Travelling on Cargo Ship?

Simpkin

hi,
i was told recently by a friend while enquiring about a trip to new york i have been planning, that people can travel on cargo ships to certain destinations. is this true? and could anyone send me in the right direction via websites that would help me with this . i would be going from england/ireland to new york.

thanks people .....

Tabnabs

Not cheap and not quick

http://www.freightervoyages.eu/Voyages/J%20North%20America/J%20North%20America.htm

Google it and there are more choices.

coylemj

There was a program on Channel 4 a few years ago, guy went on a banana boat to the Caribbean. Paying passengers ate with the officers, it all looked very cosy but it's not a cruise ship (so very little facilities) and you're with a relatively small number of passengers so plenty of scope for not getting on with the neighbours or simply being irritated by someone who's habits you find fault with.

Looked like it was definitely something for people who are happy in their own company and not in a hurry to go anywhere.

mimihops

Definitely do-able, as mentioned its not cheap, approx 100 euros a day on average. One of the most regular and reliable services is the Antwerp -> Liverpool -> Chester (Philadelphia) route which picks up in Liverpool on Saturdays I think & takes 10 days. From Chester you can get a train to ny. There's a few routes going from other uk ports directly to ny but this one is the most regular and reliable. Also you would have to get a b2 visa afaik for a freighter crossing to the US - the waiver program does not apply.

Yamanoto

The idea of travelling slow by Cargo ship really appeals.

India to Malaysia, French Polynesia, the Marquesas or even Long Beach to Japan are just some of the routes available.

Plenty of info & links on the Wiki page...

http://wikitravel.org/en/Freighter_travel