Welcome to Argentina 1/17/26 Saturday

I have a funny travel story that I know some of you will certainly appreciate. We just arrived in Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina, and are embarking on an 18 day expedition cruise to Antarctica on Monday. Many of the expedition ships provide waterproof parkas for you to wear on the Zodiac excursions, but we are going with Oceanwide Expeditions, and they do not. Guess where my fancy new Lands End waterproof parka is??? 

Yep! It’s on the back seat of my car in the airport parking lot back in Louisville, KY! We were going to carry/wear them on the flights since we’re packed in a carry on and a backpack each, and they wouldn’t fit in our bags. We did remove the hoods and pack them since they were kind of bulky to carry around. It’s definitely a first world problem! The beauty of Antarctic cruises is the you can rent any of the cold weather gear you may need, including parkas, waterproof pants and gloves, boots, etc. So I’ve already rented a parka, along with ski goggles which we had already rented. We don’t ski, and couldn’t see buying them for one trip, especially since we may not need them. Boots are provided on the ship. The rental company recommend by our travel agent is https://at.newheadings.com.

Speaking of our travel agent, we are using Polar Tracks Expeditions. I discovered them through the facebook group Antarctica Travel from Bucket List to Booked. The group and the agency are owned and operated by polar guides, and they can help you decide which trip and ship is right for you, as there are so many companies that offer sailings to the Antarctic peninsula, and it can be overwhelming. This is definitely a bucket list trip for us, and we wanted to choose wisely. We have been very happy with them and highly recommend using them if you are planning a trip.

On Monday, we will set sail from Ushuaia on the m/v Plancius, an old Dutch navy ship that has been retrofitted for 108 passengers, and it’s not even full according to our agent, so we are expecting a smaller crowd. It’s a small ship so we’ve been warned that it will be a bit bumpier than the original ship we were booked on. Long story short, we had to move our trip up a week, so we’re no longer on the m/v Hondius, which is a purpose built expedition ship that holds 170 passengers. We are just thankful that Oceanwide Expeditions made an exception and allowed us to change the dates, as it was clearly stated that any change is a considered a cancellation and subject to loss of the fare we paid, as it was less than 30 days out. Thank goodness for our fabulous agent.

Let me tell you about the logistical nightmare that changing a trip to Antarctica that is two weeks from sailing creates! Delta flights, Aerolineas Argentinas flights, hotels, house sitters, insurance policy dates, and rental gear was all a mad scramble. This is not to mention the most important things I had booked for the next week: my hair color and my lashes!!! Hahahaha! JK, folks, but the struggle was real. Again, first world problems, all of it.

So we’ve packed all the Scopolamine patches we could get our hands on, as well as every other drug I could think of, because, while there is a doctor on board, the only way to get any kind of serious medical care is to turn the ship around and sail back to Ushuaia, which could take three days. No place to land a helicopter on this ship, and possibly too far from civilization to get one.

We’re excited to see if we get the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake, as the Drake Passage is known. It will be at the end of our trip as we will first head north and then east to visit the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island, where Ernest Shackleton is buried, before heading south to the Antarctic peninsula. Super excited to see South Georgia and Elephant Island! If you get a chance, watch a documentary on Shackleton’s expedition on the Endurance. It’s an amazing story of courage and human resilience, combined with a little craziness. Spoiler alert: the ship sinks, they eat their sled dogs, Shackleton leaves the crew on Elephant Island while he and five others sail 800 miles in basically a rowboat to South Georgia, then climb over a mountain and slide down the other side to get help. They go back and rescue the crew and they all survive! Oh! And some toes were lost to frostbite.

For now, we’re off to find some dinner and get in bed after our 24 hour travel day. Apparently, King Crab is the dish of choice here in Ushuaia, so we’ll see what we find. We’re staying the Hotel Albatros, also recommended by our agent, and it’s directly across the street from the pier where we’ll board the ship.

Like what you read? Hate it? Please leave us a comment below, but don’t be bitchy. Happy Travels!