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Yes! As a solo traveler, you are more than welcome to participate in a sailing trip aboard the EUROPA. Many of our guests are individual adventurers seeking new experiences and the opportunity to form new friendships during the journey. Our crew and fellow passengers create a close-knit community, ensuring that you will quickly feel at home on board. So, when traveling alone, you can definitely enjoy the camaraderie and unique experience of sailing on the EUROPA.

When you decide to join us one of our voyages, you will be doing so as part of the voyage crew. This means that EUROPA’s permanent crew will train you to be a sailor. No experience is needed, our crew will learn you everything along the way. Everyone is welcome to take the helm, set sails, assist with maneuvers, navigation, weather observations, furling the sails on the yards and much more. The permanent crew will give lectures and instruct you during the voyage in steering, navigation and sail handling. This will be done in a ‘Dutch’ style, so without yelling, blowing whistles or uniforms.

Every day on board is different and unexpected, due to continuously changing weather conditions and the watch system, but we’ll try to sketch how a day could look like: you get waken up at 4 am by another watch: It's your turn to stand watch with your watch mates. You check out the weather and put on your sailing gear. Then, you head outside and take turns keeping a lookout, steering, and handling the sails with the crew. After 4 hours, you wake up the next watch and its breakfast time. The cook has prepared a delicious buffet: fresh bread, yoghurt, granola, and all sorts of fruits. Then, you can catch up on sleep or hang out outside, chatting with your fellow travelers or helping the crew with ship maintenance. Once lunch is served, it's back to your watch duty. The weather and course may have changed, so you need to hoist or lower the sails accordingly. After dinner, you can either take a nap or grab a drink – the choice is yours. Read here to learn more about the watch system on board!

It sometimes happens that people experience seasickness while sailing. Fortunately, there are many simple solutions available nowadays that can provide significant relief. Additionally, we have a doctor on board who is always ready to assist you.

On board, there is no internet access. This creates an environment where you can escape the digital world and fully immerse yourself in the experience of sailing at sea and embracing the moment. However, if you still wish to keep your loved ones informed, there is an option to send and receive small text emails for a fee. Additionally, a designated person from your home front will have access to the captain's phone number in case of emergencies.

On board the Bark EUROPA, we offer 11 cabins for voyage crew, including three 2-person cabins, four 4-person cabins, and four 6-person cabins. With various common areas such as the library, lounge, poker corner, and deckhouse, the Bark EUROPA is ideal for ocean crossings and longer voyages. It allows you to do your own thing. Whether you wish to do some quiet reading or write in your logbook in the library in the aft of the ship or prefer to enjoy an active role in the social life in the deckhouse: there is a place for everyone. In the deckhouse you will also find the ships bar where you can enjoy a glass of wine with your fellow crewmates, play a board or card game or just enjoy a good talk. Below deck, you will find the lounge. Breakfast is served here but this area is also used by the guides to give their lectures and show their movies. Visit the page Inside the ship for an impression and the Virtual Tour of the ship!

Bark EUROPA has 4/6 persons cabins and 2 persons cabins for the voyage crew. If you join us with a travel partner, you can choose for a 2 persons cabin or to be placed in a 4/6 persons shared cabin. As a solo traveler you will be placed in a 4/6 persons male or female cabin.
Every cabin has his own bathroom with shower and toilet.
To get a nice impression of the cabins, you can find our Virtual Tour here. 

When you join us aboard EUROPA, we hope you'll embrace the excitement and adventurous spirit of being part of the watch system and helping navigate the ship from point A to point B. As a sail training vessel, we highly encourage passengers to get involved and contribute to the sailing experience. Being part of the watch system means taking turns keeping watch, steering the ship, and assisting with sail handling alongside our experienced crew. It's an opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the voyage, learn new skills, and be an active participant in the journey together with your fellow sailors. Teamwork is key on board! There is of course also enough time to enjoy the voyage by spending time on deck, mingling with fellow travelers, observing the crew's activities, or simply taking in the breathtaking surroundings.

During the Pacific voyages and Ocean crossing, we will have regular swim stops during the voyages, and you are welcome to bring your snorkeling gear to explore the underwater world. 
 

Our international permanent crew is very experienced and know all the ins and outs of the ship. They have been trained to handle any situation coming their way to keep everyone on board safe. The same goes for our captains, all of them have been sailing with the EUROPA for a quiet some time which creates a strong feeling of trust among crew and guests.

Since the year 2000, the Bark EUROPA has been crossing oceans and seas on a regular basis and has the reputation of being a ship that really sails. Our voyages bring us to remote islands and cities all over the world, giving you the possibility to step on board halfway through a long ocean crossing. Click here for more information about EUROPA’s history!

At Bark EUROPA, respecting the oceans is at the heart of it all. We strive to increase the awareness of our trainees and draw attention to the oceans and their vulnerability during our voyages. We inspire our trainees to open themselves up to the beauty and diversity of ocean life. Through onboard lectures, collaboration with researchers, and promoting environmentally friendly products, we aim for a more sustainable future. Read more about caring for the environment aboard Bark EUROPA here.

During the Pacific voyages and Ocean crossing, we will have regular swim stops during the voyages, and you are welcome to bring your snorkeling gear to explore the underwater world. 
 

You are welcome to send in your booking form via our website as soon as you are ready for the adventure! Choose your voyage in the sailing schedule, scroll down to the date you wish to sail with us and click the 'Book now' button. You adventure is just a view clicks away!

If you are interested in a specific voyage and you cannot decide immediately or if you have to make any necessary arrangements we can block a bunk for you for two weeks. That way you will have some time to decide without the risk of losing your berth. Please let us know in which voyage you are interested and how many bunks (male or female) you would like to block and if you prefer a 2-person cabin (can only be booked by couples or duo’s) or a bunk in a 4/6-person cabin. We will contact you as soon as possible to confirm your optional reservation.

If a voyage has not been announced via the newsletter and published in our sailing schedule, it is not possible to make a booking or a down payment to secure a spot. We only accept bookings from the moment which we specified in our newsletter announcing the voyages.
 

This means that there are not spots available on this voyage. If you are very keen on joining, please send us a message to state you would like to be on the reserve list for this specific voyage. If a spot opens up we will contact you.

Once we’ve received your booking form, we will process your booking as soon as possible. When you’ve received a voyage confirmation and corresponding invoice, your booking is confirmed. The confirmation of your payment will not go automatically. We check our banking accounts once a week and will confirm your payment via email. Please keep in mind that it might take a while for a transfer to get through. Let us know if you have any questions about payments! The payment of your invoice can be made by bank transfer. Please state your name and invoice in the remarks. All necessary banking details are mentioned on the invoice. We do not accept credit cards or cheques. We keep the following payment conditions; these are also mentioned on the invoice:

• 30% of the voyage fare directly after booking (within 14 days)
• 50% of the voyage fare 5 months before embarkation
• 20% of the voyage fare 2 months before embarkation. 

The prices listed on our website are per person for a single bunk. You have the option to book a bunk in a 4/6-person cabin or a two-person cabin. Please note that the two-person cabin can only be booked when traveling with a companion. The prices mentioned are also per person.

Apart from the once-in-a lifetime voyage, all meals, water, tea and coffee are included in the price.

Not included:
- Landing fees, when applicable (not applicable for Antarctic Peninsula expeditions) 
- Accommodation ashore before embarkation and after disembarkation
- Accommodation ashore between two different booked voyages (the ship will be prepared before setting sail again)
- Your flight to the port of embarkation and after disembarkation
- Costs for your own visa, insurances, passport and vaccinations (when applicable)

All our voyage fees are excluding landing fees. If a voyage will have additional landing fees these will be invoiced at a later stage. 
The Scotia Arc expedition has additional landing fees for the Falklands (when scheduled) and for South Georgia.
The Cape to Cape expedition has additional landing fees for Tristan da Cunha (if it is possible to land) and for South Georgia.
The Antarctica expeditions of 22 days have no additional landing fees.

The minimum age to travel alone on board Bark EUROPA is 15 years old. 
All those under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult. Please contact the shipping office to discuss the possibilities. Are you 65 years old or over? We kindly ask you to fill in the additional health statement that needs to be signed by your physician. This statement will be discussed with our team of ships doctors before we can make a final decision. Sailors of the age of 73 or over (at time of sailing), can unfortunately not join us on ocean crossings and Antarctica expeditions. They are welcome to sail a coastal voyage on board Bark EUROPA, when healthy and fit.

The Bark EUROPA Office is happy to help you preparing for a voyage on board. Below you will find the packing lists for the voyages. After booking, you will also find the packing list in the Community page and in the Final Voyage Information, closer to the voyage.

Ocean voyages
You will soon find your Ocean Voyage packing list here.

Antarctica Expeditions
Please find the Antarctica (22 days) packing list here.

Please find the Cape to Cape (Antarctica to Namibia) packing list here.

Feel welcome to contact the office if you have additional questions after reading the packing list.

We might not always be able to land ashore and there is a chance that you will have to walk a bit through water when stepping out of the zodiac to reach the shore. Next to that the soles of the Muckboots have great grip for the exploring we will do on land and are easy to clean to follow biosecurity regulations. To stay dry, warm and comfortable during landings, we'd recommend bringing a pair of knee-high Muckboots, like the Arctic Muckboots or similar. 

Storage room in the cabins is limited, we advise to bring a duffel bag you can fold away.

No, drones are not allowed on board EUROPA. While they offer incredible perspectives, they can pose risks & safety concerns for other guests, crewmembers, and potentially disrupt the ships' operations. 

When you book your flights, please allow for some extra time to avoid any problems with embarkation in case of delays, lost luggage etc. Please plan to arrive at two days prior to your scheduled embarkation. Also, keep in mind that you take enough time between disembarkation and your flight home, preferably a flight one or more days later. If you do want to fly the same day of disembarkation, we advise you to book a flight end of the day.

Sometimes it is possible to bring your luggage to the ship before the embarkation moment. After dropping it of we kindly ask you to leave to give the crew time to prepare the ship for your official arrival at the embarkation time. When the ship is at anchor in the bay it is not possible to drop of your luggage before the embarkation moment. 

If you have booked a voyage you will receive the log in information for your community page. Here we will post several documents with information about your trip. We will also share information about the location of the ship in the port where you will embark. 
Have a look at the Follow the Ship page for the exact locations. The position will be renewed every 6 hours.

It is entirely up to you how much money you want to bring on your voyage, but we suggest taking about € 10,- per day. This of course depends on you as a person and on the voyage you are on. When you are on a voyage with a lot of sailing, we can imagine you spend less time in the bar! The bar bill amounts over the duration of the voyage and has to be paid at the end of the voyage. This can be done in Euro's and Dollars. You can also pay your barbill with debit or credit card via Stripe.

When you're out at sea, our galley is always busy preparing delicious meals to keep everyone well-fed. Our experienced cook and cook’s assistant take care of all meals on board, surprising our voyage crew with a variety of dishes made with local ingredients from the ports we visit. We offer both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. When you book your voyage, you can choose your meal preference to ensure everything is arranged in advance. Read more about food allergies and preferences here.

Our experienced cook and cook's assistant will take care of all meals on board.

Our voyage crew is often surprised by the variety of dishes served on board during the voyages. The cooks try as hard/much as possible to use local ingredients from the ports we visit. Each day they will prepare a vegetarian meal (no fish and no meat) and a non-vegetarian meal. At the time of booking, you will choose one of these two options for your full voyage, so we can arrange the rights stores for your sailing expedition. We only offer a vegetarian or non-vegetarian option, we cannot cater to a vegan diet.

On most voyages we don't have the opportunity to get new supplies during our adventure, all shopping has to be done before departure. Therefore the cooks need to have an overview of the number of vegetarian and non-vegetarians on board and should be fully informed of any possible food allergies.

Disembarkation from EUROPA is usually in the morning, and although we will do our best to be in the harbour at the disembarkation time we set, EUROPA is still a sailing vessel, which means wind and weather dependent. Therefore we advise to fly late in the afternoon or in the evening of the disembarkation day. Or stay another day in port to explore the surroundings and rest a bit before flying home.

The Antarctica season 2025/2026 will be open for bookings early 2025. Please subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated. 
 

After the next Antarctica season, there won't be a Cape to Cape. Instead, we will sail to Northern America.

The prices of the Antarctica voyages change per season. The prices for the upcoming season can be found on our sailing schedule.

We’ve put together a special webinar to give you a start on how to prepare you for our Antarctica adventures and get excited about life on board Bark EUROPA! From navigating icy waters to what to pack for this adventure, this session will give you a taste of what’s ahead on this incredible expedition. 
 

The max hull speed is just over 13 knots. In reality it is just 12,5 knots.

It takes about 45 minutes to hoist all sails.

It takes about 5 minutes to take all sails down.

Including all sheets, halyards, clew and buntlines, brasses and mooringlines, there is 5,5 kilometer rope on board.

EUROPA can sail on a 65 degrees close hauled course.