work for passage

[swabby robbie]

To whom it may concern,

Looking for passage to France or Europe from New York City Harbor in the third week of July this summer. I am a 22 year old broke college graduate seeking fortune and adventure in Europe as I have lived there and need to get back. I want to work for passage and avoid paying and dealing with airlines.

What do any of you have to say? Does the old world still exist where a young man can earn his way across the seas or is it against the law like everything else?

Need advice and contacts!


Sincerely,

Swabby Robbie

[Jemplayer]

Not against the law, but between getting your Z-card, BST, and TWIC it would be cheaper to just buy a one way plane ticket. Never mind the fact that it is really slow right now and even guys with experiance are having a hard time finding work.

You might be able to find something like that with some of the yacht crowd, but I dont even think most of those guys cross the Atlantic anymore. I know it's pretty common to find an arrangement similar to what your looking for if you wanted to bum around Florida and the Caribbean.

Now something you could look into is seeing if there is a merchant ship that will let you sail with them as a passanger. Might take a few weeks to get where you are going, but from what I understand the price can be redicoulsly cheap. Somebody posted a link to a website that had the routes and prices of these ships, but I dont rember what it was or what thread it was in.

[Jeffrox]

http://www.freightercruises.com/

[water]

It can be done, and your best bet would probably be on a yacht. Quite a number of decades ago I spent the better part of a year sailing on boats from San Diego to Mexico, Central America, Galapagos Islands and on to Tahiti. Worked my way back on a Finnish freighter.

But to look for a ride from a specific port during a specific week to a specific destination would be difficult at best. As John Steinbeck said, "You don't take a trip. A trip takes you."

You would also need to have your air fare money for the trip home. The captain bringing you into a foreign port is responsible for getting you home, so he won't want to be stuck buying you a return ticket.

You would be better off biting the bullet and purchasing an airline ticket.