Anyone have any experience in working on boats for free passage? I figure that would be an adventure in itself and would save me hundreds of dollars for an airline ticket.
I'm not sure where to start; do I contact cruise lines directly for employment or is there another way of facilitating this type of business? I'm in the U.S and would like to get to either South America or anywhere in Central America, so not terribly far.
Thanks for any advice
Those days are LONG since gone. In a modern age with insurance, customs and immigration rules, boats end up paying huge amounts to carry "human cargo". To legally work on a boat, you need union cards and about a million different certifications, each costing a pretty penny. Some cargo companies will take passenger, but the costs are often higher than those of actual cruise lines and much more expensive than flying.
Sites like CrewSeekers are private vessels looking for extra bodies. Most of them expect shared expenses, many will ask for certifications or experience. But every once and a while there are boats that just want company. It is very difficult to find someone going where you want to go when you want to go there. Be wary though, as a single female, the middle of the sea is not a secure place to be with a stranger.
Just looking at the LPs life on the ocean forum you'll see how many relies posts get. This is totally possible (i know people who have done it), but unlikely.
Good advice above.Forget about cruise or cargo ships!
In addition...where are you in the USA?
If you can get to Mexico fairly cheaply and easily,you can go overland from there without any major problems.....Mexico is a great country to travel in as well as a gateway to Central and South America.
another option is to go to a port where rich people keep their sail boats and just ask around see who is going where, and try to weasel your way onto a boat. i did this in belize and got a free trip to Honduras, it was awesome three days puking over the side of a sail boat all for free. i have heard of other people doing this as well.