Preparing for the trip of a lifetime

   

This is the first of a number of posts I will be writing about my trip to Argentina and Antarctica. For anyone else thinking about a trip like this I have included links to the products I chose after much research, am happy to answer any questions. 

When I decided to retire slightly early, I knew my pension would give me a cash sum. But what to do with it? A slightly better car? Put it away for a rainy day? Or a holiday - but where? I wanted to go somewhere different, a once in a lifetime trip. The idea of going Antarctica seemed to draw me. So vast, so far away. I had never been on a cruise, but knew I didn’t want to be on one of those large cruise ships, I wanted an adventure. And having recently started wild swimming I wanted to swim in the Antarctic! 

So I started researching companies that would take me there. After hours of reading about different companies I contacted Quark. I booked a Zoom call with their team who spoke passionately about the trips I could do with them. They recommended booking with a UK company to give me added protection and I contacted Mundy Adventures. 

Then began the journey of decision making, which one of the amazing trips would I choose, which ship, which cabin, how many days to spend in Argentina before and after the cruise. It seemed a shame to go all that way and not see some of the country. But costs soon mount up. Whilst visiting the Falklands and South Georgia were appealing it was a long cruise for my first trip.

So I decided to do the 7th Continent trip on the Ocean Adventurer, I liked the idea of a smaller ship, although I might regret that if the seas were rough. There can be an option to fly over Drake Passage, but actually that felt part of the adventure, so just needed to pack plenty of sea sickness tablets. I opted for a shared cabin with a window and crossed my fingers for a good experience. 

Travel insurance was a bit of a challenge, I was reluctant to choose cover that was less than the cost of my holiday and being a little older meant quotes were higher, but AllClear offered me the best cover. Some preparations also included making sure my family knew where my documents  were in case anything happened to me (Will, insurance, bank accounts etc). 

I also decided after several recommendations to make sure I visited Iguazu Falls when I was in Buenos Aires. So another decision made. However, Iguazu is in a high risk area for Yellow Fever, but because I am over 60 Yellow Fever vaccinations aren't always recommended. But after much deliberation I did decide to have the vaccination, as I generally fit and well and particularly prone to mosquito bites.

I also allowed some time before and after my cruise to look around Buenos Aires, see a Tango show, and visit the Tierra del Fuego national park in Ushuaia.  

But packing presented a whole new challenge, but again Quark were great, their website had lists of what was needed and even tips on how to pack. I briefly wondered whether I could manage with hand luggage, but once I realised I would need clothes for 33 degrees as well for the Antarctic a small checked in bag would be needed! Their charter flight packing advice gave me good tips on how to pack my bag more efficiently. 

When considering a camera the team at Wex in Norwich helped me choose some better binoculars and a camera with long lens (sometimes called a bridge camera). My advice would be to take a camera you are comfortable with. There were some days it was so wet I didn't take my camera with me and used my Iphone in a protective bag, a GoPro might have been a better option on those days. In hindsight I do wish I had borrowed my son's GoPro as videoing the whales on the water and possibly beneath the water would have been easier to manage than my camera / Iphone. 

The binoculars were brilliant, especially bird spotting on the Drake. But I wanted to enjoy the experience and not spend my time worrying about getting the best shot. I knew that Quark had a photographer on board and you are also encouraged to load any of your great shots on their laptop which are shared after the voyage, so I knew that I could use some of those images if I wanted to. 

Other kit recommended was a drybag (the one I bought included a cover for my Iphone). The dry bag is useful if you want to take extra layers or keep your camera safe on the zodiac trips to shore. To be honest I hardly used it - if you wanted to go back to the ship early the team were happy to take you. For most trips I used my Iphone in a dry bag and sometimes just put my binoculars around my neck. But it all depends on the type of photography you want to do 

Other kit suggested were a sleep mask, earplugs in case one's cabin mate snored (I wore the earplugs on the plane and when the noises of the ship were disturbing me) and a travel adapter - good as this TravelPal was it was quite cumbersome and heavy not something I would recommend if flying with hand luggage. Hand and foot warmers were recommended and I bought the Hot Hands and used them in between my socks as well.  For days that included a lot of walking I put a folding water bottle (one is supplied) although I bought this Vapur one (which had no taste) in my pocket. 

I knew I needed better waterproof gloves and glove liners. I went for the Sealskinz mittens, but often found I was taking them off to use my camera / Iphone whereas finger gloves might have been better. I also wished I had sewn on some cords so I didn't have to worry about drpping my gloves. I went for thermals from Uniqlo with a variety of warmth factors and made sure i had a couple of fleeces. I did pack too many t-shirts, spare leggings and jumpers, I found my thermal bottoms could double as leggings and the ship was not that warm so I was often wearing my thermal t-shirts and fleece all day. My warm pyjamas and bed socks (yes bed socks!) did make my nights more comfortable, although I could have turned the thermostat up in my room.

Sea sickness - what to take. The CN Traveller site gave a good explanation of why people get seasick. In some of the blogs people recommended the Scopoderm (Hyoscine) patches, but I had also read that some people had struggled with side effects. Some time back I had been given some cyclizine to take to counteract the sickness I had with a migraine and they worked well for me so decided to take those with me, as well as some ginger capsules and acupressure bands. 

I struggled to buy Argentine Pesos so changed some money into US Dollars, and decided to follow the advice and try and buy pesos there ensuring I get the blue dollar rate recommended on this blog. 

Travelling alone can be daunting, but found everyone I spoke to or emailed was so helpful and when my internal flights got cancelled Mundy sorted it out for me. A definite advantage in using a travel agent. By using the message facility on booking.com my first hotel the Magnolia Boutique Hotel contacted me and offered to get me airport pick up with an english speaking driver, although $50 I felt it was worth it. To be honest the hotel would have given me good advice on local trips which I wish I had made use of. 

A few weeks before the trip I was excited to receive the final documentation from Quark which included; 'Don't pack a Pest' Leaflet, Reducing Waste - encouraging us to not use bring single use plastic items; Guidelines for how to behave when visiting Antarctica respecting the environment and wildlife and finally some brief bios about the expedition team.

So packing done, Kindle loaded with books and a lift to my local train station from my daughter I was off on my adventures.