Shipping companies travel nearly everywhere. Photo by Josh Sullivan.
Ever wonder if it were possible to travel by cargo ship? Here’s how.
I have always wanted a collection of brown leather trunks with brightly colored stickers from all the world’s corners. They remind me of travelers in the early 1900s who spent days on the ocean in order to reach their destinations. Back then, arriving at the destination was as much a part of the trip as the destination itself.
So when I needed to get from Guadeloupe in the Caribbean to France I asked myself, “is it still possible to travel by boat?” A few months later I was on a CMA-CGM cargo ship headed from Pointe-à-Pitre to Dunkerque.
My nine days on the Atlantic included gourmet French food, duty-free Porto and hours spent mesmerized by the blinking lights of the GPS. Yes, you can definitely still travel to many locations in the world by boat.
Here are some pointers for researching and planning your own adventure on the high seas:
1. What exactly is traveling by Cargo Ship?
Most of the major global shipping lines CMA-CGM, Canada Maritime, and Bank Line offer paying passengers to hop on one of their lines. As a paying passenger you are accommodated in guest cabins and have access to most areas of the ship.
Captains and crew spend a lot of time on the water, and they are usually happy to have a fresh face walking around their workplace, meaning that they may even invite you to eat with them, give you tours of the ship and maybe even have you over for an Officer’s happy hour.
2. Where can I go?
You can travel almost anywhere by cargo ship.
The global shipping industry is huge, and many ports like New York, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Sydney welcome several ships everyday.
Just think: anywhere global commodities are shipped are places that you can disembark and spend time soaking up the local culture before re-boarding.
Shipping companies have certain lines covering specific routes, and many of them will allow you to buy a ticket for one of these lines and disembark and board as you please as long as there is a ship leaving on your chosen day.
This is often how round the world routes work: book your freighter ticket and then plan in a few weeks in every major port. With freighters, the possibilities for your adventure are almost endless. Just think: anywhere global commodities are shipped are places that you can disembark and spend time soaking up the local culture before re-boarding.
3. What will it cost?
A common misconception is that if you are willing to spend an extended amount of time on open water you can score an inexpensive mode of transportation to your next travel destination.
Although there are possibilities to work on boats, traveling as a passenger is in fact more expensive than your average airfare. But before you scoff at the price – plan on an average price of $80-140/day – consider this: your ticket pays for room, meals, and a plethora of experiences that cannot be had anywhere else.
4. Life on a ship
As a passenger you are surrounded by the everyday life of the vessel and her crew. Schedules revolve around mealtimes, which can be extravagant events depending on the chef.
If you are a gourmet traveler, consider traveling with one of the French companies which are known for their high quality cuisine and table wine.
Besides meals, the rest of the day is spent as you please. Make your way up to the bridge and chat with the captain about sea navigation or schedule a tour with the head mechanic to see the vessel’s impressive technical insides.
You will quickly find that the freighter environment is a rough but enjoyable one; think lots of steel and salt water. Before the evening meal, meet for a pre-dinner drink with your co-passengers in the guest lounge area and discuss the events of the day.
You may think that a week on open water can give you a case of cabin fever, but a slower pace of life can be much welcomed and enjoyable.
5. Planning
So you’ve decided that freighter travel is for you, what now? Do your internet research, there are several websites maintained by individuals seduced by traveling on the high seas with great tips and long lists of different routes around the world.
Go to the websites of the freighter companies and send them an email asking about passenger fares. Another option is travel agencies that specialize in freighter travel like A la Carte Freighter Travel based in Montreal.
Some helpful websites to get you started:
www.hamburgsued-frachtschiffreisen.de
>www.cma-cgm.com
www.geocities.com/freighterman.geo
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84 Comments... join the discussion!
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hi, i am an englishman living in jamaica and i am looking at the possibiliy of a passage on a cargo ship from kingston jamaica to the uk,maybe southampton or a port of entry that has a rail connection and a return trip with a 4 to 6 week interval.any chance.?.
i dont want to fly anymore.carnt take the stress.!!.
p.s. ive always liked ships.
george. thanks.↵ -
Hi!!!
I’m looking for a cargo ship company, if it’s possible, from India to South America. I have a long time to do it! but. maybe, not to much money. Could I work in one of this ship to not pay ticket?
Thanks chear↵ -
no, you cannot work on cargo ships for fair. union regulations prohibit it!
a passport is an ID…↵ -
do the passengers need to be registered? as in have a visa? must i have an ID i have a passport but no ID and is there cargo shipping travel in egypt? from egypt to the states…plz i need help
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Would like to travel by cargo/freight ship from England to Australia (Sydney or Brisbane) in May/June, layover for maybe 4 to 6 weeks, then return to England by same method. I am 80, but very fit. Is this possible?
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sure if you have enough money
if you pay the costs for me i will travel with you 
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Appreciate your offer Babel but I must be straight with you – no thanks.
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travelling by cargo ship has become almost as expensive as a cruise.
exept for there are no transatlantic cruises available.
having said this, there is only one line that takes passangers across the atlantic and it takes round about 7 to 8 days. it travels from the uk to new york, like the good old fashioned days.
I can’t find the link at the moment, but will post it later on when I have.↵ -
3 companies that I’ve come across on my travels that have proved useful (either to myself or other travellers) are:
http://www.freightertravel.co.nz/
http://www.globoship.ch/
http://www.strandtravelltd.co.uk/voyages/Hope this helps,
Andy
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Thanks for the links, Andrew!
I only managed to find http://www.freighterworld.com/ online…
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Uhmm… I haven’t jet done enough research ont this topic but I recently bombed with questions a second officer on a cargo ship who told me of a number of legal issues related to travelling on cargoes.
The main issue to me seems that you can either do it legally or illegally. The legal way is to pre-arrange the thing with a company and be added to the crew list. Adding you to the crew list means that you do not need visas in the harbours you visit and that you are legally under the supervision of the captain (although I think you would be anyway).
However, the catch is that to be added to this list, you must be on the whole of the trade route, which is usually circular.
Sounds pretty good in theory until you are informed that each cargo ship stops in each harbour only about 8 hours or less, since cargoes are really really fast to load and unload. So, you could be on board 2 weeks but visiting Ha-noi, Shanghai and HK only for a handful of hours…The illegal way is not exactly to be smuggled but to be travelling with illegal papers. This means that if you are caught at a harbour, well, you are in trouble and potentially you are lacking the documents to be in that country. The author of the article above did a relatively easy trip because she atravelled from Guadaloupe (French Guadaloupe is a Depertment D’otre Mar- it is considered French soil but out of continental France. They even use Euros!) to France so there is no change in country between the beginning and the end. That could be of help. But most other trips are more challenging than that and you really want to make sure to be travelling legally.
On the upside, I was told that same trade route do not charge as much as $80-140 per day.
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Many thanks Tak for your well-researched and very helpful advice.
I didn’t know that. Jeff↵ -
I am durai raj.S from India i need work in ship how to get the ship job free
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I looked into this a while back and then realized how expensive it was. It sounds like an adventure, but I think I’ll just fly.
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Thanks Laurie, you are right. The prices are way up! Maybe that’s because the trips take a longer time? The England/Australia (one-way) used to take 6 weeks calling at 7 ports (with about six hours ashore).
Are freighter ships slower than this?
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Yes, it’s true! The pice is aproximitly, pre day, is USD 90. Anybody know something about work in a ship and save the cost???
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All I know is the rumour that the ship’s cookies are formed by squeezing bits of dough in the armpit !
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Interested in traveling from the west coast of the United States to Ecuador. Anyone know of any shipping lines that travel between these locations or how to find out? Much appreciate any help in this regard.
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how much would a trip from the us to europe cost in a cargo ship..like the ?? like the cheapest ticket you can get ????? thanks
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Is it possible to exchange fair for medical services “Doc”?
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I’m looking for a cargo ship from Atlantis to Free Port Louisiana. Help please?
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Any info on working a ship for fare would be appreciated.
Thanks.
pigpen1968@gmail.com↵ -
i hope to work in kargo ship asst cook and i was working in cruise lines
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This is perfect. I’m doing it. Thanks so much for the article, Anna!
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@billy then please right about it so that everyone who cant affort it can come with you in some way…
do you have a blog? nice travel! 
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Hallo Hola quiero saber si puedo viajar de valencia espana a norte america o canada en barco de carga y pasaje o si se puede hacer de otros puertos en europa ,y nombres de las companias que lo hacen si lo hacen claro , gracias quiero llebar mi auto caraban V W , y mi perro tengo toda la documentacion en orden gracias de nuebo.
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