21-day cruise via the Panama canal. They look forward to a 50-day cruise around the Adriatic Sea, taking in the sights of Europe, as well as a 51-day cruise from Seattle to Sydney, Australia.

The Burks' favorite destinations, no matter how they get there, are Italy, Canada, Iceland and the Bahamas, but their ultimate favorite is Singapore.

Looking to give it all up and go on a permanent vacation just like the Burks? Angelyn has some advice for those wanting to get started.

This article was updated on May 17, 2022, after a conversation with Richard Burk.

The hosts of our podcast, "Upworthy Weekly" had a pretty funny take on the story.


This article originally appeared on 05.11.22

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retirement
Joy

Retired couple have spent almost 500 days at sea after booking 51 back-to-back cruises

"They're basically celebrities onboard."

Canva

Marty and Jess Ansen have spent nearly 500 days onboard Princess Cruise Lines

For many, if not most of us, the purpose of retirement is to sit back and enjoy life. A chance to see the world, take up new hobbies, explore what it means to simply exist without having to clock in.

So it’s almost no wonder that more and more retirees are finding themselves on cruise ships, where relaxation, adventure (and having someone else do your chores) are the name of the game.

Retired Australian couple Marty and Jess Ansen can certainly attest to this—having spent close to 500 days sailing around the world on their 51 back-to-back cruises.

That’s right. 51 cruises. Back. To. Back.

The great-grandparents told A Current Affair that they were cruise fanatics long before calling one home, and were eager to catch on the cruising they missed during Australia’s strict COVID-19 lockdowns.

Plus, their plan to spend two years onboard became a no-brainer after realizing it would be cheaper than a nursing home. Marty told their travel agent “whatever comes, just book it,” and they’ve been living it up ever since.

In addition to enjoying the perks of their morning ping-pong matches and sipping beer while basking in breathtaking views, the Ansens particularly enjoy ballroom and hula dancing.

“Where else can you go where you go for dinner, you go to a show, you go dancing?” Jess gushed. “Through the day, you have all these activities.”

At this point, Jess and Marty are pretty much beloved fixtures of the cruise itself, dubbed by the hotel managers as the “celebrities onboard.” And the duo takes their status seriously—making sure to welcome every new captain aboard.

One might wonder if there are ever bittersweet feelings about being so far away from home and family, but the couple attests that no such feelings arise.

“They’re all busy,” Jess shared, regarding their other family members. “And we’re in a place in our lives where we just want to enjoy it.”

So, aside from the occasional reunion when they touch down in a nearby port, the cruising couple are focused on having fun with each other. It’s a journey with no end in sight, for as soon as they finish touring with their current vessel, a Princess Cruises’ 2,000-passenger Coral Princess, they plan to hop onto an even bigger ship, the Crown Princess, for another year. Then..who knows…

And according to Jess and Marty, “it’s a wonderful life.”

Curious about how to make permanent cruising a reality in your own life? You might find some helpful tips here

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life
Teachers

91-year-old calculus teacher connects with students using tried and true old-school methods

"If I had a wife, she'd probably leave me within a week. I mean I'm sitting there working all night trying to grade papers. Don't have time to run around."

CBS Mornings|YouTube

91-year-old teacher is using his knowledge to connect with students.

There are some people who work well beyond retirement simply because they enjoy working. While many people look forward to retiring, not everyone is content sitting at home or spending much time traveling around the world. In fact, my own grandfather was one of those people who worked beyond retirement, ran five miles a day and boxed until he was well into his 70s.

But Lou Kokonis has surpassed people working into their 70s and even 80s. Kokonis is 91 and still working at the same high school in Virginia that he's been teaching at since 1959. We're not talking about coming in for an hour or so a day to teach a class and then going home to nap. The math teacher has a full class load, rolling in every morning before most other teachers arrive and staying up into the night to grade assignments.

Kokonis is the real deal, and while his handwriting may be a little shakier, his mind is still as sharp as ever. What's even more remarkable than his continuing to work into his 90s is the fact that he's able to build genuine connections with his students regardless of the multigenerational age gap.

Mr. Kokonis told CBS Mornings that he believes he is able to reach his students because he still offers free Saturday tutoring just like he always did. Turns out, his early arrivals and work on Saturdays are what helps keeps his students engaged, though he admitted cell phones are a challenge.

Of course, in the late 1950s, he didn't have to compete with cell phones or learn to use computers or Promethean boards, but then again, we also didn't have 50 states. In his 60-plus years of teaching, he has been a witness to ever-advancing technology in the classroom firsthand.

"To be working and teaching this long and to still like put in all this extra effort on Saturdays, I really admire that about him," Mohamed Eltireke, a student at the high school, told CBS Mornings.

At a time when there's a national teacher shortage, Mr. Kokonis is filling a vital role, and while one of the students he taught has already become a teacher and retired himself, Kokonis has no plans to do the same. He plans to finish out the year and says, "My mind is set that I'm going to do well this year and I'm going to enjoy it, and I'm going to try to come next year if they'll take me."

See Mr. Kokonis in action below:

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wholesome stories
Joy

Co-workers prank retiring employee by dressing exactly like him. Including his bald head.

“What is wrong with you people?”

Diana Jane TikTok screenshots

Co-workers prank retiring employee by dressing like him.

Well, well, well, if it isn't one of the cutest pranks I've ever seen pulled off. (I know I started that off like I was going to say something negative, but sometimes you've gotta mix it up a little.)

Usually, when you see pranks being pulled, there's a line that can get blurred fairly quickly. Pranks can quickly go from harmless fun to questioning if the prankee is actually being hazed and we are being forced to witness it. But this prank is probably one of the most wholesome pranks ever committed. Kevin Christian was retiring and his co-workers weren't going to let him go quietly into the night.

On his last day at work at Monterey County Probation Department in California, Christian's co-workers decided the best way to send him off was to dress exactly like him—complete with a bald cap, in case he wasn't quite sure who they were all supposed to be, I'm sure. Then they uploaded their shenanigans to TikTok, where the video got over 4 million views.

"People wanted to know how we knew he was going to wear that day. We just banked on it. We had been planning this for weeks," Diana Manuel shared in a video update.

The co-worker then showed a clip of Christian on his birthday wearing the same outfit, so it's probably safe to assume he wears that outfit a lot, putting the odds in their favor. The original TikTok video is set to the "Mission Impossible" theme song and you get to see how they worked together behind the scenes buying a ridiculous number of blue shirts.

@dianajanexo

#screammovie #retirement #fyp #newyears

Christian appears to be shocked by seeing himself multiplied before clocking out one last time.

"What is wrong with you people?" the new retiree repeated.

Obviously, nothing's wrong. They're all getting to retire too. Their names are all Kevin Christian, can't you tell? It looks like Christian will be missed and his co-workers are a blast. Surly there wasn't a dull day around there too often.

See his reaction below:

@dianajanexo

Replying to @bomberolui Nothing is wrong with us 😂


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