Travel in Antarctica

Just in case this comes off as harsh, let me preface this by saying that I love children. I have two boys of my own, and I’m having a hard time letting them be adults as they turn 24 and 20.

Holland America Line is charting a course for adventure with its 2026 Grand World Voyage—one of its most ambitious ever, promising an unparalleled travel experience for adventurers eager to explore the entire globe. The company’s president, Gus Antorcha, announced the details of this epic voyage to guests sailing the current 2024 Grand World Voyage aboard Zuiderdam, which is presently positioned between Okinawa and Tokyo.

Envious voyeurs of world cruise TikTok can soon become the stars themselves on a new seven continent world cruise.

We’re in the golden age of expedition cruises. Travelers can board relatively small luxury ships or yachts to explore remote places like the frigid Article Circle, or cruise to Antarctica to hike, kayak, and photograph penguin colonies. According to the Expedition Cruise Network, these types of excursions are the “fastest growing” market in the cruising world.

Holland America is going big with its latest around-the-world cruise.

My grandma, cousin, and I went on a 22-day cruise on Holland America's Oosterdam ship.

The notoriously choppy two-day crossing of the Drake Passage is often described as a rite of passage to visiting Antarctica.

My husband and I are seasoned travelers and have been on a mission to visit all seven continents. In early 2023, we still had one left to cross off our bucket lists: Antarctica.

Conservation-led luxury travel company andBeyond has partnered with Quark Expeditions to expand their operations to a fourth continent. Together, the partners have created A Taste of the Wild Life; A Masterclass with Kris Tompkins. Brought to you by andBeyond and Quark Expeditions, with Kris Tompkins, the 18-night land and sea adventure gives travellers an intimate glimpse into what is being done to protect the exceptional landscapes and wildlife inhabitants of Chile and Argentina, as well as the Antarctic Circle. The trip also offers an opportunity to gain first-person insight into the events described in the documentary A Wild Life, which tells the story of Kris and Douglas Tompkins and the contributions that they have made towards nature conservation in South America. The trip will be accompanied by Kristine (Kris) McDivitt Tompkins, president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, an American conservationist, and former CEO of Patagonia, Inc. Kris and her late husband Douglas Tompkins have protected approximately 14.8 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina through Tompkins Conservation and its partners, making them among the most successful national park-orientated philanthropists in history. Throughout the trip, Kris will share personal stories of the work that has gone into protecting and rewilding large swathes of the Patagonian wilderness. These will include a presentation on the efforts involved in the creation of a national park. There will also be a screening of the Wild Life documentary, followed by a Q&A session with Kris on her story.

In the southern reaches of Australia, where the vast ocean stretches towards Antarctica, lies a hidden gem that rivals the famed Galapagos Islands in its natural splendor and unique wildlife. This is Kangaroo Island, described by Craig Bradbery, Chief Operating Officer for Baillie Lodges, as one of the most exceptional nature-based destinations globally. More than just its name, the island is a sanctuary for an array of Australian wildlife, including kangaroos.

I'm wearing a barbie-pink bathing suit, but there are no palm trees in sight. The snow has just stopped falling and I can see broken chunks of iceberg inching toward the ship I'm on. The ambient temperature is 29 Fahrenheit. As I step to the edge of the gangway of Atlas Ocean Voyages' World Voyager, panic sets in. The air whips against my bare skin. The water below is a dark azure, its depths unimaginable. It's my turn to jump, but I stand frozen in fear as a flurry of intrusive thoughts take over. Then I think about how bereft my Antarctica experience will be if I don't do the hard thing that I've come all this way for.

Norwegian Cruise Line's decision to change its itinerary to no longer cruise by the Antarctica mainland has been met with a viral video discouraging travelers from sailing with NCL.

Antarctica21 has announced its newest ship Magellan Discoverer set to launch for its 2026-27 Antarctic season.

Passengers aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship are furious about a change in their itinerary which means they are no longer heading to Antarctica.

This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Adam, a British man in his 50s, who is among the dozens of people who signed up for a three-year cruise with Life at Sea — an around-the-world voyage that was canceled two weeks before it was supposed to set sail. He wanted to be identified by first name only for privacy reasons; his full name is known by Business Insider. He and 77 other would-be passengers who have yet to receive refunds are asking the US Attorney in Southern Florida to investigate Life at Sea's parent company, Miray Cruise Lines, LLC, for fraud.

Filmmaker and director Tommy Joyce is no stranger to the extremes of nature. His work has taken him across the world to camp alone 6,700m up a mountain in Nepal, chart the frozen wilderness of the Antarctic Peninsula and negotiate the dust clouds and intense 49C heat of the Sahara Desert. These are testing places for people and equipment — whether he’s capturing someone at the peak of human endurance or a landscape in just the right sunlight, it’s work that comes with both challenges and rewards.

No matter where in the world you are, the wonders of the night sky remain a sight to behold. Chasing after astronomical events from the comfort of earth is also a trend that's rising in the travel world, and what better reason to travel than to see the beauty of the celestial? From total eclipses shadowing the United States to meteor showers taking over the skies of the Southern Hemisphere, a bunch of astronomical events in 2024 are set to hold your gaze.

Sliding into the frigid teal water, I’m instantly glad for the three pairs of socks I’m wearing inside my dry suit. I slowly skirt the jagged edge of an iceberg flaring out beneath the surface, careful not to veer too close should it suddenly flip and take me with it. Trying not think about the many ways I could meet a grisly end in the icy abyss of Antarctica, I shift my focus to what’s directly in front of my snorkel mask: thousands of tiny gelatinous creatures that look like they come from another world. 

The magnificent light shows, Aurora Australis and Aurora Borealis, are atmospheric phenomenon found near the north and south poles. Unlike the Northern Lights, the Southern Lights are a little more inaccessible and where you choose to view them might depend on how adventurous you're feeling—but the rewards might be far greater.

This is an as-told-to story based on a conversation with David Purcell, 78, a retired attorney. It has been edited for length and clarity. Purcell was among the dozens of people who signed up for a three-year cruise with Life at Sea — an around-the-world journey that was canceled two weeks before its departure. He and 77 other would-be passengers who have not received refunds are asking the US Attorney in Southern Florida to open a criminal fraud investigation into Miray Cruises, the parent company of Life at Sea.

Today, there are lots of ways to see the world in one go. Self-serving, globe-traversing plane tickets where you pick your stops along the way and stay in each as long as you want. Months-long cruises that ply well-trodden coastlines of countries both massive and miniscule. Few, however, promise to be as extraordinary, informative and indulgent as the White Desert World tour, just announced for departure in January 2025 (for those with very deep pockets).