My life’s a permanent all-inclusive holiday for less than £100-a-day: British ex-pat reveals how he sold his home and has spent the last two years living on a luxury cruise liner

If you don’t want to worry about laundry or what to cook for dinner, living on a luxury cruise ship full-time might be the way to go.

Fraser Allen, a British expat, has fully embraced this lifestyle since moving aboard Villa Vie Residences’ ship Odyssey in December 2024 and has been living on and off the ship ever since.

The 58-year-old bachelor is halfway through his three-way charter with the cruise ship and has already ventured to travel to South America, North America, Japan, the Philippines, the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.

Besides being able to see the world, one of the major positives of living on a 350-passenger cruise ship is being completely “taken care of,” according to Allen.

“I would say, stereotypically, as a single person, that it’s great to have ‘everything taken care of’ within rental fees,” he tells the Daily Mail.

‘This includes: all food (plus wine and beer), laundry and cabin service, gym and fitness classes, from sauna and steam room to pickleball courts and swimming pools!’

The only thing Allen has to pay for outside meal times is beer, but he insists it’s still ‘very reasonable’.

Everything from entertainment to food is supplied by the ship and he adds, ‘The cabins are spacious enough to want to retreat to. The outdoor/deck area is large enough to walk around or find a spot to study the horizon with binoculars!’

He adds that common areas like the pool aren’t too busy, and unlike other cruise lines, he says there are ‘rarely’ more than 10 to 15 residents by the pool.

In December 2024, he moved into a cabin aboard Villa Vie Residences’ ship, Odyssey.

The all-inclusive lifestyle costs Allen $125 for an inside cabin (less than £100 a day). Allen notes that this is more affordable than an exterior cabin with a window or balcony, but price levels have changed since he secured the deal.

Additional expenses such as toothpaste, snacks, clothing and trips range from $1,000 to $2,000 (£734 to £1,470) a month.

Allen finances his travel adventure with the money he has saved, as well as his pensions and rental income from his rented house.

Originally from the United Kingdom, he moved to the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Western Caribbean, years ago and worked as a scientist. He now holds dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and the Cayman Islands.

‘Before the Odyssey cruise, I downsized completely (a relaxing exercise!) and now rent out my place in Cayman,’ he explains.

‘This provides additional monthly income to cover travel costs. I essentially became a nomad for the next few years. I’ve got plenty of time to figure out what to do after my first circumnavigation on the Odyssey!’

Since moving from a spacious home to a small passenger cabin, Allen has found that he really enjoys the cabin space and says he is a ‘minimalist’.

‘This is more than enough for me,’ he says. ‘We also have everything that exists beyond the cabin as our ‘living room’ has everything you need and more!’

So far, he’s experienced 146 ports aboard the impressive ship seen above cruising the Alaskan fjords.

He pays $125 (less than £100 a day) for the inside cabin and says he enjoys ‘retreating’ there

All of Allen’s meals, laundry and even entertainment are covered by the £100-a-day price tag

But others do not find the process so easy, and the experienced cruiser explains: ‘Many on board (especially the Americans) found the shrinking process extremely enlightening, although some still struggle to cut the umbilical cord this way.’

Allen has visited 146 different ports on the Odyssey so far; this excludes ‘inland excursions that this cruise provides with a few days in a given location, plus scenic cruises as part of Fjord and sea days’.

He says he doesn’t have a particular favorite port and instead values ​​the experiences he’s had along the way, from navigating the Chilean Fjords to arriving in Vancouver on Canada Day.

Other unforgettable moments include anchoring off Moorea, a jaw-dropping heart-shaped island in French Polynesia.

There is one port that stands out as the worst port for Allen: Brazil’s capital, Rio.

‘Rio and a few (just a few) other ports in Brazil were not a great experience,’ he explains.

‘Security was an issue and many residents were assaulted, robbed and/or made to feel uncomfortable. Apparently this is the norm. It’s definitely something the Brazilian Government needs to resolve.’

Life at sea has its drawbacks, although Allen admits these are pretty minor.

‘My worst-case scenario could be, or has been, that I misread the next day’s itinerary,’ explains the former scientist.

Allen enjoys the all-inclusive lifestyle as he travels the world, seen here in Chile

Allen now rents out his home in Cayman and has managed to fit his belongings into his cabin, which he describes as ‘spacious’.

‘After a night of overindulgence, I wake up wide-eyed at 10am as the Captain orders (in-cabin loudspeakers) ‘residents to assemble at your station with life jackets in hand’!

I clutch my life jacket tightly as I leap out of the bunk, my eyes full of tears, where it counts. My t-shirt is inside out. I was scolded for arriving late. This is my worst case scenario! How bad could it be?’

What appeals to Allen the most are the group activities, the mix of fast- and slow-paced days, and the close bonds formed on board.

“When you minimize your materialistic environment, your focus becomes more outward and less focused on ‘yourself,'” he says.

‘You can take part in community-based activities or enjoy the ever-changing landscape, cultures and nature that pass you by.’

The cruise fan feels that in such situations passengers are more in touch with their ‘external environment’.

He adds: ‘There’s a combination of long port days as well as slow-paced sea days that seems to suit everyone.’

In such a close environment, it is perhaps unsurprising that everyone also forms close relationships and there is a ‘great connection’ between crew and staff.

But all is not well, and Fraser admits that his least favorite port so far is Rio and other ports in Brazil. Filmed in Ecuador

‘Everyone becomes ‘extended family’. Activities and interests are created by local residents as well as contracted staff. “It creates a very eclectic and diverse environment, and the talent that’s on board is really quite humbling,” says Allen.

Allen plans to take a break from full-time cruising for six months soon, during which time he will return to the Cayman Islands.

He plans to rejoin the ship when it arrives in Singapore in November and spend another 13 months on board.

But he’s not keen on experiencing two days of flights and having to navigate various airports during his journey home.

‘I’m not looking forward to being herded through an airport or barked at by a TSA security guard,’ Allen says.

‘Our alternative to sailing really is a way of seeing the world; Super smooth!’