Cruise & Freighter Travel Association
P.O. Box 580188 - Flushing, New York 11358
Toll Free in U.S. & Canada: 800-872-8584
E-mail: info@travltips.com

FREIGHTER TRIP CHECK LIST

These handy, member-submitted check lists of things to take along, not to forget, etc.
on your next freighter voyage make helpful reading for any cruise or extended vacation
you may have planned.

PACKING CAREFULLY FOR A FREIGHTER TRIP
by Martha Smith

We recently returned from a voyage with Blue Star, a passenger-carrying freight line which offers regular sailings from the West Coast to Australia and New Zealand. People always ask us, "How do you pack, and what do you pack for a two-month voyage?" So I wrote this piece, hoping it may be useful to fellow members. Carefully planned packing is an easy way to reap full enjoyment from a freighter voyage. There's no way to go to market for forgotten items in mid-ocean!

Luckily, passengers on most freighters can take a fairly large amount of luggage. Cabins are spacious with ample closet space, hooks on the wall for hanging jackets, and many drawers in furniture, sometimes even drawers under the beds.

Ships provide towels and bed linen, but foreign flag vessels do not usually furnish face cloths or Kleenex. Ask about this from the line's passenger representative or have your travel agent check.

Pack scissors, Scotch tape, extra pens and pencils. A small sewing kit is useful; it may make you the most popular passenger when you lend a needle to somebody who has lost a shirt button. Pack some U.S. stamps for postcard mailings at departure and home arrival ports.

Collect small containers of toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, shampoo, etc. These are easier to shut away in case of rough seas. Even lipstick tubes can be annoying when they skitter back and forth on a rolling tabletop or floor.

Take many single dollar bills; they can be useful onboard ship and in many of the ports. Take your "big money" in five, ten and 20 dollar denominations. It can be impossible to get change in some foreign ports for anything bigger. Carry at least one credit card. (Editor's note: ATM debit cards are very handy as cash machines are now found almost everywhere, allowing you to withdrawal money directly from your savings or checking accounts at home. They provide convenient foreign exchange-usually at a good rate-and eliminate the hassle of restrictive bank hours).

We take two or three insulated plastic cups for our overnight water oasis. We take a laptop computer and sometimes even its printer. Be sure to take a converter for electric appliances, if required.. Razors and hair dryers may need one as well as the computer. Flat shoes or sneakers with ridged soles are a MUST for deck-walking and for scrambling up and down outside ladders (the seaman's word for stairways).

Take a hat that won't blow off in sea winds. Some ships require headcover for boat drills. You'll need at least one sweater and maybe a jacket, even on tropical voyages. The jacket is for on-deck windy days and a sweater can be useful in the ship's air-conditioning. Binoculars and sun glasses are handy to have.

When ocean-watching palls, be sure to have amusements handy. Though most ships carry shelves of paperback books, take along a few new ones. Or you might actually find time to read War and Peace all the way through! Crossword puzzles are good to have, and knitting or crochet can be done. Some long term project might be finished on board. Alex Haley wrote much of Roots while sailing between the U.S. and Africa. I'm writing this in the mid-Pacific.

In ports, check out the "Seaman's Club." They're hospitable to passengers, sometimes even providing transportation to and from the port.

You can get along nicely with a few changes of clothing. Most ships have laundry rooms with machines and detergents provided gratis. Some have small drying-rooms with clothes lines; better take a few clothespins. That room is usually so warm garments dry quickly while hanging. This lessens the need for ironing although many ships provide a board and iron.

Bring along some current magazines. No radio, TV or newspapers are available at sea. It makes one hungry for current information. The longer the voyage the more welcome are recent magazines. Passengers share reading material and usually pass them on to the crew. A battery-operated international band radio will get English language newscasts on deck if not in your cabin.

After several voyages we devised a method of packing that works nicely for us. We use sturdy military-type duffle bags. Start packing the bag with a small box of paperbacks. After that, you can stuff in folded nightwear, sweaters and other garments. These bags will hold many of the items recommended earlier.

If yours is a holiday voyage, take along a number of inexpensive gifts. At Christmas shipboard parties, every crew member is happy to be remembered. Wrapping gifts will while away a few mid-ocean hours.

Once on board and unpacked, the cabin steward may be able to take away bags and cases to storage. You won't need those until home port!

People often ask us about tipping. We spread our tips out over the voyage. We also tip the deck hands who carry our baggage aboard. When we find out the names of chief steward, cabin steward and dining room waiter, we tip them about the second day out. We tip once a week or every ten days after that. Amount? It depends on how much service you require from whom.

Bon voyage!

"Last February, my wife and I returned from a two-month voyage to Australia & New Zealand with Blue Star Line. Rather than write another account of the ship itself, it occured to me that a check list may be helpful to first-time freighter travelers. Over the past 50 years my wife and I have made 19 freighter voyages. From each we have returned with new ideas for items to be packed or preparations to be made for the next trip. The following check list evolved from that experience." By Mack Burke

Cancellation Policy
The brochure or information sheet will spell out the company's cancellation policy. Unless this is very liberal, you should consider trip cancellation insurance. Many freighter travelers are covered by Medicare which does not provide for coverage outside the United States. Therefore, unless you have a private health policy, trip health insurance is also a good idea.

Funds aboard Ship
The fine print will tell you whether you can use U.S. currency and travelers checks for shipboard expenses or only the former. No freighter company that I know of accepts credit cards or personal checks. Some ships provide facilities for buying small amounts of local currency on arrival at foreign ports. Others do not, and you might consider buying­­through your bank or an international currency broker­­small amounts of local funds for each country on the itinerary to cover taxi or bus fares into town to reach a bank. In Latin America and Southeast Asia, you can often use U.S. one-dollar and five-dollar bills for this purpose.

Electrical Appliances
Freighter brochures generally specify the type of electric current available on the ship and indicate whether U.S. 110-volt electric razors, hairdryers, etc. can be used. They will also tell you whether there are laundry facilities available to the passengers and if detergent is provided.

Alcoholic Beverages
Freighters generally have beer, wine and other liquor available, either by the bottle or by the drink. They will arrange to have duty-free liquor in case lots put on board or passengers can bring their own supplies.

Miscellaneous Items
Company literature will often provide information on whether washcloths and facial tissues are supplied or if the latter can be purchased on board along with toothpaste and other sundries, including cigarettes, from the ship's Slop Chest.

Previous Passengers
If you can arrange to speak or correspond by letter with a former passenger of the same ship, it is often helpful. However, ships vary even within the same line. One will have a well-stocked library, an exercise room, pool and other amenities. Another will not. On every ship, the captain sets his own rules regarding where passengers may go on the vessel, including the Navigation Bridge. (Editor's note: We suggest reading a fellow member's account of the freighter trip that interests you in previous issues of TravLtips and, if necessary, writing the author with additional questions.)

Books
We always take a good supply of books, maps, etc. on a freighter. When we are flying to the departure port, we mail packages of books­­at the low book post rate­­addressed to ourselves in care of the ship's agent. This saves having to carry a lot of extra weight on the plane.

Other Things to Take (not a complete list!)
Needlework, Knitting or Crossword Puzzle Books: If these are your hobbies, take a good supply. There is no entertainment on a freighter other than videotapes of old movies, board games, playing cards and jigsaw puzzles.
Short-wave Radio: This can often be connected to the ship's antenna, and the radio officer can tell you the frequencies of British Broadcasting Company, Voice of America and other English-language stations.
Batteries: We carry extra batteries for the radio clocks, watches, etc. and electric plug adapters. A couple of 100-watt bulbs will be useful, too. Be sure they match the ship's current, either 220 volts or 110 volts.
Binoculars: Standard-size binoculars are practically a must for enjoying freighter travel. Miniature binoculars are easier to carry but not as useful at sea.
Non-skid matting: This rubberized matting can be purchased in rolls in marine or yacht supply stores. It can be cut in convenient sizes and placed under books and other items and in drawers to keep things from sliding in your cabin.
Work Gloves: Outdoor ladder and stair railings on freighters are often greasy, so be prepared!

Other Preparations
We calculate the amounts of medicines, drugs, toiletries­­including sunscreen­­that we should take with us. For long voyages, we also do a "count down" of the food in the refrigerator and freezer and plan menus ahead so both will be empty when we depart.

Anyone who has traveled on a freighter will, of course, have other suggestions to offer, but we think the above list will provide the first-timer with a head start on a wonderful and less worrisome way to travel!

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7/28/99