Container Ship Travel

[Bicycle_B]

Anyone interested in slow travel by boat?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/cruising-around-the-world-on-container-ships/

One highlight of the article:  The traveler says the world is far safer and more pleasant than the media portrays.  Encouraging for travelers and anyone considering a move to to cheaper locales, I guess.  Thoughts?

[lizzzi]

Articles I have read say that these kind of trips work well for artists or writers, who can really use the long stretches of somewhat isolated time to work on their projects. The ships tend to dock far away from the places where "regular" ships dock, so travelers should plan on calling a cab or something to get them from the freighter docks to the more tourist-oriented places.

I would love to do a trip through the Great Lakes on an iron ore boat, but apparently they don't do that. Sigh.

[NoStacheOhio]

I would love to do a trip through the Great Lakes on an iron ore boat, but apparently they don't do that. Sigh.

A friend of mine at the Detroit Free Press is working on a long-term story about Great Lakes freighters, and he managed to finagle a week on a ship, so it CAN be done.

[lizzzi]

There was a story in the New York Times recently (sorry, don't have the link) about someone who got a ride on a lake freighter, but it was because he was writing an article about them. For most of us regular civilians, there is no mechanism to let us do it. I think it has to do with their liability insurance or something. Not exactly sure.

[arebelspy]

Anyone interested in slow travel by boat?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/cruising-around-the-world-on-container-ships/

That's the opposite of slow travel.

Slow travel is moving slowly, getting to a place and staying there, immersing yourself in the culture before moving on.  As contrasted with a tourist that comes for a few days then leaves.

It's not the transportation part of slow travel that's slow, it's the living.

From the article:

Travelling as a goodwill ambassador for the Danish Red Cross, he has been sailing around the globe on container ships since October 2013, with the long-term goal of visiting every country in the world without getting on a plane. He's ticked off 122 so far, travelling through Europe, North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. Spending at least 24 hours in every country, the current leg of his ambitious itinerary is Africa, with the latest stop being Ethiopia. The remaining 81 countries on his list entail the rest of Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

24 hours in each country?

The longest he's spent is in Greenland, two months.  That would qualify as slow travel (if combined with other long stays).  Instead it was a pause in his life on nonstop quick travel (despite the mode of transportation being slow).

It's a novel story that's mostly a gimmick (traveling free on container ships) that's somewhat interesting to read or hear about, but doesn't sound desirable at all... living on a boat 315 days a year (or whatever) to spend one to two day a year in 30 different countries?

No thanks.  :)

[Metric Mouse]

Anyone interested in slow travel by boat?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/cruising-around-the-world-on-container-ships/

One highlight of the article:  The traveler says the world is far safer and more pleasant than the media portrays.  Encouraging for travelers and anyone considering a move to to cheaper locales, I guess.  Thoughts?

Interesting. Thank you for sharing.

[Prairie Moustache]

Dusting off this thread... I'm wondering if anyone around here has traveled on a container ship over the last few years? If so, what did your itinerary look like? Would you do it again?

[Wrenchturner]

I've heard it isn't that cheap.  There are some youtube videos on it.  Perhaps crewing on a sailboat would be a better strategy for essentially the same experience?  One complaint I read was that you are a bit of an outsider to the crew, but I suspect that depends on the person.  Plus it's industrial-grade the whole way through, including the cafeteria.

[SwordGuy]

I can assure you his container ship is not stopping in Ethiopia.  100% not going to happen.  :)

[Wrenchturner]

I can assure you his container ship is not stopping in Ethiopia.  100% not going to happen.  :)

Maybe in a few years.  #globalwarming

[stoaX]

I've heard it isn't that cheap.  There are some youtube videos on it.  Perhaps crewing on a sailboat would be a better strategy for essentially the same experience?  One complaint I read was that you are a bit of an outsider to the crew, but I suspect that depends on the person.  Plus it's industrial-grade the whole way through, including the cafeteria.

The book "90% of Everything" by Rose George confirms the last 2 sentences of your post.   And it's a fascinating look at the world of container ships.  Doesn't sound like spending significant time aboard one would be my cup of tea...but I am a landlubber.

[Wrenchturner]

I've heard it isn't that cheap.  There are some youtube videos on it.  Perhaps crewing on a sailboat would be a better strategy for essentially the same experience?  One complaint I read was that you are a bit of an outsider to the crew, but I suspect that depends on the person.  Plus it's industrial-grade the whole way through, including the cafeteria.

The book "90% of Everything" by Rose George confirms the last 2 sentences of your post.   And it's a fascinating look at the world of container ships.  Doesn't sound like spending significant time aboard one would be my cup of tea...but I am a landlubber.

I'd rather cross an ocean on a sailboat, if I had the stomach for it.

[Prairie Moustache]

I've heard it isn't that cheap.  There are some youtube videos on it.  Perhaps crewing on a sailboat would be a better strategy for essentially the same experience?  One complaint I read was that you are a bit of an outsider to the crew, but I suspect that depends on the person.  Plus it's industrial-grade the whole way through, including the cafeteria.

The book "90% of Everything" by Rose George confirms the last 2 sentences of your post.   And it's a fascinating look at the world of container ships.  Doesn't sound like spending significant time aboard one would be my cup of tea...but I am a landlubber.

I'd rather cross an ocean on a sailboat, if I had the stomach for it.

I might be romanticizing this a tad, as I'm from Saskatchewan and do not possess anything resembling sea legs in the slightest. Haha.

[CanuckExpat]

The consumer version would be repositioning cruises?

[JoJo]

This one shows it's in the range of 110 euros per day + to do a container ship.  Unlike cruise ships, that's basically bed + 3 meals a day.  No food 24x7, entertainment, etc.  But that would be fun, just relaxing without much to do to write, read, etc.

If someone is into relaxation, long distance Amtrak may be another alternative.  I've done it a few times and it's fun to relax, chat to people, read, eat in the dining car, etc.

[Prairie Moustache]

I'd really like to do an extended trip some day like that perhaps by train or boat to get a better sense of the expanse being traveled.

This got me thinking that there might become a market again for relatively no frills trans Atlantic passages with carbon pricing etc. becoming more of a thing? I'm not sure if people are already looking at this. Definitely doesn't fit into the week long European vacation model though.

[YYK]

This got me thinking that there might become a market again for relatively no frills trans Atlantic passages with carbon pricing etc. becoming more of a thing? I'm not sure if people are already looking at this. Definitely doesn't fit into the week long European vacation model though.

I eagerly await the return of clipper ships.