We ditched our small-town life in Wyoming to travel the world on a cruise... and the cost shocked us
A couple decided to pack up their small-town life in Wyoming and go on the adventure of a lifetime - a luxury cruise around the world.
Paul and Lynn Montoya were living in Laramie - a city with a population of about 31,0000 - and operating a bed and breakfast in Vedauwoo before they were hit with a sudden wake-up call following the COVID-19 pandemic to experience what the world had to offer.
'We realized we hadn't seen the world, running a business like we did in Wyoming,' Paul told Cowboy State Daily.
'We never had time to do much travel. We actually went to Europe for the first time in our lives last year, and we're in our 60s now, so we'd really like to explore the world.'
And that's exactly what they did - leaving behind their home, packing up a rental car of their most prized possessions and hopping aboard the Villa Vie ship Odyssey, the first world cruise where passengers embark on a three-and-a-half year journey around the globe.
Cruises are often looked at as expensive, but for the Montoyas, they soon realized their dream wouldn't cost them any more than it did living in Laramie.
Now, the couple are enjoying their extended vacation for about $80,000 a year after hopping on the cruise ship in April to take them to 147 countries, 425 ports and 100 tropical islands.
The breakdown of their expenses include the cost of their cabin, three meals a day, entertainment, housekeeping, laundry and internet.
They hopped aboard the Villa Vie ship Odyssey (pictured), the first world cruise where passengers embark on a three-and-a-half year journey around the globe
The cheapest cabin option starts at $129,000 with a $2,999 monthly maintenance fee - around $45,000 annually - for one person to stay there.
For two people, the fee is $3,999 or $57,000 a year, and, according to the ship's website, the occupancy range could go up to at least 15 years if desired.
Although it is unclear how much the couple were paying for their home, the average cost of a home in Laramie is estimated at $378,258, according to Zillow.
'That's one of the things the Odyssey really does is they're trying to program this for affordable living,' Lynn told the outlet. 'It's similar to maybe like a retirement community, like a 55-plus community.'
She went on to compare their new lifestyle to those living in two of the most expensive locations in the US.
'If you're living in California or New York or something that, I don't think you could even live in a rented apartment for that nowadays,' she said.
'For them, this is probably an easy decision. For us, this is the same lifestyle we had in Laramie, but we're getting to see the world.'
She and her husband also don't have to stay in their cabins the entire time, as they have options to leave to attend important family events like funerals or weddings.
They also have the option to rent out their cabin like Airbnb does with houses. If they wanted to, they could also sell their cabin back to Ville Vie for a lower value or sell it to a new cabin owner.
Their cabin is already worth approximately $20,0000 more than what they originally paid for it, the couple said.
With that in mind, Paul said he and his wife have plans for the future of their cabin.
'If we die, our family can actually inherit it, too. But we're hoping the value will be there where we can actually sell (the cabin) for the amount we paid, maybe more if it's really popular,' he said.
There is even flexibility with how cabins are paid for as the cruise offers a pay-as-you-go plan to those who can't afford it outright.
The Montoya's even met a man who owns two cabins - one for him and another to rent out.
'Now what he's doing is renting both of those out and, with the money he's renting it for, he's paying for life on the ship,' Lynn explained.
'He's one of the ones who left in August, so he's been doing that for some time.'
Although the cabins are affordable - when compared to the cost of living on land in the US - the couple warned that there is not too much space to work with.
'A typical cabin is about 200 square feet. And you normally have a bed and a desk, maybe a side chair, and a small bathroom,' they said.
But, there is still an option to customize the cabins to your liking as the couple plan on having changes made to their space soon.
'We're actually having the construction crew on here tear out all of the cabinetry, and we're going to re-wallpaper it,' Paul stated 'We're also going to replace the bed with our own bed.'
They will be able to retrieve their bed once the ship ports in San Diego.
Though they've made sure their living space is comfortable for them, the couple said they spend most of their time at the ship's gym, business center or at ports enjoying fun and unique activities.
They recently got to swim with wild dolphins in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the Montoya's detailed on their YouTube page.
They also created their own website to share updates on their journey, including a checklist of all the places they've been and have yet to experience.
As of Sunday, the couple have visited eight destinations in Mexico, one in El Salvador and another in Guatemala.
They still have a boatload of destinations to cross off, including trips to Hawaii, Canada, Washington, California, Alaska, Japan and South Korea.
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