One of the reoccurring themes while traveling in the Arctic was the importance of flexibility. Anytime you head into the unknown, a bit of flexibility is key, but this proved to be especially true in the far north. First and foremost, everything in Svalbard is weather dependent.
We quickly learned that our itinerary would be determined by the weather. Our Capitan and expedition leader determined that our best route would be to circumnavigate Spitsbergen counterclockwise. We were the anomaly, and all of the other 20+ ships went clockwise. This turned out to be a great decision, all of our planned landings came to fruition, and we didn't experience any weather related delays or issues. We heard the other ships had to cancel a number of their landings and experienced mainly overcast days. Meanwhile we were enjoying the sunshine and blue skies. Every evening, after the days activities, we would meet in the lounge to discuss the plans for the following day. These "plans" were always pitched as "proposals" just in case the weather chose not to cooperate.
We also heard many times about how the quickly the weather could change. We experienced this first hand during one afternoon on our hike up to Faksevagen, it started out snowing sideways. We half-questioned whether the hike would even be worth it, since there obviously would be no view. By the time we got up to the viewpoint the clouds had cleared and we could see blue skies for miles. At this point I regretted having so many jackets on. Fortunately I was able to shed a few layers to stay at the optimal temperature.
Some Arctic travel Tips:
*Be flexible & open minded- Plans will change for weather reasons, for wildlife reasons or just because. Enjoy the moment and the unique experience!
*Bring layers- The weather is unpredictable. I often went back and forth between jackets and long sleeve tops multiple times a day. Our ship provided us a large waterproof parka, and usually a simple capielene long sleeve layer underneath was proficient. Other times all I needed was a light fleece layer. The last thing you want is to get too hot and start sweating and end up cold, so being able to shed/add layers as needed is key.
*Bring binoculars- We were lucky to get up close to a lot of wildlife, but I was glad to have my binoculars when we saw polar bears from afar and there is nothing like looking at a walrus through binoculars from 30 meters away. No one wants to feel left out when everyone else is ooh-ing and aw-ing while viewing the wildlife!
*Bring Waterproof pants- We found out this was a "requirement" on our ship, and we were grateful we had these During the zodiac rides to and from the shore you will get wet. Waterproof pants were a lifesaver.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
2 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
2 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.