Freighter Cruising For Vacation

Imagine chucking it all: the job, the home, and leaving it all behind. Well, one southern California man did just that, but its what he did next that may really surprise you. On board the deck of a one special freighter are hundreds of tons of cargo, a seasoned crew, and one tired businessman from Burbank. After 20 years of renting audio and video equipment, Andrew Bruce had had enough. He sold the shop and the house, and traded "high stress" for the "high seas." "They might have a bit more flash on a cruise ship. You dont eat for 24 hours unless you want to raid the pantry," says Bruce. Now Bruce is viewing some 70 hours of footage that he shot during his 84-day journey around the world as a "passenger" on three different freighter ships. Its a little-known fact that freighters will take on a limited number of passengers, passengers who shouldnt get too attached to their itinerary. "This is like well, your ship is going to be in, in a month, we think," Bruce jokes. And freighter travelers can forget about high-priced hotels and gasoline. They wont be on dry land long enough to use either. Even though Bruce visited dozens of countries on six continents. Freighter captains run tight schedules, and time on land could be limited to just a few hours. So, what type of person is cut out for freighter travel? "If you like to be reading a book or exploring the ship, you might be cut out for this," Bruce says. And if youre wondering, Bruces entire three-month odyssey, including his own quarters and three square meals a day with the crew cost just over $10,000. Perhaps a small price to pay, to keep your wild side well anchored. If youd like to learn more about Bruces experience, you can visit his Web site at www.unicruise.com. As far as whats next for Bruce, hes planning more trips, and a possible documentary. Freighter Photo Credit: WPBN