Expedition Travel - Igniting Adventure in Antarctica
Sailing across famously rough waters to a destination less commonly traveled inherently brings out a sense of adventure in all who visit Antarctica. The concept of “expedition travel" went against my strong type A intuition of needing to plan every moment. Each day was a new adventure with entirely different experiences, all at the mercy of Mother Nature. We were encouraged to keep open minds because nothing was guaranteed - not a certain number of excursions, specific destinations for our outings, or promises of wildlife (although seeing penguins is a near certainty). Along with the open-mindedness came a sense of adventure that I have not previously experienced. Here I was in the most unique destination I have ever traveled, completely out of my comfort zone, yet filled with endless opportunities. My mind was transformed, and I found myself wanting to say yes to anything and everything!
As someone who is not fond of non-chlorinated bodies of water, and especially afraid of the ocean (like only ankles deep at the beach kind of afraid), I found myself eager to partake in the polar plunge!
I experienced many firsts like kayaking and camping. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous about all of those activities, but the adventurous spirit of the Antarctic expedition took precedence, and I wasn’t going to travel that far to pass up an opportunity to do something special (and a little crazy)!
Traveling to Antarctica was entirely outside of my comfort zone, but I was committed to my husband’s bucket list of visiting all 7 continents. I took a massive leap of faith and couldn’t be more grateful for the beauty I witnessed and the personal growth I experienced from challenging myself.