Some Americans dream of a quiet life in retirement, a chance to regain their strength after years of working and raising families.
But others take to the road and sea instead for a long-awaited adventure.
Harry Weidman and Ann Stockton are one such couple who shared a nomadic dream – and who traded bricks and mortar for a yacht to fulfill their fantasy.
“I knew this opportunity would be something I would look back on and regret if I didn’t take it,” Weidman, 63, said. told the Wall Street Journal.
The former IT manager decided to buy a boat after a day of deep fishing at Somers Point in New Jersey.
“I found myself feeling most calm and serene when the coastline drifted into the distance,” he recalls.
Stockton, 60, sold her Florida condo in 2020 and Weidman liquidated $100,000 from an IRA to buy Whisper, a 40-foot catamaran, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A friend gave the pair sailing lessons and they ended up sailing around the Mediterranean, snorkeling, eating out and walking in the harbour.
Harry Weidman and Ann Stockton. The 63 and 60 year olds spend their retirement sailing around the Mediterranean
The couple’s annual expenses are $72,000, much of which goes toward maintaining the three-bedroom, two-bathroom vessel.
“Something always breaks,” Weidman told the Journal.
Together they earn about $6,800 a month, including $3,300 in monthly retirement income and $2,000 from Weidman’s Social Security benefits. The couple also has $730,000 in savings.
Stockton makes about $1,500 from personal training, website maintenance and bookkeeping.
They spend about $6,000 a month, about $540 on boat insurance and about $600 on groceries.
Satellite Internet and cell phone service cost $300; diesel, $100. Repairs average $1,500 per month.
The couple also pays out of pocket for medical care, which they say is significantly cheaper in the Caribbean than in the US.
Their favorite islands are Bequia in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Martinique.
They also have no plans to settle down again anytime soon, with Stockton suggesting they buy a camper van next.
“After this experience, buying a house in the US doesn’t appeal to me,” Weidman said.
Years of retirement planning have ensured the Middletons can travel in their RV whenever they want, they said.
They have about million in retirement savings, half of which is managed by John and the rest by an investment firm.
About 95% of their savings is in shares.
Their house is paid off and they pay their monthly credit card bills in full. About half of their $10,000 monthly expenses go to expenses related to their 40-acre estate, which they have no intention of selling.
They receive a total of about $4,500 per month from Social Security.
Jenell Jones, 63, is taking her solo adventures across the US.
Jenell Jones, 63, is taking her solo adventures across the US
Jones, the retired sheriff’s deputy, explained that she sold her home in Texas and bought an RV “because I wanted to get off the couch and go on an adventure.”
Jones has become so passionate about life on the road that she now runs a club called Wandering Individuals Network for 300 like-minded others
She has made friends with the group and travels with members to Canada, Arizona and California
Jones receives a monthly pension of about $7,000 and has about $180,000 in savings
Like Stockton and Weidman, Jones also plans to continue for a number of years
Jones, a retired sheriff’s deputy, explained that she sold her home in Texas and bought an RV “because I wanted to get off the couch and go on an adventure.”
Jones has become so passionate about life on the road that she now runs a club called Wandering Individuals Network for 300 like-minded others.
She has made friends with the group and travels with members to Canada, Arizona and California.
Jones receives a monthly pension of about $7,000 and has about $180,000 in savings.
She spends almost $2,500 a month, almost half of which goes on fuel for her 37-foot Tiffin Open Road camper and the compact Nissan car she tows behind it.
Like Stockton and Weidman, Jones also plans to continue for a number of years.
“I’m just getting started,” she told the magazine.
Norma and Mike Schufler, 73 and 75, are currently enjoying life cruising around the U.S. Virgin Islands on their 35-foot boat, Minor Indulgence.
The boat, which was purchased for $139,000 in 2006, seats six people and has a hot water shower that works when the engine is running.
Norma, 73, who retired from teaching full-time in 2007, said it is “like a floating camper.”
The saying goes, “Buy a boat and spend the rest of your life repairing it in exotic locations,” says Mike, 75, a retired horse racing trainer from Chicago.
The couple, who have owned boats since the 1980s, now spend their time in and around the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico from December to the end of May, often visiting remote spots.
On board, Norma reads and cooks. Mike, a certified diver, often uses these skills to clean the bottom of the boat.
The couple’s annual income is almost $125,000, a combination of Norma’s pension, Mike’s Social Security check, and required distributions from their IRAs.
They have about $500,000 in retirement accounts, and their home in New Lenox, Illinois, is worth about $360,000.
Norma and Mike Schufler, 73 and 75, are currently enjoying life cruising around the U.S. Virgin Islands on their 35-foot boat, Minor Indulgence
The Schulfers will pay off their 2.75% mortgage, which costs $900 a month, in five years.
They pay nearly $8,000 in property taxes annually, and home and auto insurance total $2,600. The annual cost to insure the boat, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, is $2,000. Maintenance, fuel and a spot in a marina cost about $13,000 per year.
Medicare covers them in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The couple, who have also chartered sailboats for holidays in Greece, Croatia and Tahiti, plan to explore further.
“I’m not ready to swallow the anchor yet,” Mike said.
Another couple who have chosen to retire are Peggy and John Middleton, 68 and 70 respectively.
About twenty years ago, Peggy’s parents presented her with their 1968 Airstream Globetrotter, which the couple happily accepted.
“We did a big trip through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in 2004 and then it gathered dust in the backyard for years,” John said.
The couple, both retired nurses, embarked on a three-month, 14,000-mile journey through Canada and Alaska in May.
The trip cost about ,000 in fuel, campsites, groceries and excursions.
The pair usually don’t plan too far in advance and enjoy the spontaneity of life on the road.
‘That’s the great thing about being retired and traveling around in a camper. If you find a place you like, you can stay a few more days,” Peggy said.
The couple’s next adventure is to tour Western Europe in a rented camper and spend time with their daughter and son-in-law who live in Munich.
“To paraphrase Neil Young, we’d rather burn than rust,” Peggy said.