Free cruises

September 14, 7:08 PMNY Budget Travel ExaminerSusan Finch

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Have you always wanted to live at sea? At least for a week at a time once or twice a year? I recently found some information on free cruising, which of course gave me pause, as most 'free' vacations require checking-out time shares.

I even had a friend who won an all-expense paid trip to Arizona through a cigarette company. Though she didn't smoke, she pretended like she did to keep her cover -- and walked away with several cartons of cigarettes on her free trip. They made for the perfect souvenirs to her chain-smoking friends.

So short of giving yourself a nicotine habit, pretending to be the ship's entertainment staff, or becoming a stow-away, how exactly do you go on a free cruise? Many people are finding that cruise ships are in need of 'experts' in a variety of fields from General History, Art History, Geography, Geology, Oceanography, Social Economics and Culture. The cruise line's love speakers who can bring an 'educationment' slant to the destination. So if you're an expert on Mayan ruins, look for a Mexican cruise.

Religious leaders are also in need to conduct services as well as people who can teach classes on Watercolors, Pastels, Drawing and Sketching that would be fun both for beginner's and advanced artists. But I think my favorite is the Gentlemen Host Program at Compass Speakers. Check it out: "must be single gentlemen, 40-70 yrs, who are refined social dancers, cultivated and distinguishing gentlemen who enjoy enriching the lives of others. Our volunteer dance hosts are great human beings possessing the highest moral ethics, make friends easily and love to dance." Sounds very risque!

These 55 minute lectures or lessons (and escorts) are offered about once a day on the ship and the rest of the time its intructors enjoy free room and board and most of the ship's amenities. Most of these programs do require a fee of approximately $65 a day to cover gratuities and application process. So depending on where and for how long you're going, you may find a better deal on a travel site like Sherman's Travel or CruiseDeals.com.

But all in all, it sounds like a pretty sweet deal with an innovative spin. Why not look past the open sea take your expert services to all-inclusive resorts? Or to a mountaintop lodge, beach, or international? If you don't think you're an expert in anything, think again. You could be an expert in how to take a free vacation, the perfect travel itinerary, or something as off-beat as fantasy football. Whatever it is, start positioning yourself to be that one guy/girl who gets free vacations just by talking about stuff. Go on, make your friends jealous.

And just a thought: I personally find my 'vacations' more enjoyable when I'm there to research the city, review an event, or know I'll be getting paid to write an article afterwards. The idea of traveling with a purpose and productivity in mind is somehow enriching to the whole experience.

Email me your budget travel questions and challenges at travelexaminer@yahoo.com.  I'll post them here and help you get on the open road.