Many travelers joke, “shall we just live here forever?” while they’re away, but one couple made it reality by leaving their Hawaii life behind to move onto a cruise ship full time.
For most people, an endless vacation isn’t practical because everyday responsibilities eventually call—jobs, bills, and the cost of keeping a home.
But Lanette Canen and her husband Johan Bodin, both 56, realized that after stepping away from work, they could restructure their lives around constant travel—and, surprisingly, spend far less than they did on land.
In early 2023, they traded their home in Hawaii for a cabin aboard Ville Vie Odyssey, a residential cruise ship run by Villa Vie Residences.
“We usually say, we’re not retired—we’re rewired. Instead of waiting for ‘someday’, we decided to do this now—while we’re still healthy and able to really enjoy it.
“We ended up purchasing a cabin on the ship, which lets us live onboard full time and travel continuously without constantly packing and unpacking.”
The couple—who also document their day-to-day life on YouTube—say the switch has been a major financial win, estimating their new lifestyle costs “about half of what [they] were spending” in Maui.
They explained that buying into life on the ship involves an upfront purchase, with cabins “typically start around $130,000 as an upfront purchase.”
Villa Vie Residences lists that figure as an estimate for an inside “Villa” cabin. Other options include the “Porthole Villa,” the “Balcony Villa,” and the top-tier “Villa Suite,” which starts at $439,999.
Those prices, the company says, let residents “purchase cabin rights and make the Odyssey your permanent home.”
After getting settled onboard, Lanette said they pay roughly $4,000 per month for ongoing living costs at sea—covering far more than just a room.
“That includes food, beer and wine at lunch and dinner, housekeeping twice a week, laundry service, gym, fitness classes, entertainment, WiFi, and gratuities,” she explained.
And because their home now moves with them, they’ve been able to cut out a long list of typical expenses.
“We no longer have things like car payments, insurance, gas, home maintenance, HOA fees, groceries, or even traditional vacations—it’s all kind of rolled into one lifestyle now.”
In about a year and a half, the pair say they’ve already visited more than 50 countries and 170+ ports—and they insist they’re only getting warmed up.