When Nancy and Robert Houchens retired, they downsized, promoting their home and most of their belongings.

“We had a 3,000-square-foot residence filled with furnishings … and the whole lot we personal now would slot in the again of a pickup truck,” Robert, 64, advised USA TODAY.

However the Virginia couple has one other most well-liked technique of transportation: cruise ships. They spend as a lot time as they will at sea, and sailed for about 9 months through the first yr of their retirement. Nancy, 71, additionally reached a milestone in early July, crusing 1,000 days with Carnival Cruise Line because the Nineteen Eighties. Robert hit the 1,000-day mark later within the month.