Needless to say, this trip was not only a trip of a lifetime but also the most unbelievably exciting

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car rental in united kingdom Group Tour Consultant car rental in united kingdom Jenny Humphries has been obsessed with visiting Antarctica for as long as she can remember—and car rental in united kingdom this past winter she was able to make her dream a reality. Here, Jenny shares the story of her adventure (and some travel tips, too!) in hopes she ll inspire more travelers to make their own travel dreams come true, no matter how impossible car rental in united kingdom they may seem.
Stepping foot on all seven continents has been a lifelong dream of mine. After my trip to Antarctica, Asia is the last continent on my list. I am sure Asia will be a great experience but I’m confident that nothing will ever top visiting Antarctica, there is no other place like it on Earth.
Recently, I went digging through old memory boxes and there were stacks of old National Geographic and Discovery Magazine covers, articles and stories, all featuring Antarctica. I even found my late Grammy’s first edition copy of Endurance , the true story about Sir Ernest Shackelton’s ill-fated expedition. Still,  I never thought I would have the opportunity to go to Antarctica in my lifetime. But as fate would have it, I was able to save up and go on our Antarctica Cruise , which was—hands down—the best experience of my life.
When I decided to make the trip, my friends and family thought I was crazy, saying things like ‘Who goes to Antarctica?’ or ‘It’s so cold down there, why would want to go?’ By sharing my experience here, I hope to squelch those initial reactions and get everyone to travel on the tour. I want more people to share in the awesomeness of this tour!
To start, car rental in united kingdom I flew to Ushuaia by way of Buenos Aries. car rental in united kingdom The southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia is a quaint city very reminiscent of a Swiss mountain village. Our group had a bit of time to hike up the mountains and people were able to rent gear for our voyage (such as winter coats and pants) if they didn’t bring them.
When we boarded the M/V Ushuaia, we met with the other travelers on board (80 passengers total) and the expedition car rental in united kingdom staff that would lead us through our Antarctica education and exploration of the islands and mainland.
Our first two days at sea were spent crossing the infamous Drake Passage, the notoriously rough stretch of water between the southern tip of South America and Antarctica s South Sheltand Islands. Luckily for us, the Drake was very calm on our way down. On the two days spent traveling back, we clipped the edge of a storm and experienced 30-foot seas. But to be honest, I loved it all! The rougher seas made me feel even more like a real explorer.
After two days at sea, the ship crew woke us up in the wee hours of the morning to let us know that we could set our sights, for the very first time, on Antarctica—not an island of Antarctica, but the actual mainland! When I first saw Antarctica from the deck of the ship, I cried. I was so excited, awestruck, happy… no words can or will ever describe how excited I was to be there at last!
In the days that followed, exploring the mainland, islands, seeing penguins, seals, whales, birds, sunken whaling ships and more was incredible! The landscape alone was so breathtaking that I couldn’t even imagine a place like that existed on earth. When we hiked up the side of Nekko Harbor, home to over a thousand penguins, you could literally hear the glacial ice pack cracking and breathing. Everything was so pristine and fresh.
On some days we did dry landings where we would board the Zodiac boats and go to either an island or mainland Antarctica. From there we would follow the expedition staff for a walk around the area. Each landing lasted for about two hours, which was perfect—any longer and the cold would have started to break through my rubber boots and three pairs of thermal car rental in united kingdom socks.
Wet landings were always a blast; we would climb onto the Zodiacs and zoom around harbors, coves and icebergs to get a closer look. On one particular outing we made our way through an icepack and stopped right in front of two Weddell Seals. They were so adorable and it was incredible to get as close as we did. I still can’t believe the amount of wildlife we saw: thousands of penguins, car rental in united kingdom fur seals, Weddell seals, blue whales and a plethora of birds indigenous car rental in united kingdom to the area.
Needless to say, this trip was not only a trip of a lifetime but also the most unbelievably exciting experience I ve ever had. I hope I can inspire more people to just go—the tour was the perfect length and, most importantly, you get to stand on Antarctica!
- Depending on when you are traveling or where you live, it may be tough to find warm gear in your hometown. The city of Ushuaia has store where you can rent warm coats, pants and more. The ship will provide rubber boots for everyone.
- I also wore two pairs of socks ( Smart Wool is a great brand), snowboarding gloves and a wool hat. I recommend gloves that can attach to your coat sleeves, as you ll want to take them off on occasion to take lots of photos.
- Even if you re not usually prone to seasickness, it s best to be prepared just in case. Bring Dramamine, wrist bands or prescription patches. Snacking on green apple or ginger can also be helpful, as well as getting a good night s sleep.