I REALLY want to go to Antarctica. Has anyone here been?

[StressedOutSemolina]

I mean it's pretty much impossible considering one weekend trip would swamp my entire life savings... but I've decided I'm winning the lottery tonight so it's cool.

No pun intended!

Minus 60 apparently. I'm having a hard time actually imagining that temperature and what it feels like.

But I'd bloody well love to go. Whales, penguins, the purest scenery on earth and complete and utter peace.

I went on a cruise with Hurtigruten Christmas 2018 and it was the trip of a lifetime. Lots of ships go there but only smaller ships allow passengers to disembark via small zodiac boats and explore. Larger vessels just do a drive by which though I’m sure is fantastic wouldn’t be the same for me.

ask if you have any questions!

Those pictures are amazing!

Do I take it you didn't have to poo in any bags? Because that is the deal-breaker for me.

My cousin has literally just been there! She paid £4,500 (plus flights to South America). They spent 3 nights there, 2 nights on the boat and 1 sleeping in the snow which she said was actually fine. She’s not back in the uk yet but her photos are absolutely amazing and she said it was the best thing she’s ever done. She was made redundant earlier this year and she just said fuck it, I’m going!

@Jellifer I have ALL the questions !
Where did you start from?
How much did it cost?
Did they cater for vegetarians?
What are your top tips?
Anything you wouldn't do?

Thanks for putting the photos up. Makes it seem a real possibility!

I've been for work. If you want to snorkel you will need a dry suit! Most tourists go down on cruise ships, a few on expedition yachts. Small ship/boat definitely better as will allow getting ashore. There are strict limits on tourism and numbers allowed ashore at once. Tourists are paying $$$$ to get down so no pooing in bags - more excellent food and toilets on board. Amazing place! Most people go to the peninsula in the Antarctic summer so it is cold but not super cold. There were days when I was out in a t shirt!

This is one company that does yacht expeditions https://www.quixote-expeditions.com/. Cruise ship probably cheaper!

I follow a woman on Tiktok who lives on Svalbard, an island close to the North Pole (I know that's the Arctic, not Antarctica). It looks so beautiful; the polar nights, the northern lights, the snow. Honestly 24/7 darkness in the winter months and constant cold weather sounds amazing to me, but then I always was a bit of a weirdo

So do I, she’s fab. It looks stunning

DH and I are going to Tromso in February. Not quite the same granted, but I can’t wait.

For Antarctica, follow @ mattykjordan on TikTok - he’s just come back from there but his photos and videos are amazing

I know several people who've been - all on cruises - they all said it was amazing. The pitching up and down on a ship through the roughest seas on the planet wouldn't be for me though, even if I could afford it. So they're a self-selecting bunch via a) money and b) tolerance/preparedness to put up with rough sea travel for multiple days. There are some really great documentaries on Antarctica - they are close enough to the real thing for me.

If you really want to put yourself off, read 'The Worst Journey in the World' by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, particularly the part titled 'The Winter Journey'. It will put you right off and make you glad you can't afford it

We swam in a lake in the arctic. We wore full outdoor gear: thermals, normal clothes and ski coats and trousers, hats, scarves, balaclava, gloves and snowboots. Then a giant rubber suit that went over the whole thing, leaving just our balaclavaed faces exposed. Then we got into the lake and floated on our backs in the dark, looking at the stars. It was incredible, and perfectly comfy. It was only -32 during the day, though. I can't imagine -60. In -32, our eyelashes froze solid and snapped off if we touched them. Epic holiday, that was.

only -32

I legit think I'd die.

Not the same, but I did the coastal express in January from Bergen to Kirkenes, Norway. Absolutely fantastic! It was my bucket list trip, I need a lottery win for Antarctica though.

There used to be a New Zealand university which offered a course (maybe some sort of Biology?) where the students could volunteer to go to Antarctica and do penguin tagging over the summer. Not sure if this still exists.

I have an old friend who works the cruise ship (and has a Zodiac license) so takes people off on jaunts

The pictures he posts are amazing

I can categorically confirm no pooing in bags was required 🤣

Haha unfortunately not - it’s very expensive to get to. You have to fly to Reykjavik then get another flight to Nuuk. The Reykjavik leg was fine, I found a flight for about £50, but the cheapest flights to Greenland were £700! I would recommend it if you can afford it though. I’ve never seen such golden sunlight, just bright blue skies on a freezing day and watching icebergs floating by. It’s so tranquil and the people are lovely.

I follow Svalbard one and Matty on IG

Both look amazing

I flew to Buenos Aires and had a few days there then flew down to Ushuaia (which IS in Argentina!) to pick up the ship.

It cost quite a lot, especially as I was travelling solo. Hey who needs 2 kidneys anyway?! 🤷🏼‍♀️ Check out the Hurtigruten website for recent prices, sure it’s gone up a lot since I went.

Veggies were very well catered for on the ship, no issues there

I went at Christmas which is summer season down there so temps were -5 to +5. I think the season goes from November to March as it’s too frozen for ships to get through the rest of the year.

To get there you have to cross ‘Drakes Passage’ one of the roughest stretches of water in the world so I was dreading it. With incredible luck we had great weather both ways and so encountered more of a Drake Lake than a Drake Shake!

We saw so much wildlife it was incredible. We had to keep our distance from the penguins but they didn’t have the same rules and came very close to us! It doesn’t really get dark down there in summer which is hard to get your head around.

Each day we either went scenic cruising on the zodiac boats or they would drop us off and we’d have time to explore. The numbers allowed at any one time are very limited so we took it in turns.

I even did the ‘Polar Plunge’ on Christmas Eve where those of us mad enough got into the water 🥶

Amazing

What did you wear for the plunge?

I work for the British Antarctic survey and I got to do down a few years ago. I was there in an admin capacity so I was on station - no pooing in a bag for me! (Although I'd have taken it - I was desperate for a night in a tent!)

It really is the most remarkable place. I loved every minute there. If I'd been a decade younger i'd have set my sights on finding a role that would have taken me back for longer. But I have a family now so it's harder to justify the time away. There's a faint (very faint!) possibility that something might come up in the future and my line manager is aware I'd love to go again.

I do get a pang of longing at the start of each season, as all the kit bags are around the office and people are bustling around getting ready to go

I’m desperate to get a job with the BAS but I don’t think I have any relevant skills. You sound awesome! Very jealous you’ve been, I bet there’s a real camaraderie with the people who go

The closest I got was a business trip to the Falkland Islands. That was close enough for me.

I found the camaraderie down there amazing. As soon as you arrive you're part of this big, somewhat disfunctional, family. Having said that I was lucky that I went right at the start of the season. I think as time goes on people can get a bit stressed.
I like the people at BAS generally though, and made some great friend - feels like I've met my sort people 😁

Bah, sorry, I usually lurk rather than post. That was supposed to be a reply to @TedMullins

My boss is going in January. She's a climber and is off to climb Mt Vinson. Looking forward to seeing her expedition photos afterwards!