Alright, /trv/, I have an idea. Say you wanted to get to Europe

Not this meme again.

>>1162228
Helpful. Thanks. Lotsa info.
Why is it a meme? The requirements for the US cargo ships seem daunting, but it doesn't need to be a US ship.

>>1162228
>>1162229
I think this is confused with the "can I just work odd jobs on a cargo ship for free transport" meme. Working a cruise ship is a different kettle of fish -- they do hire lots of workers for entertainment, food service, housekeeping, etc. and you do not have to have any sort of seamanship rating or anything for those jobs.

Whether or not they will let you disembark at a foreign port would be something you'd have to ask them. My hunch would be that they would not, as they hire a lot of semi-developed world workers and there are probably pressures on them not to let those workers informally immigrate. Contracts are likely "embark where we hire you, and we'll drop you there at the end.

But I guess you could sneak off, maybe?

Still, this seems like a really hard way to get to a location, work a regular job and save plane fare.

>>1162230
Yeah, I thought about that for Cruise ships. I was just wondering if any one has worked anything out, like reduced pay for early port dismissal. Doubt it, but who knows.
And is the cargo ship idea really that out there? I've been researching, and no chance in hell of hitching/working a US ship for transport, but a Chinese or Russian ship might be less strict. Worth a shot to save the 1,000+$ of flight to Europe.

>>1162237
>I was just wondering if any one has worked anything out, like reduced pay for early port dismissal. Doubt it, but who knows.

I'm pretty sure that is not going to interest anybody, but the world is full of surprises so maybe you can find some sketchy line that will play that game. But if I were hiring, that sounds too much like "I am not serious about working for you, and will jump ship first chance I get," and I would not hire you if you brought it up.

>I've been researching, and no chance in hell of hitching/working a US ship for transport, but a Chinese or Russian ship might be less strict.

Yeah,m the sketchier you go, the better your chances of:

A) Getting taken on board
and
B) Getting dumped over the side for the gold in your fillings.

You probably will have to get hired at some third-world port, so you still are going to have to pay for transport to get THERE.

With many years of watching this sort of thread here, I can't recall anybody who convincingly claimed to have made it work.

>Worth a shot to save the 1,000+$ of flight to Europe.

Is it, though? How long are you going to work on a sketchy third-world ship to get the passage you want? They absolutely will not just take you on board from port A to port B just to do odd jobs -- you are not qualified to do the jobs they need done, and they already have crew to do them. But maybe with a sketchy enough ship, you could sign on to work for, what, a couple of months? And you'd make some money, and get a day in whatever sketchy port your sketchy ship visits, and at the end maybe you could get discharged at some place you wanted to go. If that appeals to you, go for it, but the odds are long that you can make it happen at all.

Get yourself some experience with mechanical repairs and the like, and some familiarity with boats and ship handling procedures. Or learn to cook for a crew, maybe. And good luck.

But still, it seems easier to save up a few bucks and buy a ticket.

>>1162242
Thanks, good points made.

>>1162237
>1,000+$ of flight to Europe
How fucking much?
Did you look hard for cheap fares on ITA etc? That's a fuckton of money from my perspective.

>>1162291
Maybe he's talking Canadian dollars (poor buggers).

>>1162291
>>1162295
I'm not, just looked briefly at flight costs. This is still a long way off.
How do you get cheap flights?

>>1162328
Start with the sticky...

>>1162351
Oops, Im a dumbass

>>1162361
Nah, it was just meant as a pointer, not a scolding...