Cost of retirement makes retiring to the sea an attractive option
- Cruise package created to offer pensioners the chance to spend their entire retirement at sea
- Package would require savings of only £140 more per month than required for traditional retirement
- Retiree-voyagers would experience annual visits to exotic locations, including the Caribbean, South East Asia and New Zealand
An opportunity to spend your entire retirement on a continuous world cruise has been revealed, and for only £140 more per month than it would cost to retire “on land”.
High retirement costs mean that for just £4,439 more a year, bungalows would be swapped for the Queen Mary, bingo halls for the Captain’s table and dreary never-ending rain would be replaced by tropical sunshine.
The research presents a varied perspective of what is available in 2017 for retirees, which probably wouldn’t have been possible in time gone by.
Based on a 12-month itinerary, retirees could expect to tour New Zealand’s stunning scenery, spend more than three weeks a year in the Caribbean, and explore South East Asia on an annual basis. These exotic locations would all be visited while aboard some the world’s finest cruise ships, boasting amenities such as 24/7 entertainment, gyms, spas and fine dining.
Other annual highlights of retiring at sea include:
- Travel to five continents
- Celebrate New Year in the Canaries
- Luau on Hawaii’s beaches
- Winter in European Christmas markets
The finances
The research was conducted to discover if it would be possible to retire on a continuous cruise. When you compare it to the cost of retirement on land the difference really isn’t that severe.
Research by Bolsover calculated the expected cost of “normal” retirement, including several common luxuries. The average cost of these luxuries was added to standard living costs to give an average annual total of £30,000.
Based on the UK average wage of £26,500, a career starting at age 22, and taking in the state pension value, in theory you would have been required to save an average of £711 per month to afford the cost of a “normal” retirement.
In comparison, the retirement cruise itinerary costs £34,439, which would require the same person to save £850 per month – an increase of just £139 per month.
