Some Freighters Have An Upper Age Limit
Q. Could you advise me of any freighters that carry passengers over age 80 (so they have a doctor aboard).
A. With so many passenger-carrying freighters and container ships, it’s hard to check them all, but here’s a shortcut: Ford’s Freighter Travel Guide, published twice a year, lists all of the world’s active freighters and container-cargo ships, their routes and prices. Editor Judith Howard assured me that the availability of a doctor aboard and age limit (if any) are included in the listings.
She said that “some ships will take people in their 80s, some cut them off younger than that.”
Freighters that carry more than 12 passengers are required to have a doctor aboard, but “most ships carry about 8 to 12 passengers,” Howard said, and won’t take a chance on older passengers. Many require doctors’ examinations for prospective passengers.
Order a copy from Ford’s Freighter Travel Guide, 180 S. Lake Ave., Suite 335, Pasadena, CA 91101, phone (818) 449-3106. Price including postage is $15.95 for one of the two annual guides, $24 for both.
In addition, two tour operators specialize in freighter cruising, although neither lists nor books all freighters.
TravLtips Cruise and Freighter Travel Association lists available cruises of cruise ships and freighters in a newsletter published semi-monthly. Call (800) 872-8584 for information or to subscribe.
Freighter World Cruises publishes a freighter space advisory every two weeks, listing available space and providing news of new routes. Contact the company at 180 S. Lake Ave., Suite 335, Pasadena, CA 91101.
Ivaran Line is one of the few combination cruise and cargo ships. The line’s Americana carries 88 passengers on a regular route out of Houston, Texas to Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean and South America. Round trips take 22 to 23 days. There is no age limit since the Americana has a ship’s doctor. For information, call (800) 451-1639.
Q. I’ll be going to Europe soon, and I’m a little concerned about the new currency, the euro. I have enough problems figuring out currency values and prices in dollars when I move from country to country over there. Will this make it better, or worse?
A. I think the euro should be good news for travelers, by taking the pain out of figuring dollar values as you travel, for instance, from France where the franc is around six to the dollar, to Italy where a dollar is worth as much as 1,700 lira.
The euro will be worth the same dollar amount in every participating nation of the European Monetary Union. So the euro, currently worth about $1.18, is worth the same in 11 nations: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
Travelers will be able to compare prices across European borders in one currency and won’t have to keep paying bank surcharges to exchange dollars when they cross a border. Until 2002, businesses are not obliged to accept the euro as payment. After that, they have no choice, because all the old national coins and bills will be retired.