- A voyage aboard a cargo ship can be the adventure of a lifetime. A number of shipping companies now offer passenger berths, and a number of specialized travel agencies can arrange trips aboard cargo ships.
- Some cargo ships, like the CMA CGM Amerigo Vespucci that I traveled on, are far more luxurious than some people might assume, with rooms on par with cruise ships or hotels and amenities including a library, gym, and gourmet meals served by a French-trained chef.
- Booking through a company called Freighter Travel, I sailed aboard the Amerigo Vespucci for eight days, from Malaysia to Hong Kong.
- With more access to the ship than I was expecting, and a far greater level of luxury, it’s a trip I’d take again in a heartbeat.
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Ever since I was a kid, it had long been my dream to go to sea and have an adventure. There were just a few problems: I couldn’t afford to go on a cruise (and didn’t think I’d like to anyway, at least not with thousands of other people), nor could I afford a boat of my own (and didn’t know how to sail, anyway). But then, one day, inspiration struck: I’d go on a cargo ship.
TL;DR version: it was an adventure — one that was far more luxurious than I could have ever imagined, and just as memorable as I was hoping.
Here’s how I did it — sailing through the South China Sea from Malaysia to Hong Kong aboard the CMA CGM Amerigo Vespucci — and how you can, too.
