Option 1: Europe to Australia by sea. You can go all the way from the UK to Australia or New Zealand by sea, a slow voyage by passenger-carrying freighter or occasional round-the-world cruise. Expect this to take 32-40 days and cost around £3,500+ one-way including cabin & meals.

The time it takes to sail from the United Kingdom to Australia depends entirely on the vessel and the route taken. A modern, high-speed commercial cargo ship or a large cruise ship typically takes between 32 and 45 days to make the journey, usually traveling via the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean. However, for a private sailing yacht (around 40-50 feet), the journey is a massive undertaking that usually takes 3 to 6 months. Most sailors follow the "Tradewind" route, heading south past the Canary Islands, crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean, transiting the Panama Canal, and then "island hopping" across the Pacific. If a yacht chooses the more traditional and treacherous route "around the Capes" (Cape of Good Hope), the journey can be faster but much more dangerous. For those on an organized "World Cruise" departing from Southampton, the trip often takes about 40 days to reach Sydney, including various stops in the Mediterranean, Dubai, and Singapore. In contrast, the fastest record for a non-stop solo sail from the UK to Australia is roughly 70 to 80 days, though this is achieved only by elite racing yachts designed for extreme speed and endurance in the Southern Ocean.