Around The World

There are several shipping lines that offer "around the world" passenger services. These travel on both Eastbound and Westbound routes and you can join/depart at various ports en route. For the purpose of this description I'll assume a departure from a European port and heading Eastwards around the world. There are voyages that depart from and return to North American ports, but the general direction of the routes will be the same.

Departing from a Northern European port the route will go through the Mediterranean, usually calling at several ports along the way, before transiting the Suez Canal. From Suez, the ship will usually travel directly to Singapore, without stopping in India. After ports of call in the Far East, the ship will usually travel directly across the Pacific to the Panama Canal and then back to Europe with stops at ports along the USA Gulf coast and East coast en route. There are a lesser number of around the world voyages that take a Southerly route across the Pacific, calling at various island ports.

Note that some shipping lines will not carry passengers through the Red Sea/Middle East area due to the risk of piracy, in which case you would have to disembark at the last port in Europe and rejoin the ship in Singapore. This could provide you with an opportunity to break your voyage and spend around 3 weeks on land in either Europe or the Far East.

You can also construct your own "round the world" voyage by simply booking two separate voyages with different shipping lines. For example, you could book a one way voyage from Europe to Australia and then a second one way voyage from Australia to Europe via the Pacific. this would allow for a lengthy stopover in Australia or New Zealand.

Voyage Durations

An around the world voyage would usually be about 70-90 days, but it could be up to 120 days if you take a general cargo ship, as these spend longer in ports than a container ship.

Approximate Fares

For a guide to fares, please see our costs page.