Budget Travel - Across the ocean by cargo ship?

Not exactly a FlyerTalk hot subject, given enough time, it might prove interesting to cross the sea the old fashion way. Once upon a time it was fairly easy to do, now, not so much. Has anyone looked into this option?

It's EXPENSIVE - more expensive than an equivalent cruise in decent rooms.

As previous poster said, it is expensive. And you are at the whim of the cargo and carrier's schedule. With weather delays you could be at anchor outside a port for several days. On the upside you are one of only 15 passengers - cargo ships cannot carry any more than that - at least that's the way it used to be - I used to work for steamship agents and part of my job was to book passengers onto these ships.

how expensive is expensive? i had never thought about this, and probably never would have. but it sure would be an experience (that i would never do :) )

Years ago, it was $100 per person per day. Probably a lot higher now with fuel and inflation. The restricted number of pax is due to requirements for (not) carrying a medical doctor onboard.

There are several websites that discuss this...

Some I've seen still seem to be about USD$100 per day - for some reason German shipping lines are well represented..... but as already stated there are some possible problems..

You can book/pay for a cabin on a ship going from - say - Sydney to LA.. but if the ship is diverted to another port.. it is YOUR problem...

It can also take much longer than the original estimate...

I've followed this subject with keen interest over the past few years.

http://www.juddspittler.com/freighterbum/index.htm is a great narrative of the life and experience of doing freighter travel.

http://www.geocities.com/freighterman.geo/ is the "go to" resource on the net.

Expect $95-$150 pp/day, depending on ship and the company.

Needless to say... it's on my "to do" list.

Cheers,

-Andrew

I've followed this subject with keen interest over the past few years.

http://www.juddspittler.com/freighterbum/index.htm is a great narrative of the life and experience of doing freighter travel.

http://www.geocities.com/freighterman.geo/ is the "go to" resource on the net.

Expect $95-$150 pp/day, depending on ship and the company.

Needless to say... it's on my "to do" list.

Cheers,

-Andrew

hmm... maybe i'll add it to my to do list