Blogs
AECO, IAATO & OEX: Polar Travel Partnerships
Nature-based travel asks its share of responsibilities to the planet, and travel in ecologically vulnerable areas even more so. Thankfully, the...
Antarctica: When to Visit, How to Plan, What to Expect
If Antarctica is an astonishingly exotic location coveted in equal measure by ice enthusiasts and continent hoppers (and it is), it also asks...
A Moveable Feast: Interview with a Polar Cruise Chef
Polar cruises are luxurious, but they aren’t luxury cruises. The beds are wonderfully comfortable, but nobody expects goose-down pillows....
Arctic Mythology: Inuit, Saami, and the Ancient Greeks
The Arctic locations we visit aren’t merely made up of phenomenal landscapes, exotic wildlife, and more adventure than a Hardy Boys novel.
Two for the Snow: Polar Cruises for Couples
You know the old saying, “Cold hands, warm heart.” We’re not doctors or anything, but in our opinion that phrase bodes well for couples who visit...
The Seven Best Things to Do in Antarctica
Unless you’re a scientist, there’s no such thing as a means-to-an-end Antarctica trip. Merely being there is reason enough to make the journey...
Keep It Green: Our Commitment to Sustainable Polar Travel
It doesn’t do much good for polar expedition travel if every time you visit the Arctic or Antarctica you leave them a little worse than you found...
A New Take on North Norway
Having returned from a week in Northern Norway on s/v Noorderlicht, my husband and I felt the need to write a trip log of our experiences. (Spoiler:...
Polar Mountain High: Interview with a Ski and Mountaineering Guide
There are good jobs, and there are great jobs. And then there are jobs where you climb up mountains and ski back down them and get paid to do...
No Landing Today
Together with some 100 fellow passengers, I am aboard the vessel Ortelius on a whale safari to Fair Isle, Jan Mayen, and Svalbard.
Five Reasons You Should Cruise the Ross Sea Immediately
In our quest for the little-known holiday destination (that’s still popular enough to have its own fully developed spa and gift shop), we travelers...
Plancius and the Polar Bug
Standing on the outer deck of Plancius as we sailed out of Longyearbyen, I looked down to see a puffin staring back at me. It was bobbing next...
Why a Polar Diving Cruise Should be Your Next Great Decision
Not so very long ago, all you had to do to qualify as a thrill-seeker was hop a ship to the polar regions and make it back with all your fingers...
Research in the Arctic
At Wageningen Marine Research, we are working with our international partners to monitor ecological changes in the Arctic. Our research on the...
Es war meine erste Expeditionsfahrt überhaupt und sie hinterliess tiefe Spuren in mir
Dies betraf nicht nur die perfekte Organisation an Bord, die abwechslungsreiche Verpflegung, das zwanglose Miteinander von Crew und Reisenden,...
Six Must-See Svalbard Sites
It is home to humanity’s last-ditch supply of crop seeds, the world’s northernmost settlement over 1,000 people, and it’s one of the best places...
Where the Polar Bears Roam
Going to the Arctic without clapping eyes on a real-life polar bear might reasonably be compared to visiting Africa without seeing a giraffe...
OTL21-18, trip log, Falkland Islands Exclusive
On a sunny, balmy day we made our way towards the pier in Puerto Madryn. Shuttle buses took us to where our home for the next ten days was waiting...
PLA17-18, trip log, Scoresby Sund, Aurora borealis
Later in the morning, we arrive at Vikingebugt. There, we anchor for a while to enjoy the scenery and even some wildlife: just after the mandatory...
PLA16-18, trip log, Spitsbergen, Northern Greenland & Aurora Borealis
We sailed past the Northwest corner of Spitsbergen, and turned towards the East, coming across the top of the island and into Raudfjord. This...
PLA15-18, trip log, Northern Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen means ‘pointy mountains’ in Dutch. On our way north through Smeerenburgfjorden we spotted a group of about 20 Walrus hauled out on...
