What If The Charter Flight to Antarctica Can't Land?
The short answer: you wait in Punta Arenas (or on the ship at King George Island) on standby, until conditions clear. The ship adjusts its schedule.
Cautions
18 posts — Things to know before you go
Can I Take My Young Kids to Antarctica?
Families do go to Antarctica. The trips that work best are multigenerational, thoughtfully planned, and built around realistic expectations about what younger children can and cannot do on an expedition voyage.
What Travelers With Children Need to Know
Child policies vary by operator. A small number of operators offer attractive child discounts. Most have age minimums that differ from what common sense might suggest. And activity restrictions apply across the fleet regardless of which ship you choose.
The Curse of 3, 5, and 7
A family of three, five, or seven will have one person left over after the pairs are assigned. How you handle that extra person, and whether the ship even gives you a good option, varies significantly across the fleet.
Should I Book On A Brand New Ship?
Unless it is an identical sister ship operated by a long-standing company with a proven Antarctica track record, a new ship in its first season carries risks that a discounted rate rarely compensates for.
Antarctica Operators Can, and Do, Go Out of Business
Travel companies in the expedition industry have failed before, sometimes without warning, sometimes after years of looking perfectly stable. There is no way to guarantee it won't happen to the company you book with. There are ways to limit your exposure if it does.
Behind the Scenes of How Agents Get Paid
OK, so this article is really putting the Confidential in Antarctica Confidential. Understanding how agents are paid makes you a more informed buyer. That is the only goal here.
How Do I Know If a Deal Is Actually a Deal?
A deal is only a deal if the price you're paying is lower than what you would have paid otherwise. The percentage off is only meaningful if you know what it's off of.
Should I Pay in Full For a Discount?
Paying in full early ties up a large sum of money with an operator for months or years, with limited recourse if something goes wrong. The 5% discount rarely justifies the risk.
Required Reading: Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions define your rights and the operator's rights in every scenario where something goes wrong. That's exactly when you'll want to know what they say.
Never Lie On Your Health Forms
Fill out your health form completely and accurately. Failing to disclose a condition doesn't just put you at risk. It can disrupt a shipful of people and void the insurance that was supposed to protect you.
The Buenos Aires Two-Airport Challenge
Ezeiza (EZE) is where your international flight arrives. Aeroparque (AEP) is where your flight to Ushuaia departs. Getting between them is your responsibility, and it takes longer than you think.
Overlooked: Winter Weather at Home
Antarctica voyages run from November through March. In the northern hemisphere, that is wintertime. The weather conditions at your home airport are as much a variable in your travel plan as anything that happens in Patagonia.
When the Passenger Mix Isn't What You Expected
It is one of the less-discussed realities of booking an Antarctic voyage: you don't get to choose who else is on the ship.
Don't Be the Jerk
Every voyage has one. Usually they don't know it. Here are some suggestions for Antarctic Expedition etiquette.
Things They Don't Tell You Before You Go To Antarctica
There are things operators mention in passing, things buried in the terms and conditions, and things nobody mentions at all until you're already on the ship. Here are the ones worth knowing before you leave.
What to Do If Something Goes Wrong
If something goes wrong before, during, or after your voyage, the sequence is simple: get sad if you need to, then call your travel agent, then call your insurance provider. In that order. Document everything.
Medical Emergencies at Sea: What to Expect
Medical emergencies happen on Antarctic ships every single season, are more common on larger ships by simple probability, and are handled by capable professionals in limited conditions. If your trip is interrupted by one, the appropriate response is empathy, not outrage.