17 November 2024 - Mad-ass America trip
My logic is simple:
- I want to go to America some time in my life
- I don’t want to fly (climate reasons)
Ergo:
I have to go by boad to America, and also back. And also get around America without flying. This simple conclusion came to me about a year ago, in the middle of the night in a hostel bed in Dubrovnik, and has not let go. I can’t argue with it, it is what it is. Now I just have to make it work and try not to die.
And I have done some research, here is what I found:
Is it even possible?
What I first learned is that since corona it is no longer possible to go by cargo ship, so I have to sail (but if Greta did it, why couldn’t I?) I don’t know how to sail, though. That means, I found out, that I will need to go by a MF PIRATE-ASS SHIP??!?! (aka tallship) It also means I will have to plan my trip after when the tall ships plan to go. Like, even whether South or North America I won’t have much say. It’s not like they do shuttle traffic.
The thing is, the time is basically now, because I don’t have any partner or family, and was planning on leaving my current job soon anyway. I have been able to save a lot of money the past few years. And I’m lucky with the timing. There is a perfect westbound* ship that (probably) sails basically just as my job contract would end. AND, after going to South America, it will ALSO GO TO NORTH AMERICA?! And also, it will be in the US to celebrate the country turning 250 years**, like that’s so cool?!? And then, hopefully the same ship will go back to Europe, but even if it doesn’t, the theory is that there will be other ships there that will. It’s gonna be like a tallship party ovet there. I don’t need any previous sailing experience to go on the ship, you learn to sail and do all the chores as you go.
As for traveling the continents without flying, I’m glad I have oobh plany off time. Off course I have to limit my travel to where I can get by train or bus. I also can’t use a car because I just lost my drivers license while travelling, I think I forgot it on a train, and/or it was stolen by someone who didn’t use my credit card. Anyway I basically haven’t driven a car since I got it so I would not trust myself. Hitchhiking would be an option, and seems to be a lot more safe than its rumor, maybe even easier for women. But still sounds scary, I haven’t done it before and would not do it alone as a first-timer.
Isn’t it kind of expensive?
Ehhehe yes… Going with that ship, I would be away for about a year in total. That is a lot of time to be without income. Again I’m lucky that I have have a good job, live cheap and have been able to save up quite a lot the past years, I’ve worked basically every summer since I was 16 and am not a huge spender. But my budget will likely tight anyway (once I have put aside like retirement savings and stuff). I don’t know yet though, they haven’t announced the voyages* and their dates prices yet, so I hope I’m overestimating the costs…
What will I do over there?
I will probably need to do a bit of volunteering to save money, which honestly that also sounds way more interesting and less hectic anyway. There seems to be quite the range of options (when you can search over basically all of America anyway). I’d love to do some environment-realted work, but we’ll see what there is and what places I can reach. It would be nice to stay for some weeks in three or so different places. I also hope to be able to learn some Spanish, ideally already on the ship if some crewmate can help me. A big fear I have is accidentally ending up alone somewhere where noone speaks English… Speaking of:
Am I crazy? Am I gonna die?
Like… Yes, probably a bit, and well I sure don’t hope so? No but seriously, I think we tend to overestimate risks like this A LOT. How many out of 100 000 are actually looking to rob you? Most people are well meaning, far more likely to try to help a stranger than to hurt them. Plenty have travelled solo before and been just fine. Just look at how many female solo travel blogs there are out there, I’m far from the first. A friend of mine is next level, she travelled the Transsibirian railway alone once, and then also western Africa (including going to countries where travel was adviced against…). She always found other people to join so she was never actually alone very much. And I have also done some solo travelling, even though a week on the road in Europe is a bit different from a year at another continent… Nevertheless, the risk is there of course. For one, probably the biggest risk that I myself mess up (and well see above about me forgetting my wallet on a train… I need to be more cautious…). Then sure, that of course there ARE people who would scam you or exploit you for money or whatever. And the consequences are far worse when you are so far away from your support network. I will try to join up with other travellers, not be out at dark, not go too off-grid, not go to countries or areas travel is discouraged by governments (that means for example that all of Central America is off limits, since I can only travel by road), and generally be far more risk-averse than normal. That being said, I’m a bit inspired to write a post about fear, cause I have a lot of that right now...
mf pirate ship?!?!
*ooh look at me using terminology
**I mean, to say the least, I am way less enthusiastic about it now that just over half the country decided that a dictator wannabe is a great leader for the worlds largest half-assed democracy. For everyones sake I it wont have completely deteriorated everything by then. If anything, what happens in US or geopolitically right now is what worries me the most (… guess I gotta tell Trump to please uphold the democracy so I can do my trip)