Future of travel and cruising

[Wckoek]

I understand that the future of travel is forever changed, there will never be cheap air tickets anymore and border restriction will be tight.


Would travel the slow way (ie by sailboat) be the way to go for the future?
Or rather the other way round, it would be even more difficult to cruise overseas in the future

[denverd0n]

Actually, there are plenty of cheap air tickets. The airlines are desperate for passengers willing to travel. You can get deals now like you could never get before.

Of course, you are right about border restrictions. Doesn't help to get a cheap air ticket if you have to quarantine for 10 days after you arrive.

The real foolishness is the countries that don't require you to quarantine if you have been vaccinated. Every study done makes it abundantly clear that people who have been vaccinated can STILL be carriers, and can STILL infect others.

The only real debate is just how much less likely are you to infect others, if you've been vaccinated. Again, the evidence is clear that vaccination reduces the likelihood of being a carrier, but does it reduce it by 10% or by 80%? The research, at this point, is all over the map.

[rwidman]

The thing that concerns me about cruising is the rising cost of fuel. There are political factors involved here and some politicians want to discourage fossil fuel use and if allowed to, may artificially raise the cost of fossil fuel (gas and diesel) through taxes to discourage its use and or encourage the use of public transportation or electric vehicles.

I have seen the cost of both gasoline and diesel fuel rise over 50% since certain decisions were made by the incoming President.

Nobody knows what the future will bring, but I suggest that if you want to cruise, you should do it as soon as possible.

[JPA Cate]

I don't think anybody knows, really, because there are so many inter-linking factors...It is a way too complicated issue for this little brown duck.

I anticipate cruising by sailboat will also increase in costs like air travel. As governments try to address climate change by reducing emissions from fossil fuels, our access to diesel will lessen. There are also moral issues about using rare supplies for pleasure when the hidden costs are so high. At some point societies will be talking about them, and social pressure to conserve will get really strong.

But it is not given to us to see the future clearly, nor to act in timely fashion about it, either, so no one really knows. We have many friends whose retirement plans were based around travel, the cruise ship and airplane kind, and the complicated situation affects their life plans quite starkly.



Ann

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

We have many friends whose retirement plans were based around travel, the cruise ship and airplane kind, and the complicated situation affects their life plans quite starkly.

Describes me and my wife pretty well. I retired in April of this year. Original plans were to do a lot of travel, immediately after retirement. That's on hold, to a large extent because my wife is one of those who cannot get vaccinated, due to pre-existing medical conditions.

On the other hand, we are spending a lot less than we expected to in the first few years of retirement. So, we're hoping that down the line things will open up and we will still be able to travel. If not, well, honestly, there is a whole lot here in the U.S. that we still have not seen.

In any case, it is a matter of "wait and see." No one has a crystal ball, and God only knows when/if travel restrictions will ease up in the future.

[rwidman]

Travel restrictions might ease up sooner if the dumb asses out there would just go ahead and get vaccinated!

Remember polio? Mumps? diphtheria? Tuberculosis?

If your answer is "no", it's because vaccines have virtually eliminated these once serious and deadly diseases.

[zeitgeist]

I'm curious about all-electric motors. I was looking at them for a scuba diving dink, I really like the E-Propulsion Navy Evo 6.0 engine, it seems better than Torqueedo.

I saw a larger vessel the other day when I was window shopping that boasted all electric motors and I feel like that's ideal. The electric outboards are fantastic, with no oil, fuel, etc. No mess to clean up, and so nice for the environment. Brushless motors, no maintenance, what's not to like (other than the cost)?

But long term costs would be fantastically covered if you had an electric motor on an ocean cruising vessel. Your solar panels would give you an automatic boost, turning sun into propulsion! You could still putter along slowly for free, even in the doldrums.

PS could I also add a plea for this not to be YET ANOTHER place for people to whinge at each other a la "It's mindless to not get vaccinated!", "No, it's mindless to trust evil power mongers with your body!". We get it, everyone has an opinion and sometimes they clash. But can we PLEASE just discuss something without it turning into that? Maybe there could be a separate thread dedicated to that endless and worn out back and forth?

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

I anticipate cruising by sailboat will also increase in costs like air travel. As governments try to address climate change by reducing emissions from fossil fuels, our access to diesel will lessen. There are also moral issues about using rare supplies for pleasure when the hidden costs are so high. At some point societies will be talking about them, and social pressure to conserve will get really strong.

It might be argued that the most justifiable and rational use of fossil fuel would be in applications where their energy densities are unmatched as a portable energy source... such as sailboat auxiliaries. Instead of burning millions of gallons of such fuels to generate electricity or to move people and goods, where reasonable alternatives already exist.

I'd like to think that someone who has reduced their footprint by using transit or other alternatives, and having energy-efficient housing, etc, could then use a little bit of fuel in their sailboat without guilt. Wishful thinking maybe.

For as long as diesel fuel remains available, I expect that it will still be affordable as fuel for sailboat engines. But there will also be a resurgence in sailing skills.

We have many friends whose retirement plans were based around travel, the cruise ship and airplane kind, and the complicated situation affects their life plans quite starkly.

I'm sure COVID has put many such plans on hold.