Traveling & Entertainment as a Mariner

Traveling and Entertainment

How do crew-members entertain themselves when they’re in such an isolated environment? Well, in this article we will go over a bit of the travel and entertainment aspects of the shipping industry. It may surprise you that mariners are probably some of the best people to ask when it comes to traveling to foreign countries, given that many mariners gain a lot of experience in this field as they get experience in Maritime career.

As always, with traveling comes the need for entertainment. Whether a mariner’s ship is currently in port or at sea is going to dictate what types of entertainment are available (obviously). Although this article will mostly be diving into what types of entertainment is available to mariners depending on what port they’re in, we will also go over a bit of how seafarers entertain themselves while onboard should the ship be at sea. After all, many marine engineers (depending on employer) spend more of their lives on ships than on shore, so let’s dive in!

Traveling Abroad

When it comes to traveling abroad, many of the typical destinations you see in movies or TV shows come to mind. I am talking about places like Paris, New York, London, Rome…etc. What if I were to tell you that mariners not only get paid to travel to all these places, but thousands more smaller port cities and towns throughout the world, in just about every country that has access to the sea? Big cities, like the ones mentioned above, certainly have their attractions, no arguments there.

With that being said, if you happen to be a traveler and enjoy smaller isolated locations free from the hustle and bustle of big tourist cities, I recommend you seek out someone in the Maritime industry to ask for a few recommendations about where to travel. Most mariners who have spent any time in the industry will have their favorite places to travel and will talk about them for hours. Best of all, a lot of these recommendations will probably end up being some small, far-away towns that you have never heard of!

Personally, I have spent a lot of time in Asia, some time in the Middle East, and some time in the Mediterranean. There are many small port towns throughout the world that love foreigners and have the nicest people in the world.

In my experience, most people around the world are similar in the fact that they are simply trying to live their life. As a foreigner, showing respect towards the locals you interact with goes a long way and makes people want to interact with and help you in any way they can while you are traveling. Below I will go over a few travel tips I have learned over the years…

Travel Tips:

Keep cash (and keep it hidden!) - Always keep cash on you for emergencies and HIDE IT! Needless to say, you should always research the destination before you go there and see if there are any no-go zones or sketchy places to avoid. This is especially true within the vicinity of most ports. For some reason, the heavily industrial environments of ports don’t always attract the best of the local populace.
Hide important documents - It is not called a fanny pack, but there are small, low-profile packs that can be secured around your waste and tucked into your pants. If you’re traveling to a place where it is not uncommon for tourists to be pickpocketed, I would recommend getting one of these to hide your passport or any other valuable items in while you’re traveling. Don’t give the pickpockets and thieves a chance to take your stuff! In the big cities, there are a lot of pickpockets around the tourist attractions waiting to pray on the unsuspecting tourists, so be aware of that.
BUY BOTTLED WATER! and carry a backpack - Whenever possible, also carry a backpack with you with some bottled water and whatever else you may want for the day. I say this for two reasons, the first is because you never know if the water will be drinkable where you are at (it may be for the locals, but your stomach may not handle it well). The second reason is so that you have a backpack to carry stuff around such as an extra shirt, towel, socks…etc. You never know, these things may come in handy! It is best to pick up some bottles of water at the airport upon arrival, so at least you know you have something to drink.

Most people have heard these travel tips before, but I would like to emphasize them to make your travels less of a hassle!

What is a typical port visit like for a Marine Engineer?

Typically, mariners will arrive and depart a city through a port (no surprise here!). Once they get out of the port and into town, the Engineers especially don’t typically have much free time (if any) to go out and explore, except for the occasional 4-5 hours or so. I say Engineers specifically because starting up (lighting off) the engineering plant and shutting it down take up much of the free time that could otherwise be used to explore the city.

Also, there may be hold-ups as far as clearing Customs and what not, which can eat up some of the time. Also, ships are usually in and out of port in less than a day, which doesn’t leave much time to explore in the first place.

If an Engineer does happen to get off the ship, many ports throughout the world will have what is called a Seaman’s center. The Seaman’s center is like a convenience store which mostly has food and toiletries for the mariners to stock up on and may have some sort of little restaurant to eat at and have a beer.

For short in-port periods, this may suffice for most Engineers as they just want to get off the ship for a bit, grab some food, and whatever toiletries they may need. However, some like to go out and explore whatever town they are in and, over repeated trips to the same area, become familiar with the layout of each port-town and get to know some locals.

In each visit, this exploring must be accomplished before the curfew. Mariners are, most times, given a curfew for returning to the ship, which is set according to when the ship is leaving, or when they will be needed for operations. If they arrive after the curfew, they risk being fired by the Chief Engineer or Captain and sent home.

Another risk of missing curfew is also missing Ship’s Movement (movement of the ship), which almost always leaves the mariner stranded, results in them being fired, and is a huge mess for the company they work for. This happens way more than it should!

Shipboard Entertainment

How do mariners entertain themselves while at sea and onboard ships? There are a few different options. The first thing I will say is that, depending on the ship, the Engineering crew works A LOT. So, most time spent outside of work is reserved for eating, doing laundry, and sleeping. There are, however, a few different options should someone want to partake in some sort of shipboard entertainment. A few of the options are listed here below:

Crew Lounges - Most ships will have at least a couple different crew lounges. These lounges typically have a couch, a TV, a small library of books, possibly a computer (if there is internet), board games, and any extras (I’ve seen a foosball table in one of the lounges before). In general, there is a dedicated lounge for the Licensed personnel (the “Ship’s Officers”) and the Unlicensed personnel (the “Ship’s Crew”). This also happens to be because the Licensed and Unlicensed part of the crew usually, but not always, are on separate decks (floors) of the House (the part of the ship that houses the people). Each deck will typically have its own lounge and laundry machines.
Movies, TV - Most ships have TVs in a few places of the ship. These places are the lounges (as stated above), as well as possibly the Mess Decks (dining areas). Some ships also provide a TV in each room for the mariners, should they want it. If there is TV service, it will be piped in via satellite to the ship, so the service is always shotty and cuts out a lot. Aside from TV, the ship’s communications department usually plays Movies on an internal network that the mariners can tune into.
BBQ’s - Depending on who the mariner is working for, shipboard BBQ’s typically occur on a fairly frequent basis (up to once a week, usually on the weekends). These BBQ’s give the crew a bit of time to relax and enjoy some decent food during off hours.
A Bar - Yes, you heard that right. Some Ship’s, depending on what country the ship is from and what company runs the ship, have their own Bar’s on them. The alcohol consumption is usually limited to minimal amounts, but there is in fact bars on some ships to give the crew the ability to relax after a long day’s work.

Recap

In this article, we went over a bit of what traveling is like for a Marine Engineer, a few different travel tips, and what the entertainment is like for a seafarer. The sailing lifestyle is an interesting one and traveling is a HUGE perk for most mariners. This career also gives many people a chance to see many destinations that they otherwise would not have seen, and experience foreign cultures. Again, if you liked this article, please let us know and feel free to contact us anytime. We are happy to answer any questions you have, especially regarding traveling!