I can't find it and need help...it's so hard to travel when the plane is no option...
Hi,
I have a big dream to travel from Holland Europe across the world and my first stop would be America. However I have a major problem that make it very hard to do this. You see I was born with a defect in my ears. Because of this birth defect and my very severe claustrophobia I am not allowed or able to fly on a plane. Thus I need to journey by land and sea, but I just can\'t seem to find any boats journeying from Europe to America and from America to Africa without having to go on a cruise ship and pay money for services I don\'t need. (hotel at arrival point and return price when I don\'t want to go back that way.
I planned on traveling from there on by bus and trains and other public transports through Africa to Asia and from China take the boat to Japan and that one would be a return trip as the train back to Moscow should go from the capital of China and from Moscow I can take the trans syberia line back home if I saw correctly. It just a pain to find boat information between Europe and America and America and africa.
Apparently people assume that everyone is allowed to travel by plane and can. So any help and info are very welcome!
It will be a while before I can raise the kind of money for this, but it\'s my biggest dream and I can\'t help but want to know as much as possible already!
Reply to this Hello Kimberley and welcome to Travelblog!
Indeed no plane travel is indeed a problem, but it would really be a problem limited to getting to the Americas, and on this route I cannot provide you with any suggestions.
As you are aware, from the Netherlands you can get to Africa, and most of Asia by land, but it does take some planning. I would recommend having a look at the excellent site, The Man in Seat 61, who is an avid adherent of train travel. On the site he places information on how to travel to China (for example) all the way by train from the UK, which is equally applicable to you in the Netherlands. There will be some places in Asia that will be difficult to reach (India and Myanmar for example) but train travel should open much of Asia for you.
Getting to Africa by boat is easy, but getting between borders by land is going to be problematic as some of these border regions can be unsafe. However, the eastern journey - from Cairo in Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa - is regularly travelled, but you will need some patience in obtaining visas (i.e. Sudan).
[Edited: 2012 Mar 23 20:30 - The Travel Camel:11053 ]
Reply to this Hi Kimberley. Have you looked at the shipping sites mentioned in the "Essential Over Land and Sea Sites" at the top of this forum. I have found them to be very useful in planning some of my own trips.
Reply to this Welcome Kimberley!
Getting to the U.S isn't actually as difficult as you may think it is, although you will obviously have to pay a premium.
Many cargo ship operators frequently sell spare cabins to the general public although they will be several times the cost of an airline ticket. The other downside to this is that these ships are sometimes delayed for several days or the sailing itself may get cancelled at the last minute, although you will be allowed to re-book for the next sailing.
The only other options are to stow away (not recommended) or book yourself onto a one way cruise.
Just do a Google search and you will find plenty of cargo operators offering these kinds of trips.
[Edited: 2012 Apr 02 12:01 - Cockle:46288 ]
Reply to this I met two guys that did it. Both were Swiss. The went to france and ask yatch if they needed a crew member. One went to the state, the other to Brazil. If you are going to the states that way, you will need a special visa because you enter the country by an unusual way....
I love the plan. Hope your trip work out well.
Reply to this Hi Kimberley, I am new on travelblog and just read some of the posts in the forum. When I read your's I thought of something right away. I read about this German guy who traveled the world for free. He is a comedian and reporter and wrote a book about his journey and filmed himself while travelling. I know he did some things on that journey that sound a bit crazy but when I read about his story I got some ideas for my further travels. He also went from Europe to Canada on a cargo ship. The book is really worth reading it. You might find some ideas for your travel, too.
How to travel the world for free Reply to this hello,,,i am new member here.....
<snip>
[Edited: 2012 May 12 10:31 - Cockle:46288 - Gratuitous attempt at advertising removed.]
Reply to this hello I'm newbie here....
<snip>
[Edited: 2012 May 29 04:42 - The Travel Camel:11053 - Another gratuitous attempt at advertising removed]
Reply to this As for getting to the States, I know that you didn't want to consider cruises, but they may be cheaper than cargo ships, especially if you consider repositioning cruises from Europe to the Caribbean at the end of the summer cruise season. For example, the Queen Mary II sails from Southampton to New York City on September 14 for $840...not much more than a flight but you get so much more. Or you could depart from Southampton on 21 September on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas for a 14 day cruise to Spain, Portugal, and the Azores before disembarking in Miami, all for $859. Unfortunately, you would have to wait until Spring to get such fares back to Europe!
Reply to this Bob's suggestion is a good one re the repostioning cruise ships. To get back to Europe again take a cargo ship. The line we travelled with does the round trip between Italy and USA every month. It cost us around $1000 for a 13 day "cruise". Have a look at our freighter blog for a description.
[Edited: 2012 Oct 26 05:03 - John and Sylvia:18619 - spelling!]
Reply to this 
