How To Travel The World By Boat
It might be that you’re just finishing education and wanting to see some of the world before you settle into a job, or perhaps you’ve done all the tourist routes and just fancy a bit of a change from the beaten track. Whatever the case, travelling the world by boat can be incredibly rewarding and a more ‘authentic’ experience than more common methods. In fact, boat travel came well before any other method, but its popularity has steadily dwindled to the point where nobody really knows how any more. For anyone with desire to give it a shot, here are some important things to know.
More Money. Unfortunately, due to the phenomenon known as ‘supply and demand’, travelling by boat is no longer the cheap option that it once was. You might be able to find some bargains, but you should expect to pay a fair bit for boat travel. This extra money however will seem like small change when you realise just how much better it is though. Also, if you are coming back the same way, boat owners and liners such as Silversea cruises often offer discounts for return trips.
Expect Small Vessels. Depending on where you are going you may get a few larger boats and luxury cruises to enjoy. However, if you want to do some real travelling and actually see some of the countries you are visiting you will need to disembark onto smaller boats. What you might loose in creature comforts on the smaller boats, you will more than make up for in the access they give you to the most hard-to-reach places.
Listen To Locals. Unless you are happy just seeing the very touristy areas of a country and not exploring further, you should really take on board what the locals advise. It is in their interests to look after visitors and show them good places as they want the visitors to enjoy their time and spend more money when they return again. They will know the best routes and the best boats to travel on and you will likely see sites that other tourists can only dream of.
For more information on boat trips and Seadream cruises, visit WSC.