Now that flying became a norm for even the shortest distances, it is unfortunately the most convenient and often the cheapest way to cross the Atlantic or Pacific. If you are really determined to take the longer and harder way to travel between Asia/Europe/Africa and Americas on a budget, these two are your best options:
1. Volunteering on Sailboats: Hands down the cheapest way to cross the oceans without flying! Most of these trips are either free or require only some money for food (which is around 10-20 euros per day). However, you need to contact the right people at the right time for the best route... and do it for the right season. In other words, it demands some research and effort before leaving home. Although having some sailing experience can be a huge plus to be a part of a crew, there are still tons of travelers who do it each year without any prior experience. Do your homework, have the right attitude, don't worry about your lack of experience that much and with a bit of luck, you should be able to find a boat to take you to the other side.
Crossing the Atlantic on a sailboat takes about 3 weeks. Working on a sailboat is especially the best option for travelling from Europe/North Africa to the Caribbean. Keep in mind: Going west is always easier than going east as your chances of finding a boat in this direction is higher. The right season for travelling this route is between October to January. The same rule applies for the Pacific; it's easier to travel east and the best season for going from North/Central America to Asia/Oceania is around March-May but this route is not as busy as the one on the Atlantic, so your chances are slimmer.
Güneş crossing the Atlantic on a sailboat. His blog (in Turkish): Adım Adım Seyahat
Probably the best place to find sailors crossing the Atlantic is Canary Islands (or Gibraltar). Apart from contacting sailors directly on harbors or the forums on travelers' websites and CouchSurfing, these three websites can be helpful if you are serious about this:
2. Travelling on a freighter (cargo ship): Not sure if this can be considered "travelling on a budget" because this option is not cheaper than flying! There are two ways to travel on a freighter without paying though, and they are:
1. Being extremely lucky: You have a buddy who is a captain on one of these ships and they are willing to take you on their next trip from Hamburg to Santos... Good for you! Or, you have really good communication skills and you talk one of the captains at the port into taking you to their destination point (this second method is very very unlikely to work, so don't rely on it).
2. Working on a freighter: Forget about going aboard and illegally working your way (cleaning etc.) in the ship in return for the trip and some food. This is a nostalgic idea and the new regulations and workers' unions do not allow you to do this anymore. In order to work on a freighter ship, you need to obtain a STCW certificate first (which is an international certificate) and contact companies to apply for positions. All these require a long time and it's not a good choice for one specific trip as it's neither cheap nor easy but at the end you may have a decent job, get paid for it and travel for the rest of your life.
The easiest way to travel overseas by ship is paying to be a passenger on a freighter (except for luxury cruises). Again, this is more expensive than flying but it is hassle-free and much cheaper than touristic cruise ships. It is also faster than sailing.
There are many agencies, who do all the work for you and book a cabin in one of the freighters of your choice. You can also try contacting these cargo companies to find better deals. However, using their websites and general contact links is not a very good idea. Most of them will just ignore your e-mails, claim it is not possible or direct you to the agencies, so it would be better if you went to their office and talked to them. The prices vary between 2000-4000 euros for crossing the Pacific and between 1000-1500 euros for crossing the Atlantic. Depending on your route, it takes around 20 days to cross the Pacific and 10 to cross the Atlantic. Also, don't forget that you pay per each day, which means the longer you travel, the more expensive the journey will get. For instance, it is much cheaper to travel from Japan to Canada instead of China to Peru if you are planning to travel from Asia to Americas.
Here are some of the freighter agencies, who were kind enough to answer some questions and offer prices (among these, Slow Travel Experience offered me the best bets):
- Slow Travel Experience (http://www.langsamreisen.de/en/)
- International Freighter Voyages Pfeiffer (http://frachtschiffreisen-pfeiffer.de/en/)
- Grimaldi Lines (http://www.grimaldi-freightercruises.com/)
- CMA CGM (https://www.cma-cgm.com)
- Strand Voyages (http://www.strandtravelltd.co.uk/)
The trip I have booked (in red) and the one I'm planning (in orange)
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