Traveled to 9 countries without a passport

[Wotname]

Fascinating thread when seen from the other side of the earthb and perhaps an insight into the hearts and minds of the USA!

It combines the two oldest professions of the world plus the human desire to travel and the want of authority to regulate the same; I note that wikipedia cites an early type of passport as far back as 450BC.

But what is truly noteworthy is the number of those amongst us who can legitimately throw the first stone. Unfortunately I can't include myself in those excalted ranks and I don't condone the reported actions of the bil but neither am I willing to condem him.

YMMV

All rather sad I feel.

[Mai-tide]

I used to have a co-worker while I was working in California, he is just a stand up guy in all areas. One Xmas season, our company was raffling off a paid vacation to France for 2 weeks. Low and behold he wins it.

After all the excitement, He confides in me that he is not able to travel out side the usa cause of immigration reasons (he is not illegal btw). He has been living in the usa for over 45 years, and is never able to legally travel outside the usa and return.

Long story short. He can legally stay in the usa, be once he leaves, slim chances of being able to return back here. (Political asylum)

He told me many stories when he wasn't able to return back to his country for family emergency, even the death of his parents.

Back to my bil, I'm sure there are many people out there that is not able to obtain a passport for a variety of reasons. For him to take the plunge and pursue his dream, regardless of some paper we call a passport, that in itself I admire him.

If my bil had his passport, this thread here would have never been conceive.

Sure my bil owes a little of child support and taxes here and there. Is that flaw enough to crucify him?

My bil has pass his prime, in a few short years he will be in some nursing home, waiting to die, but I would bet his time traveling abroad will forever be embedded inside his heart and cherish those moments, the good, the bad and especially the ugly questionable women he met

I'm not here to rock the boat, I just want to convey to some of you guys my bil experiences and how jealous I am.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Mai-tide

I'm not here to rock the boat, I just want to convey to some of you guys my bil experiences and how jealous I am.

So why don't you "just slip out the back Jack" if you think your Bil's experience is so great?

[Alecadi]

And what all this has to do in a Cruisers Forum?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Mai-tide

Back to earth.

My original posting is about traveling to 9 countries with out a passport....

I would like to hear stories where people just docked right in and wonder the streets of a foreign land. Went un notice and onto a another country.

The only country that I have visited without a passport was in Mexico. Getting into Mexico is a breeze, getting back to the states was a whole new ordeal. I was finger printed, held in secondary for hours till my identity was confirmed.

I once tried to enter Canada from Seattle, I was freaken deny due to the fact that I had a dui in 1983.... Wtf..... Apparently in Canada, you must be whistle clean to enter. There goes my plan of retiring in Canada when I'm old and gray just for the free health care.

So some day I will sail into Canada and sneak along shore and head directly to the pharmacy for my free prescription drugs refills.

You seem to be drawn to doing this under the radar. Why is that?

Its actually easy and less risky to do it legally, as your experiences illustrate, so what is the upside/draw of doing it without papers? Mid-life crisis? Tired of living inside the tidy little box of middle America?

My record for crossing boarders officially undocumented was 6 times between Belize & Guatemala within a few days. No paperwork in or out on either border for me, my crew, or the boats. This was due to the extenuating circumstance of moving boats to avoid a hurricane. However, the officials knew me & what I was doing (as well as several other captains & crews), waved to me as I went by, and we sorted out the paperwork later. Would this kill the rush for you because they knew?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by svmariane

A note on Thailand and the sex trade business.... from our experience...
...
All that easily arranged because my wife simply paid the bar fine* - or "bought" - a girl for the night (600 Baht, or roughly 15 USD at the time), just as would any male customer.
...

A friend's wife used to do a similar thing. She had befriended one of the girls and would occassionally buy her for the night just to get her out of there. They would go out, have a nice meal, do girl stuff.

She knew she wasn't going to change the world, but it was an act of kindness toward this girl.

[K_V_B]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

"Maybeless borders, less fighting over resources, less war, less poor people getting killed protecting the rich guys stuff. IMHO."


Five thousand years of recorded history, and geo-politics, and sovereign territories, and no one's ever come up with this thought yet. Gee...That's incredible.

Interestingly until about WW I crossing a border was trivial. You could travel around Europe without needing a passport. You could move anywhere you wanted. However, getting someone to rent you a place to live or give you a job was entirely your own problem.

We're starting to get there again in Europe, but apparently now we need a lot of bureaucracy for that.

[krafthaus]

Originally Posted by Mai-tide

Back to my bil, I'm sure there are many people out there that is not able to obtain a passport for a variety of reasons. For him to take the plunge and pursue his dream, regardless of some paper we call a passport, that in itself I admire him.

What a load of bull crap. You're a troll.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Billboy]

Whilst I was in Thailand I heard this story first hand.
A man entered Thailand at a small border crossing late at night after it had closed so he walked across and stayed in a motel on the Thai side then walked back up to the border crossing in the morning to get his official entry log in his passport.
He got arrested and put in jail for 24 hrs for entering the country illegally.
A major offence in Thailand.
After his home country recognized him as a citizen or theirs the Thais released him.
24hrs in a Thai jail was not fun.
Beware about entering a country illegally.
He was luc
ky it was only one day.

[BigTraverse]

Thank you Mai-Tide for sharing this story. You have received a lot of harsh criticism but I appreciated your willingness to be open and share.

I plan on living the sailing life one day although it will probably not be on a big boat or with a lot of extra money. If for some reason life throws an unexpected monkey wrench into my plans and I am faced with living out the rest of my life in some insular midwestern town or saying the heck with it and taking the big adventure, I hope I pick the big adventure like your bil. When my life is over I think that is where I will have gained the most.

[Mai-tide]

Originally Posted by BigTraverse

Thank you Mai-Tide for sharing this story. You have received a lot of harsh criticism but I appreciated your willingness to be open and share.

I plan on living the sailing life one day although it will probably not be on a big boat or with a lot of extra money. If for some reason life throws an unexpected monkey wrench into my plans and I am faced with living out the rest of my life in some insular midwestern town or saying the heck with it and taking the big adventure, I hope I pick the big adventure like your bil. When my life is over I think that is where I will have gained the most.

Fact of the matter is, for us 99%, we will not be able to sail the world and for the the common folks would even step foreign soil. Most of us are stuck eating our way thru life and living paycheck to paycheck, some even living off pay checks loans. For my bil to travel to 9 countries, penniless to start and not having a passport, that itself is a great accomplishment. Sure if u had money pouring out of ur ass, booking first class flight and staying at 5 star hotels, would be the norm. Therefore with the odds stacks against my bil in everyway, how he managed to survive abroad is nothing but short of a miracle.... Think about that, let's see how many of u guys out there can survive on a foreign land penniless for a month, not to mention 20 months. (With any help from family or friends) I thought so......

It brings a smile to my heart that my story has at least inspired one person.

[CarinaPDX]

I think you don't really understand - most cruisers are middle class folks who chose this life over other options. It is a matter of priorities. With your stated 6 figure income it is certainly possible for you if it was important enough. While there are wealthy cuisers, there are also poor ones. Money is by no means the main determinant.

In my years of travel I have known many backpackers, none of whom have ever earned a 6 figure income. A minority behave like your bil; the majority wouldn't dream of it.

I understand your appreciation for his courage in leaving the "normal" life, just not the way he did it. And someday you may find the courage to do something similar. If so please don't follow his lead.

Greg

[CSY Man]

Right on Greg:
Most of us are not wealthy, nor are we bums trying desperately to do a few countries without a passport and working for whorehouses on the way.
It may seem glamorous to rednecks but for normal folks with a minimum of decorum, it seems sleazy.

[Evenstar]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

I think you don't really understand - most cruisers are middle class folks who chose this life over other options. It is a matter of priorities. With your stated 6 figure income it is certainly possible for you if it was important enough. While there are wealthy cuisers, there are also poor ones. Money is by no means the main determinant.

In my years of travel I have known many backpackers, none of whom have ever earned a 6 figure income. A minority behave like your bil; the majority wouldn't dream of it.

I understand your appreciation for his courage in leaving the "normal" life, just not the way he did it. And someday you may find the courage to do something similar. If so please don't follow his lead.

Greg

As someone who always clears into countries legally, pays all the fees, gets all the permits and obeys all the local laws of the places where I am a guest I tend to have little patience for those that ignore the local laws, rules and customs.

The people doing things illegally are why it costs more time and money for those of us who comply with the laws. The local gendarmes need resources to try and find the frauds, cheats and liars and those of us that are complying with the laws have to get more inspections, checks, forms and fees to pay for it. And of course facilitate it.

If no entered a country illegally then they wouldn't ever have to try and find them, would they?

So now in places like the Galapagos because people with no respect for the local laws played so many games it is now VERY difficult to stay there if you have any genuine bona fida repairs, and you tend to get a visit from the local policia within an hour of dropping anchor in any port. Thanks all - I went and PAID the proper fees for my five port autografo, silly me I could have just snuck around too.

To me it indicates a fundamental lack of respect for the host country. You are a guest. If you come to a friend's house and he asks you to take off your shoes and not smoke indoors you don't try and sneak a butt in the bathroom; you put your shoes back on and stand on the porch in the cold to get your fix.

Ignoring the local policies - no matter how daft and Byzantine they might seem to you - indicates your complete disrespect for the laws of the country. There may be fees to get in, legal ones - pay them.

Is it the worst crime ever? No, it is non-violent and weasely but its not an awful crime. But will you get one ounce of sympathy from me if you are deported, locked up or get your boat impounded because you chose to ignore the local laws? Not likely.

[crazyoldboatguy]

Yeah, the OP keeps saying the U.S., flawed tho it is, is the best country but he touts flagrant disrespect for the rule of law. I call troll, as well.