Blog

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Matthew Henson: First to the Top of the World?

Though for years American Navy engineer Robert Peary claimed the credit for being first to the North Pole, studies assert that it was actually his associate, Matthew Henson, who got there ahead of him.

Travel Ban Tales: How Polar Addicts Stay Busy During a Pandemic

Our guides, crews, and captains are patient people. They’re used to rolling with the punches, adapting to extraordinary conditions, and shifting gears in response to the limitless lottery of unanticipated events the Arctic and Antarctica produce.

The Mesdag Phenomenon: Interview with a Polar Camp Guide

Polar expedition guides come in many form. Some are temporary seasonal workers who enjoy the freedom of the job in their youth but eventually leave for more stable work, and others are hardcore outdoors addicts who stick with the profession well beyond their 40s and end up amassing skills and experiences easy to envy but harder to equal.

A Plancius Family Visit

It was with great pride, then, that we recently welcomed descendants of Petrus Plancius to visit our headquarters in Vlissingen, Netherlands, where they were able to get a firsthand look at the vessel named after their legendary ancestor.

Third Time’s a Charm: The Last Voyage of Willem Barentsz

A Dutch cartographer and navigator, Barentsz lived from about 1550 to 1597 in the region that eventually became the Netherlands.

What to Pack for Your Expedition Cruise to the Arctic or Antarctica

It’s easy to get confused about what to pack for a polar cruise. Some gear is provided by the expedition company and some is not, and it’s not always clear which is which.

Rebuilding the Historic Vessel of Willem Barentsz

During lockdown, many of our expedition guides are making use of the extra time by preparing new lectures for the Arctic and Antarctic travel seasons to come.

Polar Travel Tips from Field Operations Manager Adam Turner

Adam Turner has many years of experience as an expedition leader. Here are his words of wisdom on what to do and not do during your Arctic or Antarctic adventure.

Polar Travel Tips from Expedition Leader Ali Liddle

Ali Liddle - one of our expedition leaders - adds her own pearls of polar wisdom to our growing blogs of expedition travel tips.

Polar Travel Tips from Our Office Staff

While our guides and expedition leaders certainly have the most in-field experience when it comes to polar travel, many of our office staff has also experienced enough of the Arctic and Antarctica to impart some highly useful polar cruise tips.

Eight Antarctic Misconceptions

Some are funny, some unfortunate, some are so far from the truth it’s hard to see how anyone believed them.

Svalbard or Spitsbergen: What’s the Difference?

Outside the world of geopolitics or even polar travel, it’s probably not common knowledge that Svalbard and Spitsbergen are one in the same.

Six Arctic Seals

Owing to the large landmasses that populate the Northern Hemisphere, the Arctic has the most diverse wildlife of the planet’s polar regions. But some of the most attractive Arctic animals are the marine mammals we spot just offshore.

Hondius Photography and Video Workshops

There’s no shortage of great things to say about a Hondius expedition cruise, but among the best are the free video and photography workshops offered during some of this ship’s voyages.

Arctic on Foot: Hiking and Snowshoeing the Far North

The emphasis of our voyages is always getting you off the ship and into the action as often as possible. Although we travel from site to site on ice-strengthened vessels, our expeditions are specifically designed to give you the maximum firsthand experience of the polar regions and their exotic wildlife.

International Polar Bear Day

It should come as no surprise that we're crazy about polar bears, but even our enthusiasm pales in comparison to that of Polar Bears International.

Polar Bears and Pack Ice: 22 Pics from North Spitsbergen

Polar Bears and Pack Ice, Pronto: Pictures from North Spitsbergen

Seven Sublime Antarctic Bays

It’s pretty well known that Antarctica is very well known for its glaciers, icebergs, and panoramic colonies of penguins.

Can’t Get Enough: Interview with Laurence Dyke

While we regularly interview our veteran expedition guides, we all too often overlook the youngbloods in our ranks. This does not accurately underscore their importance, as these adventurous ice addicts represent the next generation of polar travel leaders. Laurence Dyke is a prime example.