Antarctica & the Arctic travel advice

Cassia Jackson, from our vacation specialist Heritage Expeditions, offers her Antarctic and Arctic travel advice: “Your tour operator should provide you with a comprehensive packing list. Personally, I find a balaclava or neck gaiter (wrap around scarf) to be very useful at keeping the draughts out and keeping your neck and face warm. Sunscreen and sunglasses are also essential as there is potential to get quite sunburned. Remember that you will probably spent quite a bit of time outside taking photos, so a thin pair of gloves (merino is fantastic) to wear underneath a thicker pair of gloves is a good idea, so that your hands keep warm but you are still able to operate your camera. Make sure that you have spare batteries for your camera, and preferably a back up as well. Take a good backpack to wear on excursions so that you have your hands free for transferring in and out of zodiacs.”

Andrew Appleyard, at our vacation specialist Exodus: “Do your research on the size of the vessels you’ll be on – and on who is actually on board it, what guest lecturers are there. That will make or break a trip for many people. If you’re bound on the trip for a long time, you want to have people like Chris Packham and Mark Carwardine and Jonathan and Angie Scott that can sit and inspire people. It’s just brilliant having someone like that checking what ISO you’re using, and what shutter speed, and giving you tips on how to take better photographs. I think that’s the best thing – the educational side. The vessels we use have four decks and they’re all brilliant for photography. I’d go and hide out at the back with my camera and I’d only see one or two other people down there, even when there’s 100 people on board. So I’d spend half a day photographing birds on the back of the ship, which is absolutely brilliant.”

Charlotte Caffrey, from our vacation specialist Aqua-Firma, offers her Antarctic and Arctic travel advice: “There’s a lot of different voyages that offer different activities. We offer trips where you can do diving and kayaking and snowshoeing and mountaineering and camping, and really get the best of every aspect of the environment. They’re very active, but you can do as little or as much as you please. You don’t have to go out every day – you can enjoy amazing wildlife and scenery just out on deck, especially on the smaller ships. Sometimes they put the bow of the ship practically over the beach and you can watch foxes dancing on the beach. There’s no need to be in the zodiacs to see that. Things like that are very special.”

Sarah Wightman, from our vacation specialist Pura Aventura: “Antarctica is not as cold as people think. In the summer months it very rarely drops below freezing, and when the sun is out there were a couple of days when I was in a t-shirt. Everyone starts off wrapped up in layers and a big parka jacket – and then they have to take it off! It’s not what you see on TV with the wind and biting cold and people with frost on their beards, but if the wind is up, that’s what makes it feel much colder. I got absolutely drenched going in and out of the ice formations on a zodiac ride though. Don’t sit in front – that’s a good tip. I was freezing! But when you get back on the boat they greet you with soup – or brandy!”