# My friend wants to go to Europe on a boat, not a cruise ship. What can he do?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 9, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483 "2002-10-09T05:01:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/1 "2002-10-09T05:01:22Z")
He wants to go across the atlantic on a boat. Money is not an option. He doesn’t necessarily want it to be a cruise ship. What can he do?
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/2 "2002-10-09T05:38:07Z")
He could stow away on a pirate ship.
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/3 "2002-10-09T05:50:50Z")
Well, if he doesn’t _mind_ a cruise, he can check out:
[http://www.traveltrade.com/traveltrade/generic\_page.jsp?articleID=1765](http://www.traveltrade.com/traveltrade/generic_page.jsp?articleID=1765)
or this site that asks for opinions from previous travelers:
[Shopping Online at Shopping.com | Price Comparison Site](http://www.epinions.com/trvl-Cruises-All-Transatlantic2/)_redir\_att_\_~1
or look for discounted cruises:
[http://www.greatcruises.com/Transatlanticcruises.htm](http://www.greatcruises.com/Transatlanticcruises.htm)
Or, to go by freighter (without working as a deckhand or wiper):
[http://members.aol.com/CruiseAZ/icl.htm](http://members.aol.com/CruiseAZ/icl.htm)
or
[http://www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf](http://www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf) requires Adobe Acrobat or try the same site using Google’s pdf-to-html translator:
[http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:Rk9v\_lcxPv4C:www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf+transatlantic+passenger+service&hl=en&ie=UTF-8](http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:Rk9v_lcxPv4C:www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf+transatlantic+passenger+service&hl=en&ie=UTF-8)
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/4 "2002-10-09T05:54:16Z")
That last one should be:
[http://www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf](http://www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf) requires Adobe Acrobat or try the same site using Google’s pdf-to-html translator:
[http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:Rk9v\_lcxPv4C:www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf+transatlantic+passenger+service&hl=en&ie=UTF-8](http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:Rk9v_lcxPv4C:www.travltips.com/PZM.pdf+transatlantic+passenger+service&hl=en&ie=UTF-8)
(If this fails and you want the html version, cut and paste it into your browser selection window.)
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### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/5 "2002-10-09T05:54:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> He wants to go across the atlantic on a boat. Money is not an option. He doesn’t necessarily want it to be a cruise ship. What can he do?
Do you mean _Money is not an **issue** _? Because if money is not an option, he’s going to have a very hard time…
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/6 "2002-10-09T05:56:25Z")
Yeah. If money is not an _option_, tell him to go to the Coast Guard and get himself an Ordinary Seaman card, then go to an ocean front union hall and try to get a job sailing across on a freighter.
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### Author:  [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/7 "2002-10-09T06:34:28Z")
Money is not an option? I don’t understand this. Do you mean that cost isn’t a factor to be considered, _i.e._ your friend is a founding Microsoft partner? Or do you mean that he wants to do it at no expense to him or her?
Freighters that carry passengers are getting scarcer in these container ship days I think. A travel agent can arrange passage on a freighter if any that take passengers are still around.
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/8 "2002-10-09T07:08:30Z")
Commercial ships do take passengers. It’s generally an expensive and not overly salubrious way to go. Ahhh, the lovely aroma of curry, diesel and the great unwashed, combined with 1970’s fake woodpanelling.
Alternatively, go to your local sailing school, learn to sail and get your basic crewing certificate. Then head for the Carribean or Florida and hang about yacht clubs offering yourself 'round as crew, at the beginning of Summer. Many cruising and luxury yachts start to head across the Atlantic for the European cruising season about then. Of course, if you have good sailing experience, can cook and look good in a bikini, your chances of catching a ride, and the chance that someone will want you along without you paying your way, will be much improved.
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### Author:  [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2002, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-wants-to-go-to-europe-on-a-boat-not-a-cruise-ship-what-can-he-do/131483/9 "2002-10-09T09:28:17Z")
Back in the 70s, Marcie went to Europe as a passenger on a freighter. She says her cabin was nice, the cost was reasonable and the food was great.