Caribbean Travel – Sailboat at the Dock

 
The difficult, but first crucial step is finding your in, into the sailing community. The sailing community is very tight knit and everyone kind of knows everyone. This is great for any couples hoping to find a free ride for two reasons –

1) It can get a bit old and boring with the same old people so new faces are usually very welcomed.

2) Once you find your in, even if its not a free ride, you will be able to quickly make other connections and find possible rides.

Chelsea Schmidt  (to be continued)

Caribbean Travel – A Free (Or Cheap) Lift

 
The first thing to realize is that 99% of the captains approaching you for sailing trips are running “for profit” sailing routes. This is a business and the prices will reflect that. Most of the ships in the Caribbean though are not in the chartering business.

Thousands of expats and retirees have made a life out of sailing these waters full time. These are the people most likely to give you a free (or cheap) lift in exchange for some help on the boat or a share of the gas and food.

So, how can you actually get the chance to sail for free around the Caribbean?

Chelsea Schmidt (to be continued)

Caribbean Travel – Across the Darien Gap

 
A lot of backpackers to this region of the world actually do end up sailing – from Panama to Colombia or vice versa. Jason has a great resource guide on this trip and some tips on how to find and book a good boat.

Unfortunately, the trip is $400+ one-way and only lasts about 3-5 days. This is one of the only ways across the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia so a lot of people end up forking out the money. I’m going to let you in on a few secrets though that might save you a bit of money and possible help you land a much longer, more exotic trip around the Caribbean.

Chelsea Schmidt (to be continued)

Caribbean Travel – Sailing in Colombia

 How to Sail Around the Caribbean for (Nearly) Free 

If you are traveling around Central America or the northern part of South America, you are going to be seeing a lot the Caribbean Sea. Warm, beautifully blue ocean stretched out for as far as the eye can see… looks pretty inviting doesn’t it? 

Now if you’re traveling on a backpacker’s budget, you’re probably thinking that a sailboat ride around the Caribbean is way out of your budget but I have good news – it’s not!

Chelsea Schmidt