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Podcast Show Notes: Traveling to Antarctica
Meet Chelsea Turner from the New Wifestyle blog and listen to the above podcast episode on traveling to Antarctica. Chelsea and her husband decided to go to Antarctica together a few years ago and this experience changed her life for the better.
How Do You Get to Antarctica?
You can fly to Antarctica, but it’s going to cost you a pretty penny, possibly adding 10k to your trip. Most take cruises through Drake Passage, which has some of the roughest seas in the world. It’s a 2 day (38 hour) boat trip from the most southern part of Argentina, Ushuaia, which is where many Antarctica trips start. You can also take a boat from New Zealand.
How is the Cruise to Antarctica?
The boat that Chelsea took was smaller than most, it held around 80 people, which is nice if you ask me. They weren’t on a cruise like an Alaskan Cruise, they were on a true adventure expedition! They went with Antarpply Expeditions. The first two days traveling to Antarctica had rough seas, but it was nice and calm when they made it to Antarctica. It’s a good idea to take the drowsy Dramamine and spend those 2 days sleeping on the boat until you arrive in Antarctica. She and her husband had her own room, but they went with a cheaper room and had bunk beds and a shared bathroom with another room. The people you are on the boat with are the same people you will see the entire trip, and they made life-long friends on the boat. The entire expedition was 10 nights and 11 days, but 4 of those days were travel days.
What Does Antarctica Look Like?
It’s stark white with majestic sharp-peaked mountains, icebergs, untouched snow, and it feels like you are on another planet. It’s so isolating and makes you feel apart of a huge world and gives you a new perception of how vast it is. It’s a beautiful blank slate and it feels like a different planet. Chelsea didn’t see a town. There are 10,000 people that live in Antarctica in the summer (November-March), but in the Winter, there are only 1,000 people that live there during the darkest of the days in the Winter. There are research bases in Antarctica, but the tourist boat didn’t go to a research base.
What Can You Do in Antarctica
You are constantly going on and off the boat. Get a ‘cruise’ out of your head, this is an exploration. You are exploring day in and day out. Zodiac boats would take you to little islands and they even took them to an active volcano. They saw penguins, humpback whales, orcas, and got to see many icebergs.
Why Travel to Antarctica?
You can go to a place where not many people get to, plus you can see a goal come to fruition in saving for a big trip.
Go to Antarctica if you love adventure and meet like-minded people. Go there if you want to have an experience that you’ve never experienced before. Plus, you’ll make lifelong friends, and who doesn’t love those?
How Much Does Traveling to Antarctica Cost?
Including flights to Argentina and the boat and expedition to Antarctica, it was about 10,000 per person. This was for a budget room, a bunk bed with a shared bathroom, and they planned this 10 months in advance. If you are flexible, you could find a cheaper last-minute deal. If you skip the 38-hour boat ride, you can fly to Antarctica and then join up with a fancy cruise, but you will be paying a pretty price tag for it, at least 20,000 per person.
You can check out current rates with Antarpply Expeditions here.
When Can You Tavel to Antarctica?
November-March are you only months that you can travel there, or you might get stuck in Antarctica.
Antarctica Packing Checklist
• Smart Wool Socks
• Good Winter Coat
• Warm Hat
• Warm Gloves
• Hiking Boots
• Snow Pants
• Thermal Pants
• Fleece
• Face Mask
• Under Layers
• Passport
*Don’t bring hand warmers, they won’t work
Top Tips for Traveling to Antarctica:
• Be open new experiences, new people
• Embrace the fact that you are in Antarctica
• Be Prepared for rough seas
Are Antarctica Trips Kid Friendly?
The boat Chelsea was on required kids to be 15 because you fly across the room if you weren’t secured in your bed.
Can you Travel to Antarctica If you Have Limited Mobility?
You need to be able to step out of the Zodiac, and be able to step on rocks. If you are in a wheelchair, you may need to explore other cruise options. But yes, you can go with limited mobility, but you will need to check with your tour operator before booking. I did find Small Ship Cruises does offer expeditions to Antarctica if you have limited mobility, definitely check them out. Also, if you’re an adventurer and love experiences, but may have limited mobility, then check out these Accessible Travel Ideas from EYSH.
One of the Craziest Things You Can Do in Antarctica
A polar plunge in Antarctica. You can run into Antarctic waters… that’s right. Brrrrr…. there would need to be some big convincing to get me to jump into Antarctic waters, but that’s just me.
If you listened to the episode above and want to read more about Chelsea’s travels to Antarctica, then check out her blog posts on Antarctica on her blog, the New Wifestyle!
Recommended Episode: If you’re up for the adventure of Antarctica, then you might be up for an African adventure. Check out this episode of a Self Drive African Safari!