Blogs
2019 Highlights: 41 Photos from a Prime Polar Year
If you overhear someone say, "It's been a good year," they're probably a farmer or financier or maybe even a wine producer. But we think polar...
Seizing the Season: Spitsbergen’s Late Spring, Early Summer
Most Arctic expedition cruises fall into two camps: those that sail during the autumn and winter and focus primarily on the northern lights,...
Antarctica by Air: Two Highly Uplifting Helicopter Cruises
Taking a polar expedition cruise delivers no shortage of show-stopping highlights, but one of the most exhilarating is lifting off from the ship...
How St. Nick Became Santa Claus and Moved to the North Pole
In the Netherlands, where we’re based, Sinterklaas is technically a celebration of the St. Nicholas feast day on December 6, while Christmas,...
Better Than Medicine: Interview with Dr. Veronique Verhoeven
Even if she’s only slipping you a few extra seasickness meds, your ship doctor can mean the difference between a comfortable expedition cruise...
15 Features, Figures, and Facts About Ortelius
It’s natural for parents to be proud of their children, if not biased. And we think the same can be said of polar travel companies and their...
Penguins, Petrels, and Prions: Top Antarctica Bird Tour Spots
If anyone ever tells you Antarctica is for the birds, they’re right.
A Veteran Guide: Interview with Arjen Drost
Arjen Drost has been a guide for Oceanwide Expeditions for nearly twenty years. And as any polar traveler can tell you, that’s a lot of water...
Seven Frightfully Fun Polar Ghost Stories
As a breeding ground for ghost stories, the polar regions are tough to beat. After all, few places on the planet have claimed the lives of...
Spotlight on s/v Noorderlicht
Noorderlicht is one of two historic schooners we operate in the Arctic, and is the only ship in our fleet not technically owned by Oceanwide...
The Impact of Small vs. Large Cruise Ships
The generalization that larger ships impact the environment more than smaller ships seems like such a no-brainer that if someone said it to you,...
Conservation Connection: Oceanwide and Happywhale
According to Happywhale, conserving the oceans starts with the whales.
Eight Facts About the Rowdy, Resilient Musk Ox
Given how violent their lives can be, it may come as some surprise that musk oxen live as long as they do. Twenty years, after all, is a long...
The Most Enchanting Antarctica Cruise Islands
Whether it’s Greenland in the Arctic or Snow Hill Island in Antarctica, the bulk of our polar expeditions take place around, between, and upon...
From Teacher to Travel Guide: Interview with Ali Liddle
Being a good expedition leader isn’t just about making plans, giving briefings, and enduring the occasional sleepless night spent praying for...
Taking the Polar Plunge
There are some human activities that for many people simply defy understanding: We juggle chainsaws, we breathe fire, we fling ourselves out...
Guide Tips, Testimonials, and Highlights from North Norway
Falling just inside the Arctic Circle, North Norway is a wildlife-rich span of majestic fjords, enchanting islands, and deep-forested Nordic...
Seven Tips to Get the Most out of Your Expedition Cruise
An expedition cruise you consider bland, poor, even disastrous, might be one another traveler calls the trip of a lifetime. And your appraisal...
Top 10 Tips for Packing Your Polar Photography Equipment
The most common question I receive from passengers before they leave for an Arctic or Antarctic expedition cruise is, “What should I bring?”...
Five Sites, Attractions, and Activities of Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is the bustling Argentinian setting that serves as the embarkation point for our 20-night Antarctic extravaganzas. Book-ended by...
Birds of the South: 33 Antarctic Birds and Seabirds
Even if you don’t throw penguins into the mix, these wildlife-rich Antarctic regions offer some of the best hotspots for birdwatching on the...
