The cruise director on the Basecamp Ortelius on our Antarctica cruise with Oceanwide Expeditions said something that perked my interest, "Antarctica is a feeling" and I immediately wondered what type of feeling it would induce in me once I arrived. It turns out it is not just one feeling but rather many. What you see in front of you evokes numerous feelings and reactions including awe, the grandeur and magnitude of your surroundings gives you … [Read more...]
Basecamp Ortelius, Ushuaia to Antarctica Cruise with Oceanwide Expeditions
Oceanwide Expeditions is a pioneer in cruise-based exploration of both Antarctica and the Arctic regions. Based in the Netherlands and with an office in Houston - their focus is on small ship Antarctica & Arctic cruise adventures to parts of the world that see relatively few visitors. Many of the staff on board have been with the company for years. In an environment where there is an extremely thin line for survival, safety is paramount; in … [Read more...]
Notes from Basecamp Ortelius, Drake’s Passage
Upon boarding the Basecamp Ortelius in anticipation of our Antarctica cruise (the ice breaker ship we will be on for the next 13 days) I immediately noticed a few of the staff wearing shorts. Remarking to one of them that it is awfully cold for that kind of apparel, they quickly replied with, "if you think it is cold now, just wait until we get to Antarctica!" Nonetheless, the wind was bone chilling as we pulled out of lovely Ushuaia - the … [Read more...]
Upcoming Antarctica Trip, Ortelius Basecamp – Oceanwide Expeditions
Antarctica has been on my list of remote places to visit for years - I never have done so because of a variety of reasons, one has to cross the Drake Passage (supposedly one of the world's most treacherous waters - I get very bad sea sickness at times) and the cost of getting there - which as demand grows to visit the costs seem to have gone down (just a cursory observation). I randomly met Dan and Audrey of the travel site, Uncornered Market … [Read more...]
Oceanwide Expeditions announces new departures to the Ross Sea in Antarctica
Vlissingen, the Netherlands - After successful exploration runs in 2013 and 2015 the Dutch polar cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions has announced two new expeditions to the Ross Sea in 2017. The ice-strengthened vessel “Ortelius” will be accommodated with helicopters for the two Antarctica cruises, sailing from the South-American continent to the Antarctic Peninsula, crossing the Polar Circle, further west to Peter I Island, sailing in the … [Read more...]
Larry King’s Digital Network Ora TV Premieres #ModernTraveler
January 26, 2016 (Los Angeles, CA) – Ora TV, the entertainment digital network & production company founded by broadcasting legend Larry King & Mexican business mogul Carlos Slim, is excited to announce the premiere of its first-ever travel program #ModernTraveler, launching TODAY January 26th on www.Ora.TV/ModernTraveler. All 15 binge-worthy five minute episodes will be available on-demand, at anytime, on any device, with special behind the … [Read more...]
Oceanwide Expeditions Antarctica Contest
I recently started working with Oceanwide Expeditions, a Netherlands based cruise company focusing on the planet's remote extreme north and south destinations (the Arctic and Antarctica). Founded in 1996, they are a pioneering company in the exploration of these parts of the world via cruise ships. Today they offer 25 cruises to Antarctica alone using small ice-hardened expedition vessels. Their ships are the 'basecamp' anchored off shore for a … [Read more...]
FlightHub Presents Top 12 South American Wonders
FlightHub, the largest Canadian online travel company, is a firm that strives to inspire people to become travellers and catch that wanderlust bug. There are 12 countries in South America with their own unique features and FlightHub has tallied and compared them here for you. Natural sites, historical infrastructures and majestic landforms scattered all over the continent. If you ever decide to explore the vast continent, make sure to bring a … [Read more...]
Confessions of the First Travel Blogger
One of these claims to be “The Most Interesting Blogger in the World” I was surprised when I picked up a copy USAToday and saw an item that cited me as “The first travel blogger.” I doubt it, though I was early to the game, not long after Al Gore invented the Internet. In 1993 the term “blogger” didn’t exist, so what I was posting was a real-time serialized account of my travels. If that qualifies, then perhaps the first travel blogger was … [Read more...]
Dispatch: Kentucky Fried Moa
Bumbling into a Big Bird better than Popeye’s in a primary rainforest on a remote New Zealand isle, John M. Edwards raves, “Don’t mess with dinner!” Part I In Auckland, New Zealand, I was roosting in the common room of this crap budget flophouse, perusing my guidebook and gearing up to fly to Fiji soon despite a recent military coup, when the heated roundtable discussion of the relative cleanliness and cheapness of Kiwi backpacker hostels … [Read more...]