Category: Q&A

Our Routes on the White Continent

23 August 2024
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Antarctica, HX, Our Routes, Q&A

…with Senior Polar Specialist, Lidia The latest edition of our popular polar travel series takes us through a classic Antarctic Peninsula voyage. Our senior polar specialist, Lidia Stranc, loved meeting Neko Harbour’s “adorable” penguins and having her dining accompanied by amazing whale sightings from the comfort of HX’s modern ship, the Fridtjof Nansen. WHAT DESTINATIONS DID YOU VISIT? The Antarctic Peninsula. HOW DID YOU GET THERE?  I flew from my home in the Azores to join the Hurtigruten flight from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires, and then the next day, we all joined a charter flight to Ushuaia. The same day we embarked the ship. FAVOURITE LOCATION? Neko harbour. The Gentoo penguins hanging out along the shore are just adorable, and hearing the ice crack and break off the glaciers is something I won’t forget. The whole place feels so peaceful and untouched. MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT?  Eating dinner with 3…

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Our Routes on the Seventh Continent

14 July 2024
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Antarctica, Our Routes, Poseidon Expeditions, Q&A

…with Elite Polar Specialist, Charlie The latest edition of our popular polar travel series takes us to awe-inspiring Antarctica, where our elite polar specialist, Charlie Mason, completed his full continental set on a sun-drenched voyage to the Antarctic Peninsula. Charlie was treated to a record-quick Drake Passage crossing and some super landing sites for wildlife spotting! WHAT DESTINATIONS DID YOU VISIT? The main focus of this trip was to visit the 7th continent, Antarctica (with a good amount of time in Buenos Aires and Ushuaia before and after). HOW DID YOU GET THERE?  We flew directly from London with British airways to Buenos Aires. We then spent some time there before flying on down to the end of the world, Ushuaia, where we embarked onto our expedition cruise. FAVOURITE LOCATION? The whole continent! Honestly, it’s too hard to choose a specific landing site, as they all vary so much, from…

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Our Routes in Greenland

30 April 2024
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Greenland, Our Routes, Q&A, Quark Expeditions

…with Senior Marketing Manager, Felipe The latest edition of this polar travel series takes us to gorgeous Greenland, where in the summer months when the sun hangs low on the horizon, this wild place comes alive with a burst of colour. Our senior marketing manager Felipe Francisco had quite a spectacular trip, taking in glaciers, cultural visits, and incredible fjords from the air! WHAT DESTINATIONS DID YOU VISIT? East Greenland, South Greenland, and West Greenland on Quark’s Essential Greenland itinerary. HOW DID YOU GET THERE?  I flew from London to Reykjavik in Iceland, and then from there, I boarded Quark’s fantastic Ultramarine ship and sailed across the Denmark Strait towards East Greenland. FIRST TIME OR REPEAT TRIP? First time in Greenland and my first time crossing the Arctic Circle! FAVOURITE LOCATION? It’s hard to pick favourites as each area in Greenland is so beautiful and unique. Southern Greenland blew me…

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Our Routes in the Svalbard Archipelago

31 August 2023
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Aurora Expeditions, Our Routes, Q&A, Svalbard

…with Senior Polar Specialist, Kasey The latest edition of this polar travel series offers a look into a fantastic fjord-filled expedition cruise with our Senior Polar Specialist Kasey Green, who enjoyed a polar bear-spotting 12-day Svalbard Odyssey voyage with AE Expeditions. WHAT DESTINATIONS DID YOU VISIT? The Svalbard Archipelago. HOW DID YOU GET THERE?  I flew to Oslo and then onto Longyearbyen, we then cruised throughout the Svalbard Archipelago, reaching areas that only polar class ships could travel. FIRST TIME OR REPEAT TRIP? This was my first time travelling to Svalbard. FAVOURITE LOCATION? I enjoyed being in Storfjorden and the attempts to travel up through the icy fjords. MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT?  Carving through the ice was certainly one of my most memorable moments, as well as seeing the elusive polar bear! We also made an ice landing where the captain stopped alongside the ice and allowed all the guests to…

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Our Routes in the Antarctic Circle

Lucy on board the SH Vega
23 May 2023
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Antarctica, Our Routes, Q&A, Swan Hellenic

…with Senior Polar Specialist, Lucy The latest edition of this series offers personal insights into an adventurous expedition cruise by our Senior Polar Specialist Lucy Yeoman, who enjoyed a penguin chick-filled 13-day voyage with Swan Hellenic sailing from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula. WHAT DESTINATIONS DID YOU VISIT? A 12-day Antarctic Circle expedition with Swan Hellenic on the SH Vega HOW DID YOU GET THERE?  I flew to Buenos Aires and spent a couple of days there exploring the city. Swan Hellenic arranged a charter flight to take the guests from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia where we boarded our ship, the SH Vega and set sail that evening across the Drake Passage, heading towards the Antarctic Circle. FIRST TIME OR REPEAT TRIP? This was my fourth expedition to Antarctica; previous ones were in November and December. There was less sea ice, the chicks had hatched although further south towards the circle many of the…

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Our Routes in the Antarctic Peninsula

10 March 2023
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Antarctica, Our Routes, Q&A

…with Polar Specialist, Ben The latest edition of this series offers personal insights into an adventurous expedition cruise by our Polar Specialist Ben Rowley, who enjoyed his amazing 12-day journey with AE Expeditions sailing from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula. WHAT DESTINATIONS DID YOU VISIT? The Antarctic Peninsula. HOW DID YOU GET THERE?  I flew from London to Buenos Aires and on to Ushuaia, before boarding Greg Mortimer and crossing the Drake Passage. FIRST TIME OR REPEAT TRIP? First time! FAVOURITE LOCATION?  Neko Harbour – the huge glacier looms close and the backdrop is immensely beautiful. Paradise Bay is a very close second! MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT?  We came across a female blue whale with her calf on the Drake Passage on the way south. The marine biologist on our expedition was over the moon with this sighting and said she’d never seen a blue whale calf in this area. In truth,…

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Our Routes in Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia

1 February 2023
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Antarctica, Our Routes, Ponant, Q&A, Wildlife

…with Senior Polar Specialist, James The latest edition of this series offers personal insights into an exceptional polar expedition cruise by our Senior Polar Specialist James Townsend, who set sail with his partner on an epic 16-day journey with PONANT that took them from the southernmost point of South America to the Antarctic Peninsula, allowing for a full discovery of the most beautiful sites of these southern lands.   WHAT DESTINATIONS DID YOU VISIT? I joined Ponant on their Great Austral Loop itinerary, which is a 16-day expedition to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia & Antarctica. HOW DID YOU GET THERE?  I flew direct from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires, where I checked in for an included overnight stay at the 5* Sofitel Recoleta. The next day all passengers flew together on a charter flight to Ushuaia (the southernmost point of Argentina), where we boarded our ship, L’Austral. FIRST TIME OR REPEAT TRIP?…

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A Day In The Life Of… A Port Lockroy Field Operations Coordinator

Vicky enjoying mountainous terrain
31 October 2022
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A Day In The Life Of, Antarctica, Q&A

Port Lockroy is based on Goudier Island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Since 1966 the site has been open to visitors during the Antarctic summer (November to March) and is now managed by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, which runs the site as a ‘living museum’ with a popular gift shop. All profits from the shop go towards the renovation of other historic sites in Antarctica. Port Lockroy is also the world’s most southerly public post house – affectionately known as the Penguin Post Office. We spoke to Field Operations Coordinator Vicky Inglis for her thoughts on living and working there. How does a typical day play out for you?  We’ll get up around 7 am, to the sound of the day’s duty cook heating water for tea and coffee. Breakfast is usually something like muesli or homemade bread and jam, maybe porridge if it’s looking like a cold or wet day. The Base Leader…

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Q&A With Quark Expeditions

4 August 2022
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Q&A, Quark Expeditions

We sat down with Quark Expeditions‘ Business Development Manager to discover more about their brand new ship the Ultramarine and to learn what sets them apart from their competitors… What are the features of Ultramarine that set her apart from other expedition ships in the market? Ultramarine’s design embodies our 30+ years of expertise operating exclusively in the Polar regions. It’s our first purpose-built expedition vessel, designed to go beyond the familiar in polar exploration, to discover new places and immerse our guests in the best the polar regions have to offer. Carrying just 199 passengers, she’s equipped with two twin-engine helicopters, which means our guests have the opportunity to explore even further. 20 quick-launching zodiacs, deployed from the water-level zodiac hangar allow guests to get off the ship in half the time of other vessels, which means more time to the destination and faster deployment during opportunistic wildlife encounters. The ship offers the category’s…

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Q&A With Alastair Newton

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Antarctica, Ponant, Q&A

Q&A with Ponant’s Expedition Leader and Director of National Geographic Partnership, Alastair Newton Alastair Newton brings years of polar exploration experience and expertise to his role as Ponant’s Expedition Leader and director of their partnership with the prestigious National Geographic. We wanted to find out more about Alastair’s extraordinary life exploring Antarctica… What is the role of an expedition leader and what do they do? An Expedition Leader is responsible for creating the remarkable and memorable experiences of the Expedition. It is a huge responsibility as it is these moments that the guests will treasure. These can include; adapting to a sudden opportunity, such as turning the ship around to watch whales bubble-net feeding in Alaska, helping the guests leave their preconceptions behind so they can experience new cultures openly, or changing the whole itinerary due to changing weather and creating a new program as we see what opportunities present…

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