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For a long time now I have wanted to go backpacking, and I want to go far. My plan is to fly to Fiji from the US with my best friend after I graduate college.
Once I get there I will basically be penniless, and I want to make my way home westward towards Australia without flying, all the way back to the US. I know that I will have to find jobs along the way in order to survive.
How realistic or unrealistic is this idea? What would I need to do to prepare myself for such a trip?
Any advice is appreciated.

First off, Welcome!

Yes it is entirely possible, if you don't get seasick.

Your options revolve around boats. Paid (and unpaid) crewing positions on sailing boats and mail/supply/cargo ships, as well as the occasional cruise liner. I know a little about the first option, but not much about the rest.

A lot of the supply ships only run once a month or two from place to place, and have no predictable schedule. If you head towards Micronesia the islands get closer together, if you head towards NZ the Sea's get rougher. Pick up a copy of Jimmy Cornells "World Cruising Routes." Track down "Pilot Charts" which show the wave height, and average wind speed for the lat/lon positions that you will be traveling. Load the odds in your favor of a pleasant voyage...

Fiji requires that if you don't have a return ticket, you have to have enough cash on hand for the return ticket. If you wish to fly into Fiji, and leave by boat (IE don't have 3k +/-) you'll need to have a letter from immigrations with approval, I do not know if you have to have the boat name pre-arranged. Get in contact with yacht club folks on the island, arrange to bring stuff for their boat needs, and they'll reciprocate with the how to's.

Search around for crew wanted websites, sailing forums, and sailing classifieds with crew as an option. You'll need to put up a looking to crew ad, everywhere you can. Lucky for you Fiji is one of the stopping points in the Pacific, Hawaii and Vanuata are the other two big ones though anywhere there are boats its possible to hitch a ride.

Your best bet once standing there is the yacht club, and bars frequented by cruisers. In both cases you'll want to get the word out ASAP, and treat it like a job interview.

http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Fiji/?rc=Formalities#Immigration

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/..._south_pacific.shtml

http://www.latitude38.com/crewlist/Crew.html

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/crew-wanted/

http://www.cruiser.co.za/crewfinder.asp

http://books.google.com/books?id=nOdU3dIbANoC&pg=PA20&l...bwgsc&hl=en#PPA19,M1 (Scroll to page 19)

You will need some basic gear, and a very small soft bag for luggage. Depending on the captain the level of experience, some take folks with none... others only want old salts. You'll be couped up on an island that measures in square feet, so decide if you can put up with the other folks on board. Learn enough about the weather and navigation to feel comfortable. Understand where to be during what month... and stay away from anyone trying to follow a schedule.

You'll want to have your own little GPS, life jacket, and harness... deck shoes and a few other safety bits. I would suggest the boat have a single side band radio, a life raft, as well as an EPIRB. (Just like stepping onto an airplane you are putting your life in the hands of the captain... remember that!)

If you are at all mechanical inclined, or understand electronics... or can cook... and don't smell to bad, someone will pick you up. Mostly you'll be working under the table unless you can get a permit... and small islands have a small economy.

Drugs are a big big no-no on these boats, just as a warning... Its not just you, but the captain that takes the blame for his crew, lose the boat, jail... etc. There are a lot of laws against international smuggling that can put a damper on everyones day. Same goes for anything else taboo that customs wouldn't want to see. A captains not outside his rights to search your stuff either...

The coolest part of all this is if you ask the captain to put together a crewlist and set up your return flight you'll get the returning seaman rate, and have double space for luggage. (Same deal if you can arrange your crewing position in advance...)

Captains look for obedient types, that are self aware, can take orders and stand watch without issue. If you go this way you will be working for every mile you go. Watch schedules and rotations are different on every boat, but they all are in operation 24 hours a day. Maintenance is a requirement, and observing what is wearing out, and fixing the broken are part of life.

The big key, is to hop from one developed place with infrastructure that attracts cruising sailboats, cargo ships, supply ships, and cruise lines. Otherwise cash will be hard to come by, and so will crewing positions.

I hope this gives you a start, I thought long and hard about it... and bought the boat instead. Have fun, and take lots of pictures!

Rocknrod,

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate you taking the time to write so much. This is all very helpful information.
What scares me is entering the countries, because like you said, I either need money to return or a letter from immigration or a visa or whatnot. So when I get on a boat to Australia and show up there, won't they just kick me out since I am supposed to be in Fiji?

It scares me a bit too, my limited understanding of the process is as follows:

When you leave Fiji, you'll get an exit stamp on your passport. You can get in some deep doodoo at the next port/country if you don't have an exit stamp from the last one, as a foreign flagged vessel is generally assumed guilty until proven innocent.

Countries have specific harbors which are staffed with immigrations officials, where foreign vessels clear in. These are called Ports of Entry. When a boat enters, the process is called "Clearing in."

The vessel is under quarantine until it has been cleared in, and flies the Q flag. An inspector comes aboard and checks for taboo items, which depend on the industry of the country. Agricultural items are of concern, firearms in most places are prohibited... and will either be taken and locked till you clear out, or placed in a locker with a wax seal. Break the seal and there is hell to pay. Some places take canned foods, liquor, and other things for either destruction or safe keeping till you clear out. To protect the native species, and avoid introducing pests and blights to crops.

Cruising guides, other cruisers, and a call to the embassy of the country you wish to go is how you find out those harbors, as well as whatever requirements there are. Visas may or may not be required prior to arrival, depending on nationality, and which way the wind blows. Immigrations may or may not have the ability to offer extensions to visas, cruising permits... etc. My understanding is that all this depends on the officer you are talking to, the gifts given... and what mood they are in.

In some places a duty fee is payed, or the boat is imported for a % of its value, which may or may not be returned. Receipts are of importance, as a crooked customs official can make up all sorts of fees and required gifts.

When you enter by sea as crew, most places deal with the boat, and you the crew... just like a big ship. Captain goes to the immigrations office, or immigration goes to the boat. Until papers are in order, the vessel flies a quarantine flag and none but the captain leave the boat. Immigration checks over the ships papers, crews passports, inventory... etc. Depending on the port, you may be classified as a passenger, or as crew. Bond may be required for crew, where as passengers are tourists... or they may see passengers as paying sorts and try to collect a fee. (Captains discretion, and their problem.)

Never ever is cargo declared, only ships stores and inventory.

Upon clearing out, its imperative that the boat doesn't stop or detour until out of the territorial waters. As stopping along the way is how the smuggling of humans occurs... either on the way in or out. Bad news to be suspected of this.

I forgot to mention... discuss all things that you will be responsible for helping out with. Will you be required to pay your own fees, supply your own food. In some cases captains expect to split the cost of the trip. Figure all this out before it starts, and ask for names of folks that have crewed with them before.

You can read about how clearance works in Australia, and what is required of you here:

http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Australia/?rc=Formalities#Clearance

And Australians Customs:
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=4260

There is a catch when it comes to Australia, and a few other places... they have a time window to renew a visa. So if you sail a boat there, stay for a few months... fly back to the states, and wish to go back to your boat you have some hoops to jump through, or you wait the six months.

Good luck, hope to see you out there.

Excellent, thanks again for the response.

So I get a working visa for Australia while I'm still in the US, I show up in Fiji with enough money for a return flight or a special letter from immigration. I make some contacts on the island with yacht captains and get a crewing position.

I get to Australia, visit Sydney, work enough to get up north and try to get a crewing position on a boat to either Indonesia or Papa New Guinea or both. I can purchase a visa upon arrival in Indonesia.

Then I get a crewing position on a boat to Thailand. Apparently I can get an automatic 30-day visa. I stay in Bangkok for a while, and then I get a crewing position on a boat going to India.

Or I can head north from Thailand to Burma, into China, because I want to see Tibet. Then through Nepal and into India.

After India I get on a boat to either Oman or the UAE because I want to see Dubai. Then I’ll trek across Saudi Arabia and cross the Red Sea, to Egypt.

After Cairo, I’ll move into Israel so I can see Jerusalem. From there, hop on a boat to Greece, then Italy. From there it should be just a standard backpacking through Europe deal. I definitely want to hit up Poland and the Netherlands, so I can check out Amsterdam. From there I’ll see how my best friend and I feel. We’ll probably try to get a crew position on a boat heading to the US. And then the voyage is over.

…I’ve still got a lot of preparation to do!

Having spent a considerable amount of time in the Pacific, the romance of traveling by boat really isn't worth the cost or hassle of doing it.

The only places I found it actually reasonable to find a yacht was Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Many private yachts will visit those places. Even in those places, you may have to wait a looong time.

Many Kiwis and Aussies are avoiding Fiji now (at least for sailing) because of the coup.

Whats the coup?

quote:

Originally posted by Winston87:
Whats the coup?

ummm.....the military coup that overthrew the government of Fiji.