Freighter travel is a less crowded and cheaper alternative to cross the sea or an ocean, without the need for airplanes or commercial cruise ships or ferries. This is one of the best kept secrets of some travelers, especially nowadays when airports and airplanes cause so much stress for many people.

It is still possible to book a regular sea ticket to most places in the world. While some passenger ships make connections between Europe and America no more than twice a month, many cargo ships, which also carry passengers, have voyages at least every week of the year. For example, there are four weekly voyages from British cities such as Southampton to the Middle East and on to the Mediterranean.

Voyage by cargo ship. Photo by eBiz Facts.

There are also ships departing from the city of Le Havre in northern France to Caribbean islands such as Martinique and Guadeloupe once a week. In general, a large percentage of cargo ships accept passengers. Practically everywhere in the world you can travel on one of them, such as Australia, South America, New Zealand and Africa. In addition, in some places this is virtually the only way to get to places like the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.

The passengers who travel on these ships are mostly retirees and people with early retirements who can take all the time to make these trips, as it takes about a day of sea travel to cover the same distance that is covered in an hour by plane. They also take students, executives who are relocating to another location and their families, and simply anyone who is tired of being on a plane. These boats usually carry up to a maximum of twelve passengers.