World
Millennial couple sells all for $60K world cruise—”We don’t have a house”
A couple from Las Vegas got to see the entire world in nine months on board a cruise ship that departed from Miami and sailed all the way across the globe, taking them to every single place they’d ever dreamed of going.
On December 10, 2023, Jenny Hunnicutt, 34, and her husband Kristian boarded the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas in Miami. The ship would then sail through 71 countries around the world, marking the beginning of the best year of their lives.
Hunnicutt told Newsweek that she and her husband had always dreamed of seeing the world, so when they came across this incredible opportunity, they didn’t think twice and booked it on the spot.
However, this once-in-a-lifetime adventure came with a hefty price tag, and the young couple had to resort to extreme measures to make it happen.
“[The] price started at $60,000 per person, and we took advantage of the 10 percent discount for paying early. So it was $54,000 per person. We sold everything we had, we don’t have a house, we live full time out of our RV. The cruise ship really became our home for those nine months. I would do it again,” she said.
The luxurious ship began the trip in the Caribbean, sailing through all of South America and down to Antarctica. There, they saw all sorts of wildlife, including whales and penguins. They documented their wild encounters on social media, where Hunnicutt is known as @drjennytravels.
Suffering from seasickness didn’t stop her from enjoying the cruise, even when they sailed through the rough waters of the Drake Passage on the way to Antarctica, which turned out to be her favorite part of the trip.
The Drake Passage is known for being among the most dangerous places on earth because it’s affected by some of the world’s strongest ocean currents, which cause waves that can reach heights in excess of 65 feet, according to National Geographic.
The tour continued up the Pacific side of South America, passing by Chile, Peru, Mexico, and then up to Los Angeles. It then sailed through the entire Pacific Ocean, stopping in Hawaii, French Polynesia and Australia.
After sailing all across Asia, from Japan to Indonesia and most countries in between, the tour took the Indian Ocean route, stopping in places like India and Sri Lanka, where they could enjoy the wilderness of the South Asian Subcontinent. They then headed down to South Africa and then back up west, all the way to Europe and the Mediterranean.
Hunnicutt explained that the plan was initially to sail through the Middle East, passing through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea, but because of the ongoing political unrest, Royal Caribbean rerouted the ship through South Africa.
The couple’s world tour also included some independent journeys. They got off the ship and went on their way to explore local regions, rejoining the group at a different port once they were done exploring.
“We did that in Indonesia, and we also did that in Dubai. We got off the ship, went up and visited Egypt, saw the pyramids and the Sphinx and then rejoined in the Seychelles,” she said.
In a very lucky turn of events, the couple celebrated their wedding anniversary for the first time since getting married four years ago, despite fears they might miss it.
“When you’re sailing around the world, you lose a day because of the international date line in the Pacific, so my husband and I were supposed to lose our anniversary, which was on February 29.
“But then a change in itinerary meant that we were actually able to not skip it, and we ended up skipping March 1 instead, so we got to celebrate our anniversary on board and it was just so special.
“The crew were amazing that night; they brought us cake, and we had such a special night. This was technically our four-year anniversary, but because we got married on leap year, it was our first real anniversary ever since February 29 of four years ago, so it was pretty special to us.”
Their tour took them all over Europe, including the North Sea and Scandinavia, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to New York and then Miami, passing through Iceland, Greenland, and Canada.
While the couple has been back for almost two weeks, they haven’t stopped traveling. In fact, they’re currently on a cross-country trip from the East Coast back to Las Vegas, where they will stay until they decide on their next adventure.