Hello all, I'm new to Freighter travel and would like first hand knowledge on it

[Marlow]

Quite the title, eh?

I'm a 19 year old university student living in Canada, and I have a thirst to travel that will eventually need to be quenched. However, I don't think I would appreciate traveling as much if I did it luxuriously...so that puts luxury ocean liners out of the question!

Why am I attracted to freighter travel? To be honest, it has a sort of romantic quality to it. Not everyone can say I traveled the world via freighter, and as research has showed me not many young people choose this kind of travel. I've learned that the entire affair can be incredibly boring and that usually elderly, retired people do it. I'm neither elderly or retired.

1.So I need some thing cleared up about freighter travel. Is it true that the boats stay at ports for a short amount of time? Do the crew members have ANY time to travel the countries they are visiting or is that a luxury reserved only for paying passengers?

2. Would it be possible for me to travel from freighter to a single destination, or do they really only offer multi-country trips? Would it be possible to make it so that a freighter drops you off in a country and then picks you up in a country on their travel itinerary?

3. How do I find out if freighter travel is right for me?


I enjoy how this form of travel pertains to a small group of people. Freighter travel is very alluring to me, but I just need to understand it a tad better. Please, share your experiences with me!



Marlow.

[lunamara]

Marlow,

1. Port visits on container vessels are short - maybe 8-10 hours. On bulk carriers could be 2 days OR MORE OR LESS. The point is, it is not predictable. Crew is lucky to get time and transportation to even the closest Walmart.

2. Yes, but one must study schedules and ports to see what would work. Flexibility is the biggest factor in freighter travel.

3. Search the internet. There are many websites that describe freighter travel.

[Marlow]

Lunamara, thanks for replying!


I've been reading up about people experiences aboard freighters. I also think it would be damn interesting to work on one.

[Wally]

Hi all.  As this is my first post, I'll introduce myself.  I'm Wally and I'm from the SF Bay Area.  I retired a couple years ago.  Although I haven't been a passenger on a cargo ship  I can relate to this form of travel because I used to be in the merchant marine many, many decades ago.  The last ship I worked on was in 1972 aboard a Swedish flag cargo ship (tramp).  Anyways, the length of time a ship stays in port varies depending upon its cargo and how efficient the port is.  A modern container ship loading or unloading containers in a modern container terminal will not stay very long in that port obviously as LUNAMARA stated.  A cargo ship of maybe 60k tons carrying bulk cargo like grain for example should stay longer in the port of discharge due to the nature of the cargo.  Weather, labor conditions and ship traffic can also affect how long a ship stays in port.

If you are prone to seasickness, then, freight travel might not be for you.  There will definitely be a lot of motion even in moderate seas.  Some people get use to it, some don't.  Depending on the lenth of travel, boredom might set in.  If you love reading, you'll be ok.  Otherwise, there's really not a whole lot of things to do aboard a cargo ship IMO.  But then again, I'm referring to the days when I sailed.  With the advent of the internet, dvd players, mp3s, video game consoles and other modern gizmos, it might not be too bad.

I joined this forum because I'm planning a trip next year and it will definitely be on a freighter.  Maybe a transatlantic crossing from the east coast (of the US) going to europe (one way).  I plan to stay at least a month in Europe and hopefully back to the US the way.

Cheers!

[BrooklynStreets]

marlow, you and i are in the same boat (pun intended)

i am also a college student, 20 years old, with an thirst for travel that needs to be quenched. i also have the same questions as you.

research is helping me answer some of these questions

good luck in your travels and make sure to post about developments and stuff like that

[robinshine]

Well.....Freighter travel is a less crowded, cheaper alternative for crossing a sea or ocean, not using airplanes or commercial cruise ships or ferries.I thinkit is cheap boat travel option, freighter travel, is popular with student travelers and adventurers of all . Most freighter travel is set up in the form of a cruise that returns to a starting point, but almost all freighter companies offer one-way fares, which is the way for you to go.So i think the Freighter travel is a great experience for everyone.