WHEN it comes to achieving their life ambition of world travel, Rob and Jean Pearson much prefer a luxury ocean liner to a long-haul flight.

In the past few years the globe-trotting couple have been to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Baltic.

Tokens of their travels adorn their home in Bransgore, from flower garlands to photo albums.

And they will soon be packing their bags again for another two-week cruise in the spring.

“We really enjoy life on board,” says Rob, 65.

“There is always something to do, the food is wonderful and when you go to bed at night, you wake up the next morning to find you are in a different port in a different country.”

One of the reasons Rob’s wife Jean particularly likes cruise holidays is because she can take as many outfits as she likes.

“We enjoy dressing up for dinner in the evenings and one of the great appeals is that you don’t have to worry about excess baggage limits. You can pack what you like and once you are on board you only have to unpack the once!”

Jean, a former nurse, also suffers with back problems, which is another reason why she prefers to travel by ships to planes or trains.

Rob, who worked in local government finance before he retired nine months ago, recalls their first cruise to the Caribbean in 2009.

“The year before we had been on a coastal tour of the Norwegian fjords and that whetted our appetite so we decided to try a cruise holiday.

“We always had a hankering to go to the Caribbean so we flew over there to join the ship.”

The couple’s other life ambitions include visiting Alaska and going on a three-month world cruise.

Rob adds: “We intend to keep travelling for as long as we can.”