The best thing about traveling and experiencing the world is that things you see and do on a regular basis remind you of people and places you’ve been. It’s nice to have those memories come back from time to time. For me, travel is a great hobby that almost always brings a smile to my face when I think about things that I’ve seen and done. However, there are a few trips that I think about everyday. These are the expedition style, polar region trips that really become a part of you and stick with you.

Antarctica in particular gives me a visceral reaction when I think about it. It becomes a part of you. To venture to a place where few go and to see the natural beauty, amazing wildlife and meet the like-minded people that travel to the ends of the Earth is something really special. I look forward to going back in 2017 myself and I am proud and excited to announce a new partnership with Oceanwide Expeditions; one of the leading Antarctic expedition companies of the world.

While I’ve been to Antarctica a few times, I’ve never taken an expedition cruise to or around it. After looking through the Oceanwide Expeditions offerings, one trip in particular caught my eye and I wanted to highlight it. This is the spectacular Ross Sea expedition.

There are 2 Ross Sea expeditions on offer in early 2017: from January 13-February 14 and from February 15-March 17. They each go to and from Ushuaia in Argentina and Bluff in New Zealand and they honestly look spectacular. Check out this video!

Highlights of the trip include stops at the sub-Antarctic New Zealand Reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Campbell Island. I have never been but the fauna on Campbell Island is said to be fantastic with a large and easily accessible colony of Southern Royal Albatrosses on the main island and other types on the satellite islands along with penguins and seals.

Oceanwide Expeditions intends to visit Ross Island, guarded by Mount Erebus, Mount Terror and Mount Byrd with all the famous spots in the dramatic British expeditions of the last century such as Cape Royds with the cabin of Ernest Shackleton. Plus they intend to visit Cape Evans with the cabin of Robert Falcon Scott; from Hut Point, Scott and his men set out for the South Pole.

Oceanwide Expeditions will also make attempts to visit McMurdo Station and Scott Base. They have the option to use the helicopters to offer landings in one or more places if ice conditions don’t allow water landings. They will also helicopter into Taylor Valley. The conditions here are said to be the closest you get to the conditions on Mars anywhere on Earth.

One of the biggest highlights of the trip is sailing along the Ross Ice Shelf, a floating mass of land-ice, with a front 30 meters high. In the Bay of Whales at the eastern side of the shelf, close to Roosevelt Island, Roald Amundsen gained access to the Shelf and ventured to the South Pole, where he finally arrived on 14 December 1911. I reached the South Pole on December 19, 2014-just 103 years late!

Another major highlight of this journey is Peter I Island. It is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen Sea. It is claimed by Norway and considered a territory on its own. It is very rarely visited by passenger vessels and is considered one of the toughest places to visit in the world. If the weather conditions allow, Oceanwide Expeditions will attempt a helicopter landing on the glaciated northern part of the island.

Other highlights include wildlife spotting, bird watching, and different excursions onto the Antarctic continent. You will also likely visit Cape Adare where people first wintered on the ice. You’ll also see and hear lectures and meet very interesting people. Trust me, boring people don’t go on trips like these and everyone’s got a story worth telling!

Both of the expeditions are already being sold at a discount and with my special code LEE1000GIFT you will receive another $1000 off the cost of the trip. That’s a pretty sweet deal and if you’ve ever dreamed of exploring the remote Antarctic, this is a great option! I only wish I could go on one of these Ross Sea trips next year but without question I will be going soon!

If that’s not enough here are some cool facts about the Ross Sea!

• A colossal squid measuring longer than 10 meters and weighing almost 500 kilograms was found in the Ross Sea in 2007.
• All the islands found within the limits of the Ross Sea have been claimed by New Zealand, although most countries don’t bother to recognize the claims.
• The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest such shelf on Earth. At approximately 472,000 km2 it is roughly the size of Spain. It soars anywhere between 15 and 60 meters high and extends nearly 800 kilometers along the shoreline.
• The Ross Sea is named after Captain James Clark Ross who mapped the area in the 1841.
• Since the Ross Sea is the open waterway closest to the actual South Pole it has become the launching spot of many exploration expeditions that went on to journey inland.
• The Ross Ice Shelf was the mother to what was quite possibly the biggest iceberg ever. The iceberg broke off of the shelf in the year 2000, measuring 295 km at its longest point and 37 km at its widest. Altogether it boasted a surface area of about 11,000 km2.
• Wildlife flourishes despite the harsh cold of the waters. Some of the fish found in the Ross Sea have antifreeze in their veins to keep them from freezing solid.

Disclaimer: I have a business relationship with Oceanwide Expeditions and receive financial compensation.

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