I've got an odd request.

[mjd@mathstodon.xyz]

@Teaceratops I know nothing firsthand, and I apologize if this is useless. But this web site claims to organize travel by cargo ship, and the very first page I saw had a big graphic that said “Travel from UK to Australia by Cargo Ship”.

I hope this is helpful.

https://cargoholidays.com/cargo-ship-travel-cheap-from-europe-to-any-destination

[joeyh@sunbeam.city]

@Teaceratops last year, @gianluca_grimalda made it from Papau new Guinea back to Italy by freighter etc

[chateaubrackidh@mas.to]

@Teaceratops

Some merchant vessels can take a few fee paying passengers. The vessels that do this are never oil tankers, but container ships often have space for a few passenger cabins. It’s pretty luxury travel, so not cheap. You’d need to check with a company like Maersk if they have a suitable ship going Australia to UK and dates.

[catmisgivings@stranger.social]

@Teaceratops lot of good suggestions downthread, but honestly I think the surface travel options that would get them out before March are quite grueling for anyone whose health is delicate. Best option might be to recover on the east coast until March (hopefully they've left the hospital within that timeframe) and join the cruise

[gcvsa@mstdn.plus]

@Teaceratops Take a boat. Might have to learn sailing, first. Heh-heh. There are freighter companies who accept passengers. It's rather a nice way to travel, although obviously berths are limited.

[rhelune@todon.eu]

@va2lam @Teaceratops @krans @stonebear2 @DamonHD Yeah, when I was looking into one company (Hamburg to South Africa) the passengers had to be under a certain age limit and have a physician's certificate that they are healthy enough to travel for a month without medical care. Also, cargo ships do not take care of passengers' dietary needs (but do stock the onboard shop with their preferred brands of cigarettes) 🙄

[mjustm@awawa.gay]

@Teaceratops@peoplemaking.games maybe the british embassy to australia can help? this seems to me to be in their purview

[dgold@goblin.technology]

@Teaceratops Hi,

I'm not really in a position to be of much help, but...

Have you looked into Cargo Cruising? Its where your parents could travel as passengers on Cargo Ships. The Medical situation would possibly complicate matters -- as much as, if not more than, a cruise ship -- but its a feasible method of long distance slow travel.

From memory of a trip a friend took to Hong Kong, the route would be $AUSTRALIA (If they could get to Brisbane, that would make the sea travel shorter) to Singapore, then Singapore-Suez, finally Suez-Southampton or similar commercial port.

It all takes about 4 weeks from Singapore, so its a long term commitment, and the amenities, while perfectly functional, are basic.

[virginicus@universeodon.com]

@Teaceratops A problem worthy of Jules Verne.

[adriano@lile.cl]

@bnut @Teaceratops “can’t fly ever again” is not the type of statement that admits “but it’s ok in short flights actually” as an addendum.

I’m betting blood clot, because it happened to a relative of mine, but honestly it’s not the point.

[tbortels@infosec.exchange]

@Teaceratops

I'd look at intermediate destinations and try to convert a lot of that travel to land. If they can get to India or china, train travel to get a lot closer to home becomes viable.

In the past I'd have suggested California, then cross-country to New York and the QM2 to the UK, but I would avoid the US for now for reasons.

Honestly, it sounds like their best bet is don't miss the March cruise. Best of luck.

[bonkers@nerdculture.de]

@Teaceratops check out cargo ships. I read somewhere, you can travel with the crew quite comfortably, just without much entertainment.

[jamesbooker@floss.social]

@Teaceratops I was working in Germany once with a Canadian colleague. He had a massive heart attack, was told he couldnt fly home.

That's when I learned that cargo ships sometimes have passenger cabins on them - he sailed back on an oil tanker or something.

Also, if it hasn't been suggested already, has someone spoken with the embassy?

[robryk@social.wuatek.is]

@Teaceratops I might be stating the obvious: it might be useful to figure out which part of flying they can't do. For example, would a short flight _at low cabin altitude_ be also out of question?

[jackwilliambell@rustedneuron.com]

@Teaceratops

I can't find my notes for it, but I once looked into travel via cargo ship. Turns out it's a thing and there are several travel agencies who specialize in booking them.

[tsukkitsune@is.nota.live]

@Teaceratops

Cruise ships are, unfortunately, pretty much the name of the game, and yes, they have long gaps in their schedules for transoceanic trips. Before 2020, freighter travel (essentially, every cargo ship has an "owner's cabin", and when that's not occupied they can be hired out) was also an option, but that totally went away during the pandemic lockdowns and has been VERY slow to come back.

I had been planning on taking a trans-Atlantic freighter trip in 2020. It would have been my first.

[tsukkitsune@is.nota.live]

@Teaceratops

That's surprising. As far as I can tell, all the major ports on the Australian east coast are connected to Perth by a rail link.

This site also details how to get from Britain to India by surface travel, although I don't know if ships between Australia and India are more frequent than those to Europe via Suez.

https://www.seat61.com/Australia.htm

[mirjam_008@mastodon.nl]

@Teaceratops I would also check out possibilities from the port of Darwin via Indonesia / Singapore. The distances are shorter than from Perth. This might be easier to arrange and less of a risk healthwise.

[vickforcella@mastodon.derg.nz]

@Teaceratops All cargo ships have spare bedrooms. They can be booked and the food is ok too.
One big problem, it's a cargo ship and not a cruise ship. That means that the boaty isn't as stable. Cargo doesn't care. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_motions

[warmasterpalak@meow.social]

@Teaceratops

No flights mean boat to China, train to India, and whatever they can find from India back to Europe. Looking at probably a month of travel time.