How can I find boats to travel on?
I'm going to be doing some traveling around the north coast of South America and the Caribbean. I'm not in a hurry, and I'd love to travel by boat, but I'm having a hard time finding information about ferries and boats routes in the area. Is there a good way to search for boat routes (or private boats that will take me where I want to go)?
Here are some examples of what I might like to do:
A boat between the Dominican Republic and Martinique. A boat between Martinique and French Guiana. A boat between French Guiana and Jericoacoara, Brazil. Etc.
I'm not all that particular about what type of boat it is, timely schedules, or price (within reason), I just think taking a boat might be more interesting than flying.
Best Answer
OK, so my friend - Kylie Phaup-Stephens, has a blog on bugbitten. Over the period of 20 months from ANZAC Day(25th of April) 2009 to the end of 2010, she cycled from London, UK to Christchurch, NZ.
Naturally, she had to use water methods at some point.
She struggled for a while to find a boat to Aus - and a visa (a legacy law means that even Kiwis need a visa for Australia if arriving by sea!). However, here is her blog entry on that part of the trip. She used FindACrew and other such sites, as well as asking around ports for yachts travelling from Indonesia across to Thursday Island.
Then she continued around Aus for a bit, before catching a cargo ship to NZ. Here's her blog entry on that part of the trip.
tl;dr - use websites like Findacrew, or ask around at the port.
Pictures about "How can I find boats to travel on?"
How much does it cost to travel by ship?
Travel by freighter, the average cost of a voyage is just about $100.00 US per day, for a single person traveling in a single cabin. It is always more expensive for a single to book a double cabin and always cheaper per person for double occupancy of a double cabin.Can you still travel by ship?
You can travel almost anywhere by cargo ship. The global shipping industry is huge, and many ports like New York, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Sydney welcome several ships daily.Where boats can be found?
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of sizes designed to float, plane, work or travel on water. Small boats are typically found on inland waterways (e.g. rivers and lakes) or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed for operation from a ship in an offshore environment.Is Travelling by boat cheaper?
It's cheaper (and cooler) than flying. Cargo cruises cost between $65 and $125 per day, which includes lodging and three meals a day. Voyages usually last between 40 and 50 days, but some people opt for segmented trips that last a few weeks, leaving on a boat, disembarking at a port, and returning home by plane.5 MUST KNOW Boat Navigation Tips!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pavel Danilyuk, Fatih Turan, SlimMars13, Wilson Ren