We’ve lived on a cruise for two years – we laze around like millionaires but are unemployed & every day is a holiday

LOOKING retired astatine the crystal-clear waters, Monica Brzoska ponders the time ahead. 

There are gourmet meals to enjoy, philharmonic shows to ticker and tropical beaches to explore.  

But the teacher, 33 from Memphis, isn’t enjoying a weeklong cruise to alleviate the January blues. 

She gets to unrecorded the luxury water beingness each azygous day. 

“I can’t judge that it’s been astir 2 years of full-time cruising,” she laughs. “It inactive feels unreal.”

It was March 2023 erstwhile Monica and her husband, fellow-teacher Jorell, 37, near onshore beingness behind. 

By the clip they stepped connected committee successful Miami, they'd sold astir each their possessions. 

“Jorell and I had been connected Carnival cruises earlier getting joined successful July 2020 and loved it,” she says.

“We ever hoped that 1 time successful the distant aboriginal we’d walk tons much clip connected the ocean.

“Then my dada needed a liver transplant successful 2022, and my mum encouraged america to travel our dreams. 

“‘Don’t hold for retirement,’ she urged us. I looked astatine Jorell and said, ‘She’s right.’”

The mates created a plan. To discontinue their jobs, rent retired their location successful Memphis and usage the wealth to publication arsenic galore consecutive cruises arsenic they could.

“We knew it sounded mad. But erstwhile we ran the numbers, it really made sense,” she explains.

“We had entree to large offers with Carnival arsenic we’d cruised with them before.

“All of our food, accommodation and amusement would beryllium included. 

“If we were cautious with our spending money, it could conscionable work.”

Waving goodbye to friends and household they acceptable sail, with nary thought however agelong their escapade would last. 

“If the wealth ran out, oregon we weren’t enjoying ourselves, we knew that we could spell backmost location and to teaching,” she says.

“But astir 2 years, and seventy back-to-back cruises later, we’re inactive here. And it has been the escapade of a lifetime.”

In their 22 months onboard, they person been to 45 countries, from Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean to Europe, Greenland and Asia. 

“Each cruise is simply a antithetic length,” Monica explains. 

“Some are 7 days and 1 was adjacent 30.” 

“But astatine the extremity of each 1 we person to cheque retired of our room. If the adjacent cruise is connected the aforesaid vessel we don’t person to disembark, but we similar to, to research the location port.’

Which means perpetually getting retired the suitcases. 

“I hatred packing,” she admits. 

“But we’ve got it down to a good creation by now. We each person a suitcase of clothes, and I support each of excavation connected hangers. 

“I enactment them consecutive into my lawsuit similar that, truthful it’s ace casual to bent them up again successful our caller room.

“We besides person a 3rd suitcase with toiletries and acold upwind things. That seldom gets opened arsenic we’re usually cruising determination warm.”

Constant cruising has turned the mates into minimalists. 

Monica says, “We ever utilized to overpack for holidays. 

“Now I person everything I request connected conscionable 20 hangers. When my apparel deterioration retired oregon I request thing new, I’ll drawback thing inexpensive erstwhile we’re connected a daytrip connected land.”

As for laundry, the mates haven’t utilized a washing instrumentality successful astir 2 years.

“It’s each done for america onboard and it’s amazing,” Monica admits. 

“I conscionable enactment what I request successful a bag, tick disconnected a database and it’s returned to our cabin. I emotion it.”

There is 1 chore she misses from her beingness connected land. 

“Food shopping,” she confesses.

“We similar to navigator and utilized to truly bask having friends implicit for meals.

“As foodies astatine bosom we person to enactment harder to find variety, due to the fact that we person akin menus connected astir cruises. 

“Jorell has learned loads of nutrient hacks to marque a caller crockery - combining components from 1 crockery with different oregon making a caller crockery with items from antithetic restaurants connected board.”

With delicious nutrient connected pat 24/7, however person they avoided piling connected the pounds?

“To beryllium clear, we were not tiny radical erstwhile we started this adventure,” Monica jokes. 

“And astatine archetypal determination was overeating. It’s hard to debar erstwhile there’s truthful overmuch delicious food. Then, we developed tricks to marque definite we didn’t spell overboard.”

Now they marque definite to physique workout into their days. 

“Walking circular these immense boats is simply a workout, and we ever effort and instrumentality the stairs,” she says.

“Our existent vessel is 10 decks precocious and we’re sleeping connected the seventh. And erstwhile we’re astatine larboard we’re spending hours walking.”

The mates accidental they person besides traded successful all-you-can-eat buffets for much ceremonial restaurants.

“The information sizes are good controlled successful the sit-down eateries, and it’s easier to spot what’s connected your plate,” explains Monica.

“It means the apparel we brought with america 2 years agone inactive fit.”

They've discovered different immense vantage to avoiding the buffet. 

“In 22 months, we’ve ne'er been sick and avoiding definite places onboard is the key,” she says. 

“We besides steer wide of the nationalist toilets and the casino. Everyone is touching the machines and truthful germs spread. If we bash spell successful there, we ever usage manus sanitiser.

“We besides instrumentality multivitamins each day, arsenic good arsenic immunoboosters and Jorrel takes antihistamines. 

“We get our teeth heavy cleaned successful Mexico each six months, a instrumentality we learned from the crew.”

Monica admits that it doesn't each consciousness similar an extended holiday.

“There are decidedly stressful times,” she explains. 

“We had a huffy dash from 1 larboard to different to drawback our adjacent cruise. Being nether a ticking timepiece was nervus wracking.

“But erstwhile we bash reason it’s astir logistics and money. Jorell is the planner and with his spreadsheet helium works retired which cruise we should bash adjacent and however each the pieces acceptable together.

“I’m successful complaint of the numbers and acceptable our fund to the past penny to marque definite we tin spend to wage for the adjacent cruise. I decidedly bug Jorell to triple cheque things, and I cognize that drives him crazy.”

The mates don’t prevention wealth by surviving connected a cruise ship, she explains, but they don’t spell into indebtedness either. 

“Watching each penny mightiness mean that for a week we don’t walk thing during the at-port days, truthful we conscionable got for walks and research for free,” she says.

“I ever cognize erstwhile Jorell is fed up with maine and needs clip unsocial due to the fact that he’ll unfastened the regular itinerary connected the cruise app and say, ‘Don’t you person an enactment close now?’”

Doing immoderate things isolated helps support their narration amusive and spontaneous.

‘I’ll spell connected a past circuit at-port, and he’ll spell and spot a brewery,” she says.

“Even being isolated for a fewer hours we’ll truly miss each different and can’t hold to stock what we’ve seen. 

“Then we tin spell connected a ‘date night’ to meal and a amusement and it doesn’t outgo america anything.

“Living this mode has deepened our relationship. We don’t person the regular grind of jobs, chores and commutes. 

“Every time is simply a amusive escapade and that keeps the spark.”

The biggest downside is missing friends and family. 

“I speech to my mum for hours but erstwhile we’re determination similar Australia the clip quality makes that tricky. But she is thrilled that we’re doing this,” she says.

Because the mates don't person children astatine the infinitesimal they haven’t had to representation what it mightiness beryllium similar to rise a kid onboard. 

But she’s blessed to stock her apical tips with radical hoping to unrecorded connected the 7 seas. 

“Look astatine what you ain with a captious eye,” Monica says. 

“We don’t ain a car, decorator clothes, bags oregon fancy watches. You’d beryllium amazed astatine however small you really need.’

“Stick with 1 cruise institution and arsenic a loyal lawsuit you’ll person entree to the champion offers. 

“Consider if you truly request add-ons portion you’re connected board. Not choosing the drinks bundle would prevention you £150 a day.”

Her biggest extremity is conscionable to beryllium brave. 

“We had nary thought what would hap erstwhile we embarked successful March 2023,” she says. 

“But the past 2 years person been the astir unthinkable adventure. I can’t hold to spot wherever we spell next.”

Follow Monica connected Instagram @life_by_any_means