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10 Steps to Antarctica

We often hear about our travels, ”what a trip of a lifetime”.   

But this trip was different.

This one was special. 

Antarctica.

Antarctica!

In a previous post, I shared how meaningful going to Antartica was because it was a lifetime goal set by a kid in rural Idaho. Back in high school, I (Mike) set the audacious goal to set foot on all seven continents and swim in the seven seas.  I saved the hardest, most expensive, and most difficult one for last.  This post is intended for two groups of people: 1) Those of you who are planning your trip there and 2) Those that chose not to go, but want to see some cool penguin pics.  I do need to give a shout out to some of the bloggers who inspired and coached me on this adventure:  Adventurous Kate  and iAmAileen They give good advice, follow them.

This is the first of a few posts about my adventure.

What follows is the 10 simple (not really) steps to prep for this grand adventure.

Step 1) Save up lots of money.  I saved five years for this adventure (Birthdays, Christmas, Father’s Day, basically anytime I could con Luci into giving me money instead of a present for a holiday).  Costs are below:

$7,800 per person Oceanwide double cabin. Discovery and Learning Voyage (10 day, 9 nights). MV Hondius

$3,200 Delta Airlines (Delta comfort) BOI-EZE

$700  Aerolineas Argentinas AEP to Ushuaia

$125 transfer between EZE and AEP

Step 2) Search the right cruise for you.  There are two types of cruises to Antarctica, ones that let you land on the continent, and those that let you wave to the penguins as you sail by.  Current international regulations limit the number of passengers that can be on a ship and make a landing.  Big cruise ships are not welcome.  You will need to board an “expedition ship” to make the crossing if you want terra firma.  There are roughly a dozen different cruise lines that offer the trips.  Prices range from $3,800 to $50,000.

Step 3) Timing is everything.  Due to weather conditions, Drake Passage crossings can only be made in the months of October to March.  The crossing is notoriously “bumpy”.  Shoulder season prices are cheaper, with good reason.  As the saying goes, “The Drake Shake or the Drake Lake”.  We (my friend and I) were very lucky to get the latter.  We made our trek in late December.  Saving money by cutting corners on timing is not recommended.

Dress warm!

Step 4) Packing and Prep.  This trip was like none other.  As we were staying in Buenos Aires for a couple days after our trip, we had to pack for two completely different seasons.  It goes without saying that it is cold in Antarctica. A visit to the peninsula is unlikely to produces -40 versus Buenos Aires that is one hot town during summer.

It was cold and windy during our visit to #7.  It is best to dress in layers, with a water and wind proof shell.  You will need gloves, thick socks and a warm hat.  I used Helly Hansen sailing gear and was glad I did.  They specialize in clothing that keeps you warm and dry on the water.  I highly recommend. and sunblock are also highly recommended to deal with the reflection of snow and ice.  I didn’t wear sunblock and ended up sunburned.  You will also need a swimsuit!  Stay tuned on that!  Most, if not all ships, provide footwear for visiting the continent.  This is a function of preventing invasive plants and from being transported to this pristine environment. 

A word or two about camera gear.  I went with our Cannon DSLR with two lens (50 and a 250).  Spend as much as you can afford on a lens.  It will make all the difference.  I kinda wish I would have gone with the longer lens. But most of my pictures I took using my iphone. Some of my best pics were on my phone.  Crazy huh?

Step 5) Go see the doctor. I went to my local travel clinic to get all the seasickness meds money can buy.  Read more on this step in our previous post. The Drugs of Antarctica.

Step 6) Board the plane!  Our flight originated in my hometown of Boise, Idaho.  I had layovers in Salt Lake City and Atlanta.   Download those books and podcasts!  The flight from Atlanta ATL to Buenos Aires EZE was roughly 10 hours.  I took the overnight flight, which really helped with the jet lag.

Step 7) Transfer and board the other plane!  Flights to the two major ports (Ushuaia and Puerto Arenas) that have ships going to Antarctica leave out of a different airport in Buenos Aires.  The transfer takes roughly an hour, but can be up to 3 hours depending on traffic.  Leave plenty of time for this transfer including getting through customs in EZE.  We spent three hours in line to get through customs.  Rumor is there was a strike that day, but I cannot confirm.  Just follow my advice, leave plenty of time. 

Step 8) Enjoy Ushuaia.  Ushuaia is unlike any place I have ever been.  It is nicknamed the “Fin Del Mundo” — The end of the world.  You have an eclectic mix of folks there.  Some just finished their trans north and south America journeys, there’s a bunch of trust fund millennials, or a herd of hard core travelers seeking to board the boat to get #7,  while you also meet adventure junkies just seeking to explore.  We were never short on conversation topics as we dined with others.

Go and take your picture by the Fin Del Mundo sign!  This was particularly special to me as one of my good friends who ran the JourneyWoman blog, who has since passed away, posed at the same place.  I miss her.  She was an inspiration to so many. Evelyn Hannon is my hero. We wish Carolyn Ray well as she fills those shoes!

Step 9) The morning of departure, you must bring your luggage to your cruise company’s headquarters.  Luggage must be loaded by the ship’s crew. You can board with your hand luggage, no problem.  Don’t forget, you will need your passport as you go to board, don’t leave it in your luggage!

Step 10) Savor every second.  Yes, this truly is a trip of a lifetime.  The things you will see: the ice, the water, the animals and the terrain are unlike anything you will ever see again.  The follow adventures are fascinating, the crew and expedition leaders are an intriguing bunch. 

The final part of this is to take that first step up the gangway to adventure. 

Boy Voyage!

Antartica Trip: The Drugs

Ok.  This Antarctic adventure is getting real!  Let the departure prep work begin. Where to start?  Let’s talk about drugs.

One of the many mistakes I have made in prepping for this trip is continuing to search in YouTube for “Drake Passage”.  I have watched hours of ships bobbing up and down white capped waves. The dreaded “Drake Shake” is 3 days each way in some of the most tempestuous seas on the planet.  I have never been on a cruise. How bad can it be?


Needless to say, I am not a doctor, please seek proper medical advice.  I am only sharing my own experience. Every trip to exotic locales begins with a trip to our local travel clinic.  I love the look of shock and awe when a new doctor looks at my vaccination chart. It reads like a fine wine menu of exotic disease prevention.  “Looks like you have a nice turn of the century Yellow Fever series.”  

The S-Word

This visit was a little different.  I am current on all of my injections.  I was there to talk about the S. Word: SEA-SICKNESS.  From what I have read, it may be worse than the worse case of a Man Cold.  Deadly. I had prepped a number of questions. “What about the whole magic bracelet thing? I hear that it will clear my chi and free radicals that cause the dreaded seasickness.” Dr’s exact words, “Doesn’t work.”  After I ran through all of the other homeopathic concoctions I had read about on the inter-webs, we got down to business on things that actually work.

There are two primary drugs that are a must have for any crossing of the Drake Passage:  The Patch and the Pre-puke pill.   And for today only, we have a bonus drug!

The Patch

The Patch aka Scopolamine (skoe POL a meen) 1mg.  Reading the directions: apply at least 4 hours before embarkation.  Place on dry skin behind the ear. Remove patch 72 hours after first application.  Replace as needed. So what is Scoopledaramingere? https://www.drugs.com/mtm/scopolamine.html   The patch delivers its magic over time through the skin.  It is proven to be effective in preventing common motion sickness.  The side effects section of the novel the pharmacy gave me claims that they are mild.  Do be aware that mixing drugs and alcohol can be dangerous, ask any 80’s hair band member. 

Pre-Puke

What if the patch doesn’t work?  What if I still feel nauseous? Plan B:  The Pre Puke Pill aka Ondansetron (on DAN se tron).  Take 1 tablet each 6 hours at as needed for nausea. The nice thing about these beauties?  They are dissolved under the tongue. Side effect read similar to the Patch. Dry mouth?  Is that really a thing? Do be aware, this drug will not prevent or even treat the sea sickness symptoms (dizziness, headache, etc.). It just settles your stomach.

And the other thing

Our route to getting to our boat takes us through the beautiful countries of Argentina and Chile.  As an added precaution, my doc recommended Azithromycin (az ith roe MYE sin). This is some heavy duty bug killer.  It is used to treat diarrhea. Take two tablets at the onset. This one has more moderate side affects. Please pay  attention to the do’s and don’t of this drug.

All three of the drugs listed above are available in the states via prescription.  Every body is different, visit with your doctor on how best to treat and at what dosage.  We do highly recommend taking every precaution to protect your health and happiness as you travel.

Destination: Antartica

Why?

I want to bring you on a journey with me.  It has been 20 plus years in the making.   While I was attending Rigby High School in rural Idaho, I set a goal to travel to all 7 continents.  Growing up in a single-wide trailer and a son of a single mother, this was a very audacious goal.  In 10 short months I will take the last step in tackling this ambitious goal.  Cue the stirring music.

I am sharing my experience, not to boast, or draw attention to myself (This is Mike by the way…).  This series of posts are for three different types of people:

1) If you have ever dreamed a dream, set a goal, wished for something big and special in your life, this series of posts are for you.  If you need a little reassurance that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, this is for you.  There is a light.  It can and will happen for you.  But…..it is really, really hard.  Never, Never, NEVER give up on your goals!

2) If Antarctica is on your bucket list, and you just want the details on how to make it happen on a budget.  These posts are for you– if you can get beyond a little sappiness, along the way.

3) For my friends and family that are wondering “what in the world” is Mike doing this time.  This is for you as well.  (Please skip the “danger” section below.) Enjoy.

Antarctica

Antarctica

Perhaps one of the most inhospitable places on earth, Antarctica is not a “fun” place to visit.   According to Wikipedia:  “Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.”  So, it’s got that going for it.  Obviously, it attracts scientists, global warming anti-deniers, and penguin watchers galore.   It also speaks to another breed, the 45to 55 year-old bucket-lister-crosser-offer-ers. Guilty as charged.

The Fighting Solo

I am going it alone on this one. This trip includes everything that Luci hates: 

1) cold

2) rough seas

3) Mike

4) small cabin

5) more rough seas

6) sea-sickness and

7) cold water. 

After not getting a response from my Twitter invite to Gal Gadot (It’s not too late if you are reading this), I have paired up with a good friend to join me. Traveling solo to Antarctica nearly doubles the price, a non-starter for me.

Antarctica Fun Fact:  The Continent was the last one to be “discovered.” In 1820, the Russian expedition of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev sighted the Fimbul Ice Shelf.  It was not until much later that a group of Norwegians made the first landing.

Weddell seal pups on the ice of the Antarctic Peninsula

When to Start

Cruises fill up a year or more in advance.  While I have read of bloggers going down to the port and booking a spot the day of, I just can’t roll that way.  If you are like me, you have a tight window to make everything work with time off and family, booking exact days is a must.

Nothing is Easy or Cheap

A word of warning.  Regardless of the many “fluffy” blog posts out there on the white continent, visiting Antarctica is difficult, extremely expensive, and a tiny bit dangerous.   Luci and I have made a habit of finding the shortcuts to make travel cheap.  We maximize points, travel on shoulder seasons, and a several other tricks of the trade to make global travel affordable.  None of those ingenious tactics work on Antarctica.  There is a three-month window when you can go, there are limited boats, and there are only two ports you can go out of in South America.  Antarctica is the soup Nazi of travel.  No cheap trip for you!

The “Drake Shake”

Budget

I began saving for Antarctica four years ago. Both Luci and I are disciples of Dave Ramesy, so we are very conservative on how we spend our money.   Each year we allot a certain amount of our budget for “blow money” (we know, it sounds terrible.).  This is money that we can spend on anything we want.  I hoarded mine like a crazy man, I skipped birthday and Christmas presents in order to save the money for this trip.

Ok, let’s talk numbers.  You can spend $75k on an Antarctica trip without blinking an eye. (https://www.swoop-antarctica.com/cruises/south-georgia/in-depth). Since we don’t have a trust fund, this is not an option for us.  (It would be soooo cool though!)

Here are the basics for our trip:

$1,800 flight from Boise, Idaho, USA (BOI) to Buenos Aires (EZE).

$500 flight from Buenos Aires (AEP) to Ushuaia (USH)

$8,900 pp double Occupancy cruise

$750 excursions (kayaking, camping, etc.)

$250 Lodging and transport Ushuaia

$500 “melt” layover in Buenos Aires

$500 Medical/evacuation insurance

$13,200

Jumping Gentoo Penguins

Travel Insurance

Without a doubt, you need travel insurance for any trip to Antarctic.  There are three major components to travel insurance: medical, evacuation and cancellation.  Medical insurance provides coverage for major injuries and sickness that may occur during your trip.  Please pay close attention to how “previous conditions” are covered.  Evacuation coverage could be used in tandem with the medical, it is to get you to the nearest medical facility and eventually home should your treatment be needed.  This is critical with the remoteness of the region.   Lastly, most of the cruise tickets to Antarctica are non-refundable.  Should you have a covered incident, like losing a job etc., there is coverage for the amount of the ticket that is not refundable. The rest of the add in coverages are nice, but not mission critical.

Danger

Ok…you bought the insurance right?  Lets talk danger.  There is a small but real exposure.  This is still a difficult trip.  Type in MS Explorer 2007 into google and you will read of the last tourist ship sinking after hitting an iceberg.  All survived due to extremely good weather at the time.   The boat ended up at the bottom of the ocean.  Moving right along….

Getting There

With all the boring details taken care of, let’s go!  Let’s start with the end in mind.  There are two ports in South America that ships to Antarctica sail out of:  Punta Arenas, Chile; and Ushuaia, Argentina. Getting to one of those two can be done by a couple small carriers out of major South American cities including Rio, Buenos Aires, and Santiago.  We elected the Buenos Aires to Ushuaia route on Aerolineas Argentinas.  It is roughly a four-hour flight.  Don’t book the final flight of the day, leave yourself at least one more flight option.  You don’t want to miss the boat.

Seal in front of ship, boat, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

Choose your Cruise

The lion share of your budget is going to be spent on which cruise.  Your experience will be completely defined by the craft you choose.  Ultimately, you are trying to maximize your value.  There are roughly 50 boats that make trips to the Antarctic every year.  Only smaller boats are allowed to stop and let passengers visit the mainland.  If your boat has 500+ passengers, you will simply float past the continent. 

In order of luxury of small ships to Antartica:

Abercrombie & Kent

Hurtigruten

National Geographic

Ponant

Oceanwide

Quark

G Adventures

The key will be finding dates and trips that will fit your schedule and fare that won’t destroy you budget.  Keep in mind the cruise season in Antarctica is December to February. 

We elected to go with Oceanwide, sailing on their brand new luxury boat the Hondius.  Below is a video of its launch in Croatia.  Our decision was made on timing, activities, and reputation of Oceanwide.

This is the first of many posts as we prepare for the grand adventure.  Stay tuned for more details in this series on packing, plans and preparations.

Do you have questions?  Let us know.  Would you like a postcard from the end of the world?  Leave us a comment.