Antarctica is amazing, you should go

How do you get there?

What do you do there?

How do you pack?

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Antarctica is by far the most amazing place I have ever visited. If I could only go on one trip for the rest of my life, it would be Antarctica. The majesty is something I could never convey to someone who hasn't been before, but I will try with these photos and helpful hints on how to "do" Antarctica.

I was an extremely lucky niece who was invited on this trip of a lifetime by my wonderful Aunt and Uncle. We booked through Tauck tours, spent three nights in Buenos Aries, Argentina exploring the area, flew to Ushuaia, boarded a Ponant ship, Le Boreal, white-knuckled through the Drake Straight for two days, and voila, we were at our first stop of the White Continent.

Buenos Aries was beautiful. Much more of a European vibe than I was expecting. Cobblestones, architecture, old and new blended into a beautifully chaotic wonderland of people and smells and colors and languages.

We had steak as absolutely often as possible, as that is what this beautiful country is known for, and we were not disappointed. A specific restaurant we had dinner at had a side dish of souffle potatoes that I swear changed my life. Lunches were everything from Italian to French to Spanish, and all were equally as wonderful.

We visited the Recolleta Cemetery, which was much more amazing and architecturally eclectic than I had anticipated. We toured the different neighborhoods of Buenos Aries, soaking in the culture and the sites. It was a blur of constant touring and viewing, and a place I would love to visit again as the main attraction of my trip. However, this trip's main attraction was, say it with me, Antarctica! So let me get to the meat of this blog, the how-to's and what-to-do's of the White Continent.

Now, when I say we white-knuckled the Drake Straight, I'm not exaggerating. People say you either get the "Drake Lake" or the "Drake Quake", I personally believe we got the "Drake Hellfire". However, after scrambling to the med bay, begging for a sea-sick patch to save what little dignity I had left from the first few hours spent laying horizontally on any surface of the boat I could find (while the amazing hospitality crew on my floor desperately tried to quickly clean the tomato juice, coffee, and varied bits of food and broken plate and glassware from the breakfast tray that a wave sent crashing off the table to the floor), I looked outside to see the most amazing site I had seen: not only land, but penguins, light and fluffy snow, seals, whales, albatross of all variety, and LAND! And on a cruise like this, land means a land excursion every single time. Over the ship's intercom comes Patrick (our cruise director), directing us to "grab your snow pants, your parka, and your life jacket, and meet on the third floor aft deck for your first land excursion!" Finally, we were off on our first adventure, and it did not disappoint. Penguins galore, a leopard seal flopping onto the beach to say hello, a humpback whale in the distance lazily swimming and flashing his tail for our amusement, it was extraordinary!

We had some of the best weather that the ship's captain, crew, or returning passengers have ever seen, with 55 degree Fahrenheit and sun throughout days, astonishing sunsets, calm seas, and low to no wind, we were lucky to say the least.

I wish I had been able to find more "what to pack" information before my trip, because the weight restrictions and the reality of what you will actually need to bring is much less than you would think. When you are flying from Buenos Aries (or wherever you start if you take some time in Argentina before heading to Antarctica) to Ushuaia to get to the boat, note that they have strict weight limits for not only your pack-under bag, but also your carry on. You are allowed one pack-under bag at 50 lbs (22.6 kg), one carry on at 17 lbs (7.7 kg), and one personal item. Your personal item must fit under the seat in front of you, and your carry on must fit in the overhead bin of a small (approx. 150 passenger) plane. They do weigh carry-ons as well as pack-under bags, and they are very strict about the weight limits. You can ask to pay extra for an overweight pack-under bag, but it is not guaranteed that you will be able to, so pack accordingly or be ready to leave some items behind (this was for a 10 day trip, 6 days of which we did two land excursions a day).

I overpacked by much more than I should have, so to avoid being like me, here is some advice for how I would pack the next time:

1 pair of snow pants to wear on shore (waterproof)

1-2 pairs of long underwear or leggings/warm shirts to wear on shore

2-3 pairs of socks to wear on shore

1-2 pairs of sock liners to wear on shore

4-6 shirts to wear on board

4-6 leggings to wear on board

2 nice outfits for any potential Captain's dinners or nice events on board

1 nice dress (if needed in case there is a fancy dinner night on board)

1 medium-warmth coat (think light down jacket, fleece jacket or hoodie) to wear on board

1 bathing suite (if your boat has a pool or spa)

2 pairs of polarized or mirrored sunglasses (it is VERY bright in Antarctica)

1 deck of cards for down times on board

as many cameras and SD cards as you can fit in your carry on

1 reusable/washable water bottle

4-8 sea sickness patches (prescription strength, trust me you will thank me)

don't forget undergarments and personal items of course

a mind ready to learn and be awed constantly!