Make Money While Cruising - List

[SM6WET]

Originally Posted by frank_f

I always thought that was called democracy. Some work and then the government takes money from them to give to others who just want to sit around. The Canadian government has been doing this for years.

Same here in Sweden......
And as they say here in Sweden about municipal workers:
1 works while 4 is watching.
We have so many people working to feed the people who dont want to work. I am not saying anything about not taking care of the sick and handicapped but there is so much lazyness you would not Believe it.

Some 16 years back I made a calculation of my taxes including hidden taxes (Welfare tax my employer pays, fees etc etc).
I was Young and working 2-shift in a factory with a medium worker wage. Not bad, and not well paid either.
Doing a budget for 6 months Writing down Everything I spend Money on I calculated my total tax of my total salery. In Sweden we have 6%, 12% and 25% VAT/Sales Tax depending on what goods or service you buy. We have also some goods which is luxury taxed, extra alcohol tax, environmentally taxed, fuel tax etc etc.
The results was really a nightmare.
It turned out my total tax was 83%
Now, if I would have earned more I would have paid even more tax.

[mako]

Originally Posted by SM6WET

Same here in Sweden...... The results was really a nightmare. It turned out my total tax was 83%. Now, if I would have earned more I would have paid even more tax.

Here's one possible solution to the tax problem that all of us face... come here to the Middle East for a few years. Big salaries. Tax free or huge exemptions (depending on your home country). The biggest outcome is that you will most likely increase your take home savings by multiple times.

I realize that most of the Western world hates the middle-east, but I'm planning on being able to retire by early 50's because of my time here. Plus it's culturally a very interesting place to be and has been a wonderful life experience for raising my kids.

It's a big world out there with lots of wonderful opportunities to be had.

[SM6WET]

I agree with you makobuilders, did work in UAE for a temporary while and enjoyed it very much. More money in the account and less expense on eating, vehicle and many other things although having a place to live was more expensive than at home.
One has to take into account the cost of insurances, retirement funds etc too. Those things are included in all the taxes where I come from.
Wish there were positions of my quality around in UAE, Bahrain or Quatar but unfortunately there is not much demand for my qualification.

[TravellerNick]

So... while the politics is all very interesting, does anyone have any good ideas on making an honest buck while still staying under the radar to avoid the mountains of paperwork. That may seem contradictory but it's not because taxes still get paid.

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[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by TravellerNick

So... while the politics is all very interesting, does anyone have any good ideas on making an honest buck while still staying under the radar to avoid the mountains of paperwork. That may seem contradictory but it's not because taxes still get paid.

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Let's see. If you sail into a foreign country in order to work you will need to apply for a work visa. If you want to fly under the radar as you say you can wait tables or work in a bar or shovel cow manure for a few dollars. Problem is in a lot of places such as Islands they already have a local population willing to do such work and who depend on such work to live.

One very lucrative activity if your flying under the radar is to set a video chanel with a pay for view, have a couple of your guest fellow sailors good looking well endowed girls and call your soft or otherwise pornographic site, sailor girls wild. Show lots of t&a and you should make more than enough. Problem is that the demented that pay for such things invariably want young and younger girls on screen. So your going to most likely end up using under age girls which will land you in jail. And rightly so.

If you have talent you could play and sing on street corners with a hat on the ground. You could also try landing gigs in bars but usually the local bars that have musicians have their own local talent. You could do different days or hours say 3pm during the week but just working for a tip jar in a bar isn't going to buy many meals.

Begging. Time honored way of getting money. Sit on the ground with a sign asking for money. Problem is a lot of foreign countries don't allow this and you could easily find yourself in trouble with the local police.

Offering services such as hairdressing to boaters could work. Again outlets licensed and approved to work in the country your in you could very easily end up on the wrong side of the law.

If you have computer skills you could do gigs online. Much harder these days since you'll be competing with New Delhi and Pakistan.

Prostitution also could work. Cities that have large naval bases with lots of sailors have a thriving prostitution trade. You could be the pimp and have the girls work and live onboard while offering services to sailors. Problem is the sailors with money will in most cases already have attractive women on board and those who don't have money usually are sailing alone and without the kind of money to keep you and your girls happy. Besides you will once again be competing for business with the locals. Meaning that in a short time you will.either be in police custody or swimming face down with the fishes after local businessman have dealt with you.

I could go on with so many more under the radar suggestions such as making and selling moonshine or importing and selling contraband such us whiskey and cigarettes. But all such activities end up badly.

Sorry if I'm being crudely blunt. But you either will be sailing into ports of poor countries where you will be competing against the poor locales or you'll be in rich countries where these countries have strict rules of who is allowed to work. Even if you just want a job shoveling manure.

Legal choices. Obtain a work permit and work legally.

Illegal choices. Do whatever you want under the radar and pray you don't get caught. As a reminder the illegal under the radar stuff.

1. Working without a work visa
2. Selling sex
3. Selling imported contraband
4. Begging
5. Stealing
6. Cheating
7. Becoming a grifter like most of the world's politicians.

Some people have skills that are in high demand that would be very welcome in foreign countries. Medical skills for instance. The local clinics or hospitals can in fact help organist the work permits. Same with some high tech skills.

Guitar players and jugglers will have a very hard time. For them see the options above.

Finally I am not for one minute suggesting the illegal options. I just mention these since you are willing to fly under the radar, whatever that really means. If it means being a law breaker than I suppose my list could be usefull. Though I wouldn't be doing any. In fact the only reason I have written what I have is to try to point out that there aren't a lot of good options. And the bad options are all bad.

Oh. I forgot one. How silly of me. If you plan on sailing the Caribbean then a natural would be piracy. Board other sailboats and steal from them in the dead of night while they are sleeping. You can get a pretty penny in town for a slightly used dinghy motor. But you have to be careful with this since a lot of salors are now setting booby traps on board and have such things as motion detectors and alarms.

Happy sailing under the radar.

[TravellerNick]

Well, ha ha, thanks for the essay. 😕
You make many good points some of which have been well researched. People for the past 50 years have been travelling while working around Europe, it's been the backpackers stock in trade. But things have changed a lot in the past 15 years which is why I'm asking such an awkward and vague question.
Charitable donations for efforts applied have dropped off significantly in the past 5 years. Seasoned buskers are having to give up their trade in England as they can scarcely cover their bus fare into town. I was planning on a vidio diary in a different vein (I'm not commenting on what yet) that would perhaps bring in a small donation. Two crew would be 20 somthing females but that would not be the angle I'd pursue.
I should say that I am not totally against doing some paperwork for the authorities but it must be sensibly balanced with practicality as you can devote a lot of your life to such practices. Remember, there's nothing in it for the officials to do their job except to draw their wage.
None of what I intend to do will be illegal so I take some of your suggestions with humour and some suggestions I will not even honour with discusion. I do wonder though if you speak from actual experience in trying these things or is this more of an outsiders perspective because from a ground level view it's not quite as impossible as it may appear.
Please, I hope you don't think of me as a vile crook, hoping to steal from hard working people to finance a leisurely trip round the world. I'm a hard working guy myself but I'm well aware that no amount of hard work in today's society will lift me out of the position I'm in. If I were to work and save until I have enough money to retire, I will be too old to enjoy it.

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[TravellerNick]

Repeated and deleated message.

[SM6WET]

Captained charter expeditions to remote places.
I think one needs to niche oneself in the market. I would take up the interest to those who want adventure expeditions. Go places no one or few other goes, make it all inclusive, make it so that the customers come to you.
Setup a contract with some boat charter firms and tourist agencies. Tell them they get 5, 7 or 10% on the sale. Get it pre-paid, pickup your customers in a nearby port and off you go.
There are people willing to pay quite many 1000s of €uros for to go to rare or remote places. I know a place not to far away from us where people pay €5-6000 pp/week. Their motive is different but one group really growing are those who is competing with themselves and others to visit as many “countries” as possible. To this lists of “countries” counts also various dependencies.

[TravellerNick]

Like it! Thank you. I've thought of this but know little of it so will research this some more. I like the angle of going to more remote places.
Helpfull and POSITIVE

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[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by TravellerNick

None of what I intend to do will be illegal...

I suspect that what you mean by this is that the activities would not be illegal, if you had all or the requisite paperwork in place before doing them. But then, that's the whole point. When you "fly under the radar" that, in itself, is illegal. You are breaking the law and that makes you--by definition--a criminal.

Now, understand me. I am not telling you that you should not "fly under the radar." I am not judging those who do. You do what you must, and what your conscience allows you to do. All I'm saying is, if you are going to do that, don't try to pretend that you aren't doing anything illegal. You are. And you had darned well better be aware that you are, before you start.

Because, of course, that is why there is risk in this approach. You know all those locals, who will see you as taking a job away from them? They will be more than happy to turn you in to the police for your criminal activity, if they can catch you at it. You will be the "illegal alien" that the locals are trying to get deported or sent to jail.

Whatever you do, I sincerely wish you the best of luck. Just be sure to go into it with your eyes open.

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by TravellerNick

Well, ha ha, thanks for the essay. ��
You make many good points some of which have been well researched. People for the past 50 years have been travelling while working around Europe, it's been the backpackers stock in trade. But things have changed a lot in the past 15 years which is why I'm asking such an awkward and vague question.
Charitable donations for efforts applied have dropped off significantly in the past 5 years. Seasoned buskers are having to give up their trade in England as they can scarcely cover their bus fare into town. I was planning on a vidio diary in a different vein (I'm not commenting on what yet) that would perhaps bring in a small donation. Two crew would be 20 somthing females but that would not be the angle I'd pursue.
I should say that I am not totally against doing some paperwork for the authorities but it must be sensibly balanced with practicality as you can devote a lot of your life to such practices. Remember, there's nothing in it for the officials to do their job except to draw their wage.
None of what I intend to do will be illegal so I take some of your suggestions with humour and some suggestions I will not even honour with discusion. I do wonder though if you speak from actual experience in trying these things or is this more of an outsiders perspective because from a ground level view it's not quite as impossible as it may appear.
Please, I hope you don't think of me as a vile crook, hoping to steal from hard working people to finance a leisurely trip round the world. I'm a hard working guy myself but I'm well aware that no amount of hard work in today's society will lift me out of the position I'm in. If I were to work and save until I have enough money to retire, I will be too old to enjoy it.

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TravellerNick. First I want to congratulate you on your response to my post. You easily could have been offended and in places I know it could have been taken as very harsh comments. But good for you in taking my comments in good spirits. This does speak of your character.

Some, if not most, of what I wrote was tongue in cheek. Mind you a toned down version of video production could work.

Life is hard. And as you have confirmed things have changed around the world. It was interesting to hear how hard times now are for buskers in London for instance.

I've been in business and an entrepreneur since I was 18. Haven't sung for my supper but have known many near starving artists. I've been classically trained and performed Opera as well as trained and danced ballet up until a few years ago. I just say that to let you know I do know of those who have struggled to be artists. I was lucky that I was able to balance the arts with business. And I hope in the near future I hope I will be able to balance ocean passage sailing while still enjoying business and at times performing for no other reason than for arts sake.

I wish you good luck and I am sure with your attitude, intelligence and resourcefulness you will make things work out. Hold fast to your dreams and make it happen.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by TravellerNick

Yeah, I'm well aware that most of us sailor cruisers are D.I.Y. types who have re-built their own boats, like me and can't afford professional help, like me. So many of my tools might get put into storage which will make room for crew in the aft cabin. Something tells me that it might be having four of us, looking to make money, that makes the whole adventure viable. The people I have in mind are er, a creative lot.

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Yes/No/Maybe.

"...most of us sailor cruisers are D.I.Y. types..."

No.

Most of them sailor cruisers are two groups: a) the retired middle class or rich, and b) middle age middle class on some sort of sabbatical.

None of the above are DIY types by nature. These/We are people who were lucky to be born in the lucky part of our society and so thru family links, universities and other social leverage they were in the position to purchase a boat and go on a sailing vacation of a lifetime.

They/We are a good market for good skills and I have worked for such people fixing their boats, writing their websites and adjusting their investments. I saw other people making new canvas for them, fixing their engines, refrigerators and toilets. Taking care of their children, steering their boats on long passages, etc etc etc.

There is a handful of very creative, very skilled people among the cruising crowd too. You cannot tell them apart from the other groups other than once you get into a conversation and hit the right note. These will not pay you cash BUT you can swap services or, less often, skills. Swapping skills with Bill Gates may be a better deal than getting $100 for fixing his toilet.

Whichever way you look at it, there is an opportunity either to earn or to grow, at times both.

What you need is the attitude: look at all those anchored (or berthed) people and ask yourself the only important question: what do they need. Then either create, provide or facilitate it.

Etc.

So to say yes there are skills but they are somewhat unevenly distributed. Otherwise people/we do not stop buying goods and services only because they/we go on sailing vacations.

Cheers,
b.

[TravellerNick]

Thank you GoingWalkAbout and thank you barnakiel.

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[mako]

It's interesting how a thread that basically started as a poll about how people earn money while cruising seems to have morphed into "how to make a few dollars illegally" and avoiding paying taxes.

Perhaps if one spent the same amount of effort into trying to make money as opposed to trying to save money/cheat the taxman, then one would be a lot more successful.

In any case, two really good ideas previously mentioned are: (1) offer scuba classes (if you're an instructor). Doing so from your boat is unique and marketable; and (2) adventure charters, if you boat is setup for it.

[TravellerNick]

I'm not sure who you're referring to about not paying taxes but over here we pay tax on everything we spend and 25% on everything we earn over 10k. I'm a great believer of paying taxes but if I keep my earnings below 10000, it's a headache I don't have to worry about.

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