Cargo Ship Travel: How to Book a Voyage as a Passenger

Cargo ship travel is still possible, but it takes far more patience than booking a cruise. You reserve one of a handful of passenger cabins on a working freighter, either through a specialist agent or directly with one of the few operators that still take passengers, and you accept that the cargo sets the schedule. The long ocean crossings most people picture are largely unavailable right now, so your first job is finding out what you can actually book.

If you have always wanted to travel on a cargo ship, this guide covers the full process: the routes that still run, what a berth costs, the age and health rules, the paperwork, and how to prepare for life aboard a vessel built for containers rather than guests.

Why Travel by Cargo Ship Is Harder Than It Used to Be

Freighter travel was never mainstream. Cheaper airfares shrank it from the 1970s onward, and COVID-19 hit it even harder. Around 4,000 passengers a year sailed on commercial ships before the pandemic, according to The Canberra Times.

The recovery since then has been slow. UK agency Cargo Ship Voyages still takes bookings, but its July 2026 update says that, with a few exceptions, deep sea intercontinental voyages have not been possible since the pandemic. It is only accepting bookings for travel in 2026 while it keeps future options under review, and it lists these as generally no longer possible with any shipowner or agent:

• Transatlantic crossings
• Europe to South America, and Europe to Australia or New Zealand
• Transpacific and round the world voyages
• Suez or Panama Canal transits
• Voyages to, from or within Asia and Oceania

That list rules out most of the classic freighter adventures. What is left is shorter, more regional, and in high demand.

What You Need Before You Book

Freighter travel suits a specific kind of traveller. Before you contact anyone, check that you can meet the basics:

• Time and flexibility, because ports, dates and even destinations can shift once a voyage is underway
• Good general health and unaided mobility, since steep gangways and internal stairways are part of daily life
• An age inside the limits most services set, usually from 18 up to your 78th birthday
• A budget for extras such as port taxes, insurance, visas and flights to and from the port

If any of these is a hard problem for you, sort it out before you fall in love with a route. Operators are strict about health and age because a cargo ship's crew is there to run the ship, not to look after passengers.

Step 1: Choose a Route That Still Takes Passengers

Start with the route rather than the ship, because the choice is narrow. The FreighterTrips list of current freighter cruises names three operators still accepting passenger bookings.

Aranui runs the Aranui 5 from Tahiti to the Marquesas, Austral, Society, Tuamotu and Gambier islands, as well as the Cook Islands and Pitcairn Island. Relais Nordik offers a round trip from Rimouski to Blanc-Sablon in Quebec on the cargo ship Bella Desgagnés. MACS Shipping carries passengers between Northern Europe and South Africa.

Cargo Ship Voyages adds short European, Mediterranean and Baltic sailings, plus summer voyages on the historic coastal vessel Nordstjernen in the North Sea and Baltic. It also notes that its 2026 Europe to South Africa round trips are already heavily booked, and that a new ship is expected to join the French Polynesia route in 2027.

Know what kind of ship you are choosing. A passenger-cargo vessel such as the Aranui 5 is closer to a small expedition cruise, while a classic freighter gives you a cabin among the crew and nothing else. The Canberra Times describes basic voyages with up to a dozen passengers for a month or more, alongside South Pacific ships that take 200 people at luxury cruise prices.

Step 2: Book Through an Agent or Directly With the Operator

You have two ways in. A specialist agent handles the booking and can help with the parts around it; Cargo Ship Voyages, for example, offers visa advice, worldwide travel insurance, flights, transfers and airport hotels. Where no agent covers a route, FreighterTrips says it is still possible to book directly with the few ships that take passengers.

Either way, book early. Capacity is tiny by design. A ship carrying more than twelve passengers counts as a passenger ship under SOLAS, the main international safety treaty, and the IMO safety rules require passenger ships on international voyages to meet a much stricter set of standards. Cargo ships stay under that line, and Cargo Ship Voyages notes that most vessels only have room for 4 to 6 passengers.

When you enquire, ask the same questions every time: the exact embarkation and disembarkation ports, the cabin type, how far in advance the sailing date is confirmed, and what happens to your fare if the ship changes its route.

Step 3: Budget for the Real Cost of Cargo Ship Travel

Freighter fares are priced per day. According to the FreighterTrips guide on freighter travel costs, most voyages run between US$100 and US$130 per day, against roughly US$200 to US$400 on an ordinary cruise ship. The daily rate is lower, but voyages are much longer, so the total usually ends up higher than a one or two week cruise.

A few other numbers matter when you plan. Port taxes and deviation insurance are mandatory and together usually add around US$300. Single travellers do well: freighters rarely charge more than 10 to 15% extra for a single cabin, compared with supplements of 50 to 100% on regular cruises. If you are flexible enough for a tramp voyage with no fixed route, last minute fares can start from about US$80 per day.

Shorter European trips are the easiest way to test the idea. Cargo Ship Voyages lists sailings of about 8 nights round trip from Antwerp from €1,047 per person and about 10 nights from Hull from €1,409 per person.

Do not choose a freighter to save money on getting somewhere. Once you add flights to the port, insurance and the days at sea, it is almost never cheaper than flying. You are paying for the experience, not the transport.

Step 4: Clear the Age and Medical Checks

Cargo Ship Voyages says age restrictions apply to most services, generally from 18 up to the 78th birthday, and that a good level of general health and unaided mobility is required on every voyage. Some sailings also ask for a medical certificate.

Raise this in your first message to the agent or operator rather than after you have paid a deposit. A certificate signed by your doctor takes time to arrange, and a voyage that starts from a port on another continent leaves little room to fix paperwork at the last minute.

Step 5: Arrange Visas and Insurance for Every Port

A freighter can call at several ports between your embarkation and your final destination, and each call can last anywhere from 12 to 36 hours. You need the right visa for every one of those countries in your passport before you board, not just for the place you plan to leave the ship.

Travel insurance deserves the same care. Beyond the mandatory deviation insurance, choose a policy that covers medical evacuation at sea and trip changes you do not control, because a cargo schedule will change more often than an airline timetable.

Going ashore is not guaranteed either. Shore leave is usually allowed only when the ship's management agrees and the schedule leaves time for it, and if you are not back on board when the ship is ready, it can sail without you.

Step 6: Follow Your Ship Before You Sail

Because a freighter moves to the rhythm of its cargo, watching the actual ship for a few weeks tells you more than any brochure. Once you know the vessel name, search it in Primo Nautic by name or IMO number and follow its live position, speed and navigation status. You will quickly see how long it sits at anchor waiting for a berth, and the dual ETA shows the captain's reported arrival next to an AI-calculated one, so you can judge how often the two drift apart.

That habit also prepares you for the ship itself. If you are new to these vessels, our guide to how container ships work explains what you will see on deck and why they spend so little time in port.

Step 7: Prepare for Life on Board

Cabins are more comfortable than many people expect. Cargo Ship Voyages describes single, twin and double cabins, most of them exterior, with a sitting area, desk, shower and toilet. You will usually eat with the officers and crew, and travellers who have done it often mention sharing meals with the captain.

There are no shows, no shore excursion desk and often no mobile phone reception. Many freighters do have internet access, and some have a pool, gym, sauna or barbecues on deck, but the ports are working container terminals rather than tourist harbours. Pack as if you are going somewhere quiet for weeks: books, offline entertainment, sturdy shoes for stairs and steel decks, and anything you rely on daily.

Expect a safety briefing and drills early in the voyage, including learning where your lifejacket and survival equipment are kept. Take them seriously, since you are one of very few people on board who is not trained crew.

The people at home need a plan too. Our guide on staying connected with family covers the options for keeping in touch from sea. Family and friends can also follow your ship in Primo Nautic under the Friend Traveling purpose, with updates on the voyage's progress, the weather at the ship's position and an alert when you arrive.

Tips for Better Freighter Travel

Start short. A week-long European sailing shows you whether you enjoy life on a working ship before you commit to a month at sea, and those shorter trips are also the ones most likely to run.

Build buffer days on both ends. Book flexible or refundable flights to and from the ports, and leave at least a day or two between your expected arrival and anything you cannot move.

Talk to the crew at the right moments. Mealtimes and quiet evenings are when officers are most likely to explain the ship, the route and the cargo, and that insight is the real reward of this kind of travel.

Keep your expectations about ports loose. Treat every shore visit as a bonus rather than part of the plan, and you will enjoy the voyage far more.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

The Departure Date Keeps Moving

This is normal. Freighters sail when the cargo is loaded, not when a timetable says so, and departures can slip by days. Stay in touch with your agent and keep tracking the ship, since its live position and any delay it is already carrying show you whether the new date is realistic. Primo Nautic can also send you a delay notification, so a slipping arrival does not catch you by surprise.

A Port Was Skipped or Added

Port calls are always subject to cargo priorities, so the route can change after you sail. This is why you need visas for every possible stop and a flexible onward plan from your final port.

You Are Running Late Ashore

Head back early. The ship will not wait for a passenger when the cargo work is done, so plan shore time around the departure time the crew gives you, with a generous margin for port gates and security checks.

The Route You Want Is Not Offered

If your dream crossing is on the unavailable list, keep an eye on the agents' updates rather than chasing unofficial offers. Cargo Ship Voyages notes that one-off cruise ship voyages sometimes cover routes popular with freighter travellers, and those can be a reasonable substitute while cargo options stay closed.

Is Cargo Ship Travel Right for You?

Cargo ship travel today is a smaller, more regional experience than it was before the pandemic. Transatlantic, transpacific and most long intercontinental freighter voyages are largely unavailable, while French Polynesia, Quebec's Lower North Shore, Northern Europe to South Africa and short European routes still take passengers.

Booking works through a specialist agent or directly with the operator, and cabins are scarce because cargo ships stay at twelve passengers or fewer. Expect a daily rate of around US$100 to US$130 plus port taxes and deviation insurance, age limits of 18 to 78 on most services, visas for every port, and a schedule that belongs to the cargo. If you have the time, the health and the flexibility, it remains one of the most unusual ways to cross the sea.