Life at Sea...

[Hamalas]

I have kind of a strange question for y'all. We always read about people who would earn passage to a foreign land aboard ship. Irishmen who would work aboard a cargo ship in exchange for passage to America and such. So my question is: can this still be done today? I know that you can book passage on some cargo ships/freighters for $80-$140 dollars per day, but is it possible to earn your passage from one country to another (say the US to Australia) on board a cargo ship?

 

[py3ak]

It is certainly possible to get rides as a "deck hand" from one place to another, but it's probably a lot more frequent with small boats owned by individuals than on large freighters (which have insurance concerns and a regular hiring process). But you can certainly go, for instance, from Florida to Panama on a succession of privately-owned (and not tremendously luxurious) yachts. But you'd better have some cash reserves before starting: it's unlikely you'll get much beyond passage and board.
If you were to be hired on a freighter, you could always quit when you hit Singapore or wherever.

 

[Zenas]

There seem to be openings with the Somali Pirates.

 

[jwithnell]

I ran into folks who worked seasonally as "interpreters" aboard cruise ships in Alaska. You have to have expertise in places/people/things that would interest the folks on cruises. This may be true in other areas as well. It's a pretty weird lifestyle, but it could be fun for a while.

The ferries that work the coast in Southeast Alaska used to have interpreters provided by the US Forest Service in the summer. That agency did all the training, so no expertise was required. I don't know if the program is still up and running.

None of this is a Hemingway-ish way to see the world, but it might be a way.

 

[Berean]

Curt could help you join the Navy. "See the world" and a whole lot more.

 

[AThornquist]

There seem to be openings with the Somali Pirates.

This is a very convenient service too since they speed right to you and even have an arsenal of weaponry on board for safety.

 

[Scottish Lass]

Curt could help you join the Navy. "See the world" and a whole lot more.

 

[Philip]

Or . . .

 

[Hamalas]

Thanks for the info guys! Hmmm Somalia.... Well I don't think their accepting Irishmen like me, we're just a bit to conspicous. So any ideas on how one might find a job on a cargo ship somewhere?

 

[SRoper]

How long of travel is planned? Would you have to miss gathering together with the saints? Is that a good idea if it can be otherwise avoided?

It seems to me that being a sailor is no different than being a doctor or a firefigher or a soldier as far as works of necessity. I'm not sure that the job being short-term has any bearing either.

 

[SRoper]

Sorry, "sailor" can be ambiguous. I meant it in the sense of someone hired aboard a water-borne vessel.

 

[py3ak]

This article, and forthcoming ones in the series, might speak to the OP.