Arriving in Svalbard Mankind has long been captivated with the notion of firsts. Our history books are riddled with tales of adventure, perseverance and discovery. Accompanying them are a long line of firsts: the first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the first man to step on the moon, the first outsider to marvel in the ruins of Machu Picchu. The desire to claim things and places for ourselves is rooted deep within humanity, and it’s a root that’s tripped us all at one point or another.
When we arrived in Longyearbyen, Molly and I experienced a rare first in the Adventure Life world: the first from our office to Svalbard. Getting the opportunity to explore the far corners of the earth is naturally one of the best parts about my job, but it’s true that the unexplored parts of the world seem to grow fewer and fewer as my colleagues collectively branch out to see more of it. Filled with pride as I stepped off the last stair, I turned around on the tarmac to snap a photograph of our plane on the runway: my eyes the first in a long line of colleagues to scan this particular horizon and breathe in its crisp air. Without having climbed the world’s tallest mountain, venturing out into celestial landscapes or discovering a lost and ancient world, I became the first, out of everyone I know, to claim this Arctic Archipelago for my own. I can say with full confidence that I will not be the last.
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
7 hours 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
22 hours 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
5 days 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
6 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.