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7 Continents & 7 Seas: How I Got Paid to Travel the World

After traveling through all 7 continents and 7 seas, I’m sharing how I did it and about the jobs that paid me to travel the world.

Whenever I tell people I’ve been paid to travel , they automatically think the only way this is possible is by being ( pause for cringe ) an influencer.

And I guess it makes sense, but this also couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Back in 2013 when I first started my marathon across all seven continents and seven seas , I didn’t know just how possible it was to travel long-term without saving for years or living out of a backpack.

It was only after my first job abroad that I realized I could continue fueling my travels without going broke by strategically finding work-while-travel jobs and opportunities in countries I wanted to visit or ones that would take me places.

After ten years, I’m so proud to have accomplished my goal of not only seeing every single continent on this planet, but also doing so either for free or by getting paid.

I hope that by sharing the jobs I had that sent me around the world, those interested in traveling in a financially responsible way can be inspired to forge their own path to a balanced, long-term travel lifestyle.

What Kind of Jobs I Looked For

I vetted my job search based on the following criteria:

• Is the job in a different country? If so, do they pay for or sponsor visas?
• Does the job pay for the relocation flight(s)?
• Will I have opportunities to travel during my downtime or days off?
• How accessible are other countries or continents from this job location?
• Are housing and/or food expenses covered?

Filtering my options through these questions helped me– and my bank account– in the long run.

I got lucky and found that each of the jobs I ended up with checked off the majority of the boxes, although I probably would’ve been satisfied with just a few.

ESL Teacher : Getting Paid to Live in Japan

Teaching English as a second language is one of the easiest ways to get paid to live and work in Japan and elsewhere abroad.

There are so many language schools and companies worldwide in need of English teachers and some don’t even require any formal teaching credentials.

I chose to go to Japan as I wanted to learn more about my culture and of course eat good food.

While the decent pay, utopian levels of safety, and comfortable standard of living weren’t primary factors in my decision to teach in Japan, they most certainly made it more appealing.

Challenges and Benefits

Overall, my experience teaching English in Japan was positive although not without faults.

There were many challenges that came with moving abroad to work and live in a different country and culture, especially the expectations that were placed on me as a foreign teacher.

But in the end, the immersive experience and lifelong connections that I made during my two years in Japan were priceless.

There are quite a few benefits to teaching in Japan, the most important of which for me was how easy traveling domestically as well as internationally to neighboring countries was compared to living in the States.

I made sure to make the most out of my time off, adding on one of my extra days off with as many long weekends as I could in order to take short 3-5 day trips to a different region or to a nearby country.

Also, an added bonus of teaching in Japan is their week-long national holidays three times a year.

If you’re lucky enough to bookend these weeks with saved time off, you could end up with close to a week and a half off to travel!

Interested in teaching in Japan? Read about how I got paid to live in Japan or about my experience teaching with AEON (the company I worked for).

Sailing ESL Teacher: Cruising Around the World for Free

I never thought about working on ships until, while researching where to go after Japan, in pure panic and desperation as my contract was ending and I still had no concrete plans, I Googled “What should I do with my life.” 

I promise I’m not making this up.

The query led me to wtfshouldidowithmylife.com where I was suggested to work on a cruise ship.

I found a once in a lifetime opportunity teaching English on Peace Boat , an educational Japanese cruise ship.

The main cruises are four-month global voyages that start and end in Yokohama, Japan. 

My particular voyage circumnavigated the Southern Hemisphere, visiting four continents and stopping in 17 countries including the Maldives, Madagascar , South Africa , Namibia, Brazil , and Uruguay . 

The biggest drawback of this opportunity was that it didn’t come with a paycheck.

But I also did not have to pay for the experience.

In exchange for my teaching services, all my expenses were paid for and it’s the one “job” that single-handedly allowed me to visit some parts of the world few people get the opportunity to see.

To me, the benefits of getting to tag along on a $12,000 months-long cruise around the world in exchange for teaching hours vastly outweighed the very few challenges I could think of, which included:

• An atypical work schedule and requirements
• Adjusting to living at sea and in a confined space for an extended period
• Minimal internet access
• Dealing with seasickness

When I was offered the teaching position, I didn’t give any of these factors serious consideration.

For me, there was absolutely no reason to turn down an opportunity to cruise the world for free.

But the benefits didn’t just end there.

In addition to having a floating home free of rent and meals provided for, all of my visa costs were covered; two of which were ten-year visas that are still valid.

In most ports I didn’t work and was free to explore just like a paying passenger. 

The highlight of all highlights was getting a free, four-night stay in Rio during Carnival , where I may have been tear-gassed, but at least I didn’t have to pay for plane tickets and a hotel for what’s typically an expensive trip.

Interested in finding out more about Peace Boat? Read about my experience as a Peace Boat teacher .

Cruise Ship Youth Counselor: Getting Paid to Live at Sea

Once you get a taste of life at sea it’s hard to go back to life on land.

For nearly three years, I worked on cruise ships as a camp counselor at sea while seeing some of the most beautiful sunsets and waking up in a different country than I’d fallen asleep in.

Benefits and Challenges

The work wasn’t easy: 13-hour workdays at the busiest, 1000+ kids onboard, and no days off for 5 months.

Working on cruise ships is probably the most mentally and physically taxing job I’ve ever had, but it’s also the job I miss the most and have the best memories of.

On ships you work hard, but the lifestyle and benefits make it even harder to walk away from:

• Accommodation, flights, medical, food, and utilities are all covered for your entire contract
• Ability to easily save most of your money
• Work, live, and party with 50+ nationalities every day

And of course the biggest selling point for ship life: the places you get paid to see.

Because of my job onboard cruise ships, I’ve been able to go to some amazing places and experience some amazing things:

• Island hopping throughout the Caribbean
• Spending a summer in Russia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup
• Spending another summer in the Mediterranean
• Crossing the Atlantic Ocean twice
• Cruising through the Arctic Circle
• Sailing on Royal Caribbean’s maiden voyage to Greenland

While working on ships was the most demanding job out of all the work and travel positions I’ve had, it remains my all-time favorite, hands down, no matter what.

Interested in all the pros/cons of ship life? Read about my experience onboard and what working on cruise ships is really like !

Antarctica Support Staff: Getting Paid to Live on the Ice

I was able to live in Antarctica (“the ice”) by working as a steward (dining attendant) for the National Science Foundation’s U.S. Antarctic Program at McMurdo Station and the South Pole Station .

I washed dishes, mopped the galley floor, and served food to each station’s scientists, support staff, construction workers, and military personnel.

I don’t think it’s a secret that getting to go to Antarctica without having to pay for an expensive cruise is one of the biggest incentives to getting a job on the ice.

Not only do you get a free ride to the Final Frontier, but you also get to live there alongside the penguins of Antarctica , which you can’t do on a cruise or excursion.

There are a lot of similarities in benefits between ship life and ice life: both include salaries, accommodations and food are provided for, medical services are free, and flights to and from are covered.

An added bonus to working on the ice in either McMurdo Station or the South Pole , however, is that personnel headed down all transit through Christchurch, New Zealand and get paid a per diem for each day there.

If you’re lucky or organize your time well, you could end up with an extra day or more to explore the city as flights in the summer get delayed regularly due to mechanical problems, unfavorable weather, or a combination of both.

Getting to and from the ice is notoriously unpredictable as all conditions need to line up perfectly.

Because of this, my flight down to the ice was delayed seven days, which meant I had seven paid days in Christchurch to wander and hang out with some alpacas.

Getting a job in Antarctica isn’t easy, but if you’re ever lucky enough to make it past the highly competitive application process, it will all be worth it– I promise. 

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any challenges.

The weather down there can be brutal, and when you take into consideration the long work hours and six-day workweek, unforgiving climate, and isolated lifestyle where fresh produce is a luxury that you might go months without, surviving on the ice takes a bit of mental strength.

Living and working in the harshest and most remote continent on earth (all while getting paid!) was, is, and continues to be one of my greatest achievements, and I’m so extremely grateful for the once in a lifetime opportunity to go where very few can even dream of visiting, let alone living. 

Interested in working on the ice? Read about my experience and how I got paid to live in Antarctica !

Final Thoughts

There are so many ways to see the world, and for me, working travel jobs allowed me to explore this beautiful planet without going into debt or requiring years of savings.

I do want to note that I realize how extremely fortunate I was, and still am, to have had access to these opportunities and the necessary education, resources, and background experience required for these positions.

I know this is not the case for much of the world and many people do not have the luxury of leaving the country for extended periods of time, if at all.

I just wanted to share my experience and encourage those who might see travel as something unattainable or an “all-or-nothing” option like I used to think.

Whether traveling for you means job-hopping your way through different countries or simply camping in the mountains behind your home, all are valid.

It’s just about finding what works for you and exploring where you can.

I’m also so grateful to have completed my journey through all seven continents and seven seas right before 2020… happened.

What my future and the future of the travel industry holds in a world with coronavirus is still to be determined.

But to quote my birthday twin David Bowie:

“I have no idea where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”

Pin and Save for Future Adventures!

Michelle is a freelance writer who has traveled to all seven continents and 60+ countries through various forms of employment. Over the last ten years, she’s worked as an ESL teacher in Japan, a youth counselor aboard cruise ships, and a hospitality manager in Antarctica.

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45 comments

Love all these ideas! Especially teaching on a cruise and getting to live in Antarctica…wow!

Love reading your experiences! I currently teach english online which makes traveling abroad accessible since it’s fully remote!

Absolutely! So many benefits to teaching online, it’s such a great option.

This is so, incredibly awesome! What incredible experiences! I can’t imagine getting to live in Antarctica or seeing so many countries! Good for you for jumping on all those opportunities!

Thanks for reading! They were definitely amazing adventures that I’m so grateful to have had the chance to experience.

What an incredible adventure! I’m on continent number 5 looking to add South America and Antarctica to my list. #oneday

You’re so close! Your last two could totally be done in the same trip!

This is seriously one of the most inspiring posts I’ve ever read! Your life sounds like an absolute dream! I’m in the process of getting a TEFL certificate, and I hope to travel to a lot of countries with that :) Just waiting for covid to finally be over!

I’ve definitely been fortunate, that’s for sure. A TEFL certificate is a great start; once you have that you can literally teach anywhere in the world!. Let me know if you have any questions about it :)

This was a really helpful post. My son is going to be stationed in Japan and I have really considered moving there for a short time and teaching. Thank you for your insight!

Glad I could shed some insight! I think that’s such a sweet idea so you can be closer together. And, of course, I can’t talk highly enough about Japan ;). Let me know if you have any questions down the line!

I laughed so much at Googling “what should I do with my life”, because that’s totally something I would do in a moment of desperation. I didn’t even know that you could teach English on a cruise ship. What an awesome job!

Glad I’m not the only one! I really shouldn’t rely on Google as much as I do, but I guess it turned out ok! Sometimes creative travel just requires a bit of inspiration now and then.

SUCH an inspiring story! I love that you didn’t let anything stand in your way of your dream. I think this will inspire so many others who want to get paid to travel, as you did!

Aw thanks, I hope so! I wished there were more resources and guides out there when I started, so hopefully this is useful for others interested in doing the same kind of traveling in the future.

This is such a great article! So many of us are looking for ways to live the digital nomad life and travel the 7 seven seas. I love that you really did that, and that also before 2020 happened!

Being a digital nomad definitely makes it easier to travel! If I’ve learned one thing from this experience, it’s that there are so many ways to travel and see the world. It just takes a bit of creativity sometimes!

You are absolutely AMAZING! The stories you must have. What an incredible experience! While I’m sure it wasn’t all glamorous, this would’ve been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I really commend you for being able to accomplish all of these jobs! I’m so impressed and happy for you that it turned out the way it did. A lifetime of memories I’m sure. How inspiring!

Oh gee, thanks! You’re absolutely right, there were so many times where my life on the road/ at sea/ on the ice was just miserable, but it was all definitely worth it in the end. As I like to say: sometimes misadventures make for the best adventures (and stories!) ;)

So many great job opportunities here! I would love to try some of these out while travelling.

Definitely! There are so many options to choose from; it’s all about finding the best fit for you.

I love that you googled “what should I do with my life?” and ended up traveling the world on a boat. These are some great tips and your travels are amazing!

Google really does have all the answers ;)

This is so fascinating and inspiring – thanks for sharing it. I really enjoyed reading about your experiences and adventures.

Thanks for reading!

Woah this was seriously so interesting to read! After finishing high school, I almost considered working on a cruise ship as well. I didn’t do it tho because I heard it’s really a lot of work. It sounds like you still had an amazing time so maybe I should give it a try in the future :)

It definitely is hard work but it was enjoyable for me and worth the adventures. If you’re considering working on ships in the future, you can check out this post for all the behind-the-scenes info!

You are an inspiration. What a great adventure! We too are traveling around the world for four years now, but we waited until we retired. It’s possible no matter what age you just need to really want it.

YOU are an inspiration! That’s amazing what you’re doing and I can’t imagine the amount of planning that had to go into the last four years of travels!

what an incredible experience to be able to live in antarctica, would you ever consider going back?

Not immediately, but I’ve definitely thought about it. It’s such a unique place and experience that leaves everyone wanting more.

Wow. So many cool experiences! I was an ESL teacher in Korea but that’s about it. Antarctica sounds super cool though and so glad you shared your experience to make travel more attainable.

Thanks for reading! Teaching ESL is definitely something I would recommend for anyone in any country. I’d love to work in Korea if I ever went back to teaching ESL abroad.

What an awesome adventure. I am an educator in the United States and have joked that I am going to quit and go teach English somewhere. After this year, I just might do it!! :)

Definitely! Let me know if you have any questions.

I’m so impressed that you’ve been to all seven continents and seven seas! That’s so cool. I also really appreciate that you found a way to do it without being an influencer. I never even knew you could work on a cruise ship like that, but it sounds like an amazing, unique experience.

Being an influencer can be great if you’re able to fuel your travels that way, but it’s just not realistic for most people! Finding work opportunities that allow you to travel, on the other hand, is much more accessible 😉

This was a super cool read! What do you do these days and/or where do you think your next steps will be? Will you ever have an “office ” job?

Just freelance writing for now and seeing where things go when this pandemic is over. And that’s a good question I’ve thought about a lot, which I honestly have no idea! It would be quite a change for me, that’s for sure.

Wow, thank you, very well done. What an awesome adventure you’ve had. I’ll be sure to pass this on to others for inspiration.

So glad to have met you and that you were a part of it! Antarctica wouldn’t have been the same without you ;)

Wow! I’m in awe right now! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. First, I have to say how incredibly bold and inspiring you are! This is one of the best, most engaging blog posts I’ve read – I didn’t even know these opportunities existed. I’m definitely going look into some of these (I’m wondering what will be available now with COVID in the mix), especially since I’ve recently been grappling with the idea of sitting behind a desk for the rest of life and really looking for a change. Thanks again for helping me see this lifestyle is even possible! Xx Sara

Thank YOU for all your kind words! I’m so happy that I can share my experiences with fellow travelers like yourself. Believe me, I know exactly how you feel! I didn’t know about some of these opportunities years ago and since then so many more have popped up on my radar. There are so many ways to continue having a travel lifestyle and I hope you’re able to find what works for you.

Hi! I’m so inspired by your stories and experiences. What you’ve been able to do and see sounds truly incredible. I was just curious what your educational background is that has allowed you to be a candidate for each of these different jobs? It there a certain path you’d recommend?

Thanks for following along! I just have a general Communications degree and used it to pivot into the different jobs I had. I remember university friends joking with me about having such a non-specific degree but it worked for me! I think the main thing that helped me was using the various skills I learned from each job and translating them into the next position I moved into. It’s all about marketing yourself :)

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Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

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If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

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