Not an Axe Murderer? Get a Yacht Job
January 19th, 2007 Posted in International living/working, Long-term travel, Work/Life/Travel Balance
If you are willing to work in close quarters with others for a while on the open seas, that might be qualification enough to get a job on a yacht.
Working your way around the world can sound easier over a few beers at home than it actually turns out to be in reality. But it can be done, even if you’re a clueless hack with no obvious skills. Some would say it’s actually easier if you’re clueless, since you set out not knowing any better and can brazenly talk your way into things. But that’s another story. My point of this post is to point you to a refreshingly candid article in EscapeArtist.com, an expat site that is unvarnished, almost hype-free, and inspiration to anyone who thinks content should be more important than artsy design. (They’re one of the top 10,000 sites on the Web, though you wouldn’t know it from first glance.)
This optimistic Sailing Around the World for Free article leads off with two great blunt paragraphs. “If you want to experience owning a boat, go into a small, dark closet with a large, wet dog, and tear up 100-dollar bills. Ask any boat owner if this is true, and you will most likely receive a grim nod and a wry smile. However, if you are smart, you can experience the joys and trials of boating life without having to tear through your savings. It’s simple: sail on someone else’s boat.
Around the world, large yachts are being built faster than bored people can leave their jobs to become qualified crew. Since there are more available boats than available crew, the average person with little or even no experience can get a free ride on a yacht, as long as they don’t look like an axe murderer. ”
Great stuff, and even better there are real tips you can use to make it happen.
