This trip isn’t just about the journey itself. It is also what I find along the way. Experiences in the past taught me that this is almost always easily done so long as you are prepared to take a few risks, trust in the good side of human nature and never refuse the hospitality of people you meet.
I have long held a desire to work for passage aboard a large freight ship. This, it seems, will be nothing short of a miracle should I manage to achieve this, as times have changed!
It was once a tried and tested means of seeing the world, but no longer. The post 9/11 world is not so welcoming to scruffy travellers wondering the docks boarding ships. Neither do maritime insurers nor workers unions find it particularly amusing. But if you don’t try…..
Appreciating I may not be able to rely on freighter travel, I will be aiming to crew aboard private yachts. Thankfully, the two main sea crossings I am faced with the current plan are both reasonably well travelled by these. This is the only alternative option, as no passenger service ferries ply these routes.
The first thing that struck me when looking at this route, is how little actual water separates the UK from down under. Which is silly, because I spend way too much time looking at maps these days – I should have known that. But you know, we all regard Australasia as such an impossibly long way away, or at least a 24hr flight that people don’t notice you could almost walk there but for a few very short sea crossings. |
