Whaling cabin at Bamsebu.I will admit history has never been my favorite topic. But my ears did perk up with the tale of Wanny Wolstad. As an avid outdoorswoman I was delighted when our historical guide, Sven shared her story. Wanny was the first woman trapper and hunter on Svalbard. She arrived in 1932, after being widowed twice and raising two sons on her own. She transformed the way women were thought of in a traditional and harsh “man’s world” of hunting and trapping in the Arctic. Before modern air transportation and long before wifi, hunters were cut off from the rest of the world by the sea ice for ten months of the year, which required them to be totally self-sufficient, not an easy task for anyone. Wanny was originally from Tromso, where she started (the first) taxi company using her own vehicle. She was no stranger to forging her own path and embracing the unexpected. She was a competent markswoman and competed in rifle competitions, frequently beating all of her all male counterparts.
As a highly respected equal among rough & tumble hunters and trappers, Wanny paved the way for underrepresented women in the Arctic. But she also introduced basic creature comforts like tablecloths and curtains into the houses of Spitsbergen. Leave it to a woman to turn a barren Arctic hunting hut into a home, with a little gingham. I loved Wanny! With every new detail of Wanny's life my admiration grew. Hearing Wanny's story was an inspiration and made me feel proud to call myself a fellow fangstkvinne (the Norwegian word for female hunter). When the snow begins falling and I head into the woods with my rifle this hunting season, I know I will be thinking of Wanny.
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
3 days 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.
Mary Warren
4 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
6 days ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.