Foreign Waters

[PocketNaomi]

I've been reading a lot about people who live full time on their boats and don't stay in any one country for very long, and it got me to wondering. How do you handle permission to dock, and then to remain there for a while, when you're doing this full time in a varied assortment of countries? Just travel on your home passport and don't stay in any one country for longer than you're allowed to remain on tourist terms? What happens if your boat needs repairs, or you need medical treatment? How do you get prescriptions filled regularly, if you have any that need to be filled? The idea of not really having a country of residence at all and just moving around sounds exciting, but the logistics also look pretty scary!

People talk about how to bring your work with you, but for me that would be the least of it, if I were to try and do this (which I've played with as an idea, but don't know enough about to be able to realistically assess as an option yet). How to bring my medical care with me is probably hardest. And what to do if my home country stops being a place where I feel comfortable returning to. I don't know whether or not I would continue feeling safe traveling on its passport if I didn't feel safe going home -- what if something went wrong and I *had* to go home because something like the pandemic happened and all the other countries shut their doors to non-residents?

How do the people who actually spend their time traveling from country to country handle these things?

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by PocketNaomi

I've been reading a lot about people who live full time on their boats and don't stay in any one country for very long, and it got me to wondering. How do you handle permission to dock, and then to remain there for a while, when you're doing this full time in a varied assortment of countries? Just travel on your home passport and don't stay in any one country for longer than you're allowed to remain on tourist terms? What happens if your boat needs repairs, or you need medical treatment? How do you get prescriptions filled regularly, if you have any that need to be filled? The idea of not really having a country of residence at all and just moving around sounds exciting, but the logistics also look pretty scary!

People talk about how to bring your work with you, but for me that would be the least of it, if I were to try and do this (which I've played with as an idea, but don't know enough about to be able to realistically assess as an option yet). How to bring my medical care with me is probably hardest. And what to do if my home country stops being a place where I feel comfortable returning to. I don't know whether or not I would continue feeling safe traveling on its passport if I didn't feel safe going home -- what if something went wrong and I *had* to go home because something like the pandemic happened and all the other countries shut their doors to non-residents?

How do the people who actually spend their time traveling from country to country handle these things?

How do you handle permission to dock. There are check in/check out procedures for all countries you might wish to visit. You can find them on forums, guide books, noonsite, or word of mouth. They are easy.

Just travel on your home passport and don't stay in any one country for longer than you're allowed to remain on tourist terms? Yes

What happens if your boat needs repairs, or you need medical treatment? People often travel out of the country while their boat remains there, and when they return they get new visas's for the standard time. But you need to know ahead of time (before you do that) if the country allows it. If not, you take your boat to another country. You work these things out as you go.

what if something went wrong and I *had* to go home because something like the pandemic happened and all the other countries shut their doors to non-residents? You stay there, but usually your own country would allow you to return, but you might be separated from you boat for a while.

How do you get prescriptions filled regularly, if you have any that need to be filled? You go to a local doctor and they give you a new prescription which can be filled at a local pharmacy.

How to bring my medical care with me is probably hardest You mean your medical insurance? many insurance companies will reimburse you for your medical expenses you have an a foreign country. Some cruisers don't carry medical coverage because many foreign countries have medical systems which are affordable without insurance, and you fly home (if you can, depending on the emergency) for major medical issues.

I don't know whether or not I would continue feeling safe traveling on its passport if I didn't feel safe going homeApply for residency and stay in the new country

Actually, all of these issues are pretty easy to deal with. Maybe a more difficult challenge is to get comfortable with the idea of living on and sailing a boat and all the hassles (maintenance, repairs, heat, breakdowns, etc) that this entails, plus the actual sailing of the thing (storms, etc).

We have lived on our boat for 35 years and visited 35 countries (lived in several for extended times) and it is doable. But first, become a sailor.

[PocketNaomi]

Actually, I didn't mean my insurance necessarily, though that's part of it; I meant the opportunity to see the same doctor regularly for chronic illness. I'm so used to my own chronic illness that I forget there are people who don't need to see the same doctor regularly every could of months in order to keep their multiple prescriptions up!! That doesn't mean I couldn't do it -- it would probably just mean coming back to the same country/city whenever I needed to see the doctor, and use a mail-order pharmacy to get three months' supply at once, delivered to a mailing address I can arrange to collect from. But it would take some adjusting.

I don't know whether the countries which have civilized national medical care will accept me as a regular patient on a tourist visa... which could be a problem if part of the reason for my traveling full time would be to stay well and thoroughly out of the United States. I might need to get residency in some other country that I was prepared to go back to when I need to see the doctor. I know that European countries accept tourists as patients in their medical system when there's an incident that needs treatment while they're passing through, because my husband has had it happen; but I don't know how they would feel about my becoming a regular patient who had to go back to the same doctor on a consistent basis, for a predictable issue rather than one which came up while I was away from home.

I'm glad to know that the entry paperwork wouldn't be an issue. I'm going to need to find out more about the medical situation.

[LittleWing77]

Here's a book I regularly recommend for women contemplating liveaboard cruising. I think there's a whole chapter on medical considerations, as I recall. It has a wealth of information and will delve into your questions in depth (altho' wingssail provided super short-form responses above):

The Cruising Women's Advisor
https://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Woma...5498338&sr=8-1

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by PocketNaomi

..........I know that European countries accept tourists as patients in their medical system when there's an incident that needs treatment while they're passing through, because my husband has had it happen; but I don't know how they would feel about my becoming a regular patient who had to go back to the same doctor on a consistent basis, for a predictable issue rather than one which came up while I was away from home.

I'm glad to know that the entry paperwork wouldn't be an issue. I'm going to need to find out more about the medical situation.

As a generalisation, IME, the vast majority of doctors anywhere in the world treat all patients in the same way in so far as they treat the medical condition as presented. They care not one hoot if it is a one off curable issue or a chronic long term illness, they simply treat the condition presented, ongoingly if needed.

Paying for such services is completely different question and one on which I can offer no advice.

Disclaimer - I am not a health care wallah!

[goboatingnow]

My experience of meeting full time cruising live-aboards are even when they have no house anymore , they still retain links with the “ home country “. This would include several visits “ home” and would include medical procedures etc.

I do think however if you have a persistent medical issue requiring accessing medical resources you need to think carefully about non residency.

Accessing medical resources in most “ half decent “ countries isn’t that difficult and in general such care is excellent however elective medical procedures are not generally covered by national /state health schemes for non residents. So you are going to reply on medical insurance and or repatriation

Again , accessing medical facilities isn’t difficult once you can pay for it or are covered by insurance.