{"id":60470,"date":"2025-08-11T17:07:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/60470\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T17:07:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:07:07","slug":"here-are-the-details-of-the-true-story-that-proves-retirement-can-also-be-an-adventure-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/60470\/","title":{"rendered":"Here are the details of the true story that proves retirement can also be an adventure around the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

When people think about their retirement, they imagine themselves sitting on a recliner with a good cup of coffee. Sharon Lane, 77-year-old, decided to do the opposite<\/a>: she moved out of her Orange County community and onto Villa Vie Odyssey for a planned 15-year journey. She bought an interior \u201cvilla\u201d and pays monthly dues that cover meals, housekeeping, laundry, Wi-Fi and more.<\/p>\n

How \u201cresidential cruising\u201d actually works<\/p>\n

A handful of ships now sell long-term living at sea. Villa Vie\u2019s program is an all-inclusive model: your cabin is your home, the itinerary loops the globe, and essentials are bundled into a predictable fee. It\u2019s not the only option, but Villa Vie aims to make the concept accessible to middle-class retirees who want simplicity and community.<\/p>\n

For some, the math competes with land life when you add up housing, utilities, groceries, car costs, entertainment and gym fees. Then there\u2019s the lifestyle<\/a>: built-in friends, daily activities, and a new port most weeks. Many Americans have been doing exactly this, living aboard or stringing long voyages together to turn retirement into a rolling adventure.<\/p>\n

But can you really live like this long-term?<\/p>\n

Legally, yes. Cruise companies offer long-stay contracts or outright residence programs. The fine print lives with immigration: every country you visit sets its own entry rules.<\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department urges cruisers to carry a passport book and check visa requirements for each stop\u2014your line won\u2019t do it for you. If your retirement plan is to stay aboard for years, you\u2019ll still need a home base for mail and banking, and a plan for renewing passports and IDs.<\/p>\n

Cruise ships have doctors and nurses and follow industry\/ACEP guidelines, but they\u2019re not hospitals. Original Medicare only pays aboard a ship in a U.S. port or within six hours of one; outside that zone, you\u2019re usually on your own.<\/p>\n

Many long-term cruisers add travel medical\/evacuation insurance and cluster routine appointments on U.S. port days. Medicare telehealth rules are generous through Sept. 30, 2025 (subject to change), so you can handle some check-ins from your cabin\u2014but assume you\u2019ll still need in-person care. If retirement at sea is your goal, build care logistics into the plan.<\/p>\n

Money and taxes while living in a ship<\/p>\n

Moving onto a ship doesn\u2019t move you outside the tax code. U.S. citizens owe federal tax on worldwide income; you\u2019ll file each year no matter where you roam. State income tax depends on domicile \u2014your legal home\u2014 so part of planning a seagoing retirement is picking and documenting a domicile (many nomads choose no-income-tax states) and keeping clean records. Talk to a pro before you untie from the dock.<\/p>\n

Could this fit your life?<\/p>\n

Mobility & meds: Can you manage stairs, tender boats and pharmacy refills on a global route?
\nFamily ties: Are you comfortable being away for long stretches?
\nBudget: Add travel insurance, occasional hotels, and shore visas to the monthly fee.
\nTemperament: Do you enjoy community living? retirement at sea is social by design.
\nPaperwork: Passport validity (often 6-month rule) and any visas for your itinerary.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll enjoy this life more if you hit 65 in good shape. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity<\/a> a week (plus strength and balance), and Harvard research links midlife healthy habits to more disease-free years\u2014prime fuel for a roving retirement. Start with brisk walks, light strength work, and balance drills; add a simple Mediterranean-leaning diet and consistent sleep. Future-you on Deck 9 will thank you.<\/p>\n

Sharon Lane\u2019s story is both genuine and inspiring: retirement at sea is possible, lawful, and \u2014planned well\u2014practical. It\u2019s not for everyone, and it\u2019s not \u201cset-and-forget.\u201d You\u2019ll need a passport strategy, medical plan, insurance, and tax\/domicile homework. Nail those details, though, and retirement can look a lot like an adventure around the world with room service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When people think about their retirement, they imagine themselves sitting on a recliner with a good cup of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,63,99,186,184,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-60470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-finance","12":"tag-personal-finance","13":"tag-personalfinance"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}