One Michigan couple is living the dream as the rest of us sit at our desks or in board meetings.
A few years back, Matt and Jessica Johnson quit their day jobs, sold their belongings, bought a boat, and hopped onboard to sail around the world.
A cat entered the equation shortly after.
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If that sounds ambitious to you, neither had ever set foot on a sailing boat before either. The couple – now both 32 – raised enough in the sale of their house and cars to purchase their dream boat back in 2008. After three years of practice, they set sail in their own version of the ‘American dream.’
Since August 12, 2011, they have explored 16 countries – and documented it all in gorgeous photographs.
Their adventures have taken them to South America, the Caribbean, and some of the European-style western islands. In 2012, the couple adopted a cat from a no-kill shelter to join them onboard. They named her Georgie and have given her some of the best travel experiences on the planet – a far cry from her days at the shelter.
Georgie has tagged along with the couple to 13 different countries.
As for Matt and Jessica, they’re still living off their savings, and are modest in their spending. After all, they worked hard to earn it. Before their trip both had successful careers and lived lives similar to most of us. Matt worked as a sales manager at a car dealership and Jessica was a billing specialist for an auto insurance company.
Instead of subscribing to a societal norm of what they “should” be doing in life, the couple didn’t want to wait until retirement to live out their dream. And that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Not to state the obvious, but they’re also a seriously good-looking couple (which kind of makes you love to hate them even more). They claim that being together 24/7 has made their 11-year relationship stronger then ever. After all, life on a sailboat involves a lot of teamwork, not to mention compromising situations – like navigating through stormy waters – that bring people closer together.
If you’re suddenly inspired splurge on a boat and embark on your own worldwide adventure, the couple has created a breakdown of their costs on their blog.
One can always dream…
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