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The Best Arctic and Antarctic Trips for Families

Polar expedition cruises are commonly taken by couples and a growing number of solo travelers, but that doesn’t mean the buck stops there. And if you have bucks enough for the whole family, there’s a variety of polar trips that’ll get your loved ones equally ice-happy.

Highlights from the First Arctic Voyage of Hondius

Our new ship Hondius completed its first Arctic expedition cruise on June 14, 2019. This being a new ship, the maiden voyage was not without its hiccups. But despite these, passenger response to the expedition was overwhelmingly positive.

Svalbard’s 12 Most Iconic Animals

Each of our Arctic areas of operation offers its own unique and equally unforgettable feature: Greenland is great for mountainous shorelines and record-setting fjords, Northern Norway is the place to go for the aurora borealis and historic masted schooners, and Svalbard (particularly Spitsbergen) is where you’re most likely to encounter the more common and coveted Arctic animals.

The Arctic’s Most Phenomenal Fjords

Fjords are typically associated with Norway, but they are far from exclusive to that territory and are in fact a relatively common feature of the Arctic

Our New m/v Hondius Makes Its Maiden Arctic Voyage

Today we celebrate the maiden Arctic voyage of our new ship, m/v Hondius. After more than two years from conception to construction, this newest member of our nautical family has finally left home.

Five Reasons Why Snowshoeing is a Perfect Polar Activity

Snowshoeing is one of the most longstanding and popular sports in the Arctic and Antarctica. Here are five reasons why.

50 Years Among the Poles: Interview with Ko de Korte

In a few short weeks, Oceanwide Expeditions consultant Ko de Korte will join 174 passengers aboard the world’s first-registered Polar Class 6 vessel, Hondius, when it makes its maiden voyage to the Arctic island of Spitsbergen.

Oceanwide Expeditions Donates €620 to Charity Based on Passenger Reviews

Thanks to our passengers, we’re donating €620 to four separate charities: Plastic Oceans International, World Wide Fund for Nature, BirdLife International, and 4Ocean.

Why Travel Solo to the Polar Regions?

Travelling solo means you’ll arrive among new friends and fellow adventurers rather than strangers in an unfamiliar group.

Peaks, Fjords, and Auroras: 14 East Greenland Attractions

Nothing against the west coast, but many travelers agree it is more touristic and developed (and hence, less wild and adventurous) than Greenland’s eastern shores.

Higher Ground: Interview with Polar Hiking Guide Philipp Schaudy

Imagine you’ve spent the last hour and change huffing up a rocky Arctic slope, pausing only to pull a drink from your water bottle or wipe sweat off your brow, when suddenly you realize your hiking group has stopped and you’ve reached the summit.

The Arctic Hare: Easter Bunny²

In preparation for Easter Sunday, let’s explore all the ways this so-called polar rabbit (which really isn’t a rabbit at all) might in fact make a better mascot than the traditional Easter bunny.

Port Pastimes: 7 Fun Things to Do in Longyearbyen

Waiting in port to begin an Arctic cruise can be a little like waiting for water to boil or coffee to brew or Game of Thrones to come back: Time seems to defy its own laws and, as life slows to a crawl, you begin to wonder if all of this is really going to be worth it.

Polar Gear of Yesteryear: Expedition Clothing 100 Years Ago

When you look at pictures of polar expedition clothing from a century past, the experience is not unlike seeing images of World War military gear.

The Ultimate Traveler’s Guide to the Arctic and Antarctica

Sunrises or sunsets, coffee or tea, Wonder Woman or Superman. The world contains a virtually limitless supply of things to compare, contrast, juxtapose, differentiate. But few things so perfectly express the polarities of our planet as its literal magnetic poles – or more generally, the Arctic (north) or Antarctica (south).

Oceanwide Expeditions covers the polar corner at ITB Berlin

Last week Oceanwide staff attended ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel trade show, meeting old friends and new in a weeklong spree of tour operators, travel agents, and all other manner of professionals in the wide world of commercial travel.

Ada Blackjack: Forgotten Queen of Arctic Expeditions

The incredible real-life story of the overlooked Iñupiat woman who became the only survivor of a fateful Arctic expedition.”

A Brief History of Arctic & Antarctic Cruises

These days you can book a few tickets, take a few flights, and embark on an expedition cruise to areas that just over a century ago represented the outer limits of earthly exploration.

Arctic Ales, Polar Pilsners: Interview with the Svalbard Brewery

Something just seems right about the existence of the Svalbard Brewery. After all, there certainly should be a brewery on the far-flung Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. And it certainly should be in Longyearbyen, the largest settlement of the chain’s largest island.

The Ins, Outs, and Ups of Polar Mountaineering & Ski Mountaineering

To shed some light on these ultimate outings, here’s a rough guide to polar mountaineering and ski mountaineering, telling you what the activities entail, where you can do them, and why they’re the best way to put some elevation in your polar vacation.

Selling Spectacular: Interview with Maria del Pilar Fernández

We regularly interview our expedition guides and crew, gushing about all the fantastic locations these lucky souls get to call their office. But what about the Oceanwide staff whose office is, well, an office?

Arctic and a Coffee: Interview with a Polar Sailing Captain

Some people travel to the Arctic for the polar bears and seabirds, others for all those ice-spackled bays and peaks dusted with snow no hand will ever touch.