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You can get almost anywhere in the world as a passenger on a cargoship. It's all a matter of how much time and money you've got. Being a passenger on a vessel whose purpose is soley to carry cargo can be a strange experience, and is certain to give you an unconventional perspective of global travel and trade that is entirely unique.

The basics

There's no easy way to say this: cargo-ship travel is more expensive than flying at current prices. A typical trans-Atlantic crossing will take between 10 and 22 days, and will cost in the region of £1500 (one-way). Your home for the time you're travelling will be a cabin, with a toilet and showeroom, with levels of luxury dependent on the particular carrier you are travelling with. Food varies from ship to ship (often depending on the nationality of the crew), and you will eat in mess along with everyone else on board.

What's the carbon impact?

There have recently been lots of reports about the environmental impact of shipping. It's true that overall, shipping contributes more than aviation to carbon emissions. But as a mode of passenger transport, cargo-ship travel has a very low carbon footprint. Exact figures are hard to come by but you can read our attempts at calculation so far on this blog.

Logistical issues

Because the whole purpose of the journey is to deliver or pick up goods from around the world, timetables are often subject to change. This could mean that you receive a call a week before you expected to leave saying it's time to pack your bags! Or of course you could be delayed. You really need to embrace the slow travel mindset when undertaking a cargoship adventure. It's recommended that you take lots of books with you. If you want to get to know the crew you're travelling with then a dictionary probably wouldn't go amiss either.

What's it really like?

Cargo-ship travel can at times be an emotional rollercoaster, and others deadly boring. To get an in-depth view of crossing the Atlantic have a look at cargo-ship travel on the blog.

To research and book cargo-ship travel all over the world, visit Strand Travel.

If you choose to embark on a cargo-ship adventure, we'd love to hear from you so we can share your experiences with others thinking of doing the same. Please get in touch.