Pre-departure information

WELCOME ON BOARD!

You are about to travel to one of the world’s most scenic places. The Antarctic regions may be a bit cooler holiday destination than most, but it evokes warm feelings and lots of inspiration. Everyone at PolarQuest is truly passionate about its pristine nature and fascinating wildlife. Once back home, we hope that you will have the same passion for these unique environment and become a true ambassador.

POLAR SPECIALISTS

Everyone working at PolarQuest has been on an expedition cruise. If you give us a call or send us an email, our enthusiastic travel consultants will answer all your questions regarding your trip – clothing, weather, landings or Zodiac cruises – we have all the answers! Hopefully you will find some of the answers in this document as well.  

GUIDES

We know that one of the keys to a successful expedition is having knowledgeable and enthusiastic leaders. Many of PolarQuest’s guides have more than ten years’ experience of the Polar Regions and commute between the Arctic and Antarctica every year. A few weeks prior to your voyage, you will receive a short introduction of the guides who will be on your trip.

INSPIRATION

Don’t forget to follow our blog, Facebook or Instagram and take part of news, images and travel stories. On our website you find several inspirational movies from both Svalbard and other unique destinations.

BEFORE YOUR TRAVEL

GENERAL

Please note: The itinerary on your trip works only as a guideline. Factors such as the weather or the ice situation in Antarctica play an important role in where the ship can venture. The daily schedule is decided by the Captain and the Expedition Leader, who both have great experience of the areas we are travelling in. Remember that flexibility is the key to a successful expedition!

STATE OF HEALTH

To participate in this expedition cruise, you must be in generally good health and have good mobility. If you have had any major surgery in the last two years or have any pre-existing medical conditions that the staff and crew on board need to know about, please complete and return our medical form. You can find the form here. Open the form, save it to your computer/tablet. If you tick any of the boxes, please fill in the form with your physician and send it to us. 

We also ask you to bring a list/description of your medication.

If you occasionally are in need of an extra hand, you must have someone travelling with you. Our guides need to be available to all passengers on board and can unfortunately not provide extra attention to someone in need of special assistance.

INSURANCE

It is very important to have full medical, emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage throughout your voyage. 

PASSPORT AND VISAS

Passports are required for all passengers and must be valid for at least 6 months after returning from your trip and contain at least two unstamped pages (we recommend four blank pages). The passport must not be cracked or torn anywhere. We suggest that you make a copy of the information page in your passport, which you can then carry with you as identification. The passport itself should be left in a safe at a hotel or on board. A copy would also facilitate the process of a replacement passport should the regular passport be lost. No visa is necessary for Antarctica, but for your travel to and from your Antarctica expedition we advise you to check with your embassy.  

MONEY/CURRENCY

In Argentina they accept Argentine pesos. Most hotels, restaurants and many shops accept credit and debit cards. It is good to have some cash with you. USD can be exchanged for local currency on site. Remember never to show money and valuables.

In the Falkland Islands they accept Falkland pounds or credit cards and in South Georgia you can pay with both British pounds (GBP), USD and credit cards.

SAFETY

Please use caution, especially in the larger cities. For example, leave valuable jewelery at home.

LOST LUGGAGE

Lost luggage is beyond our control. In case your luggage do not arrive in time we recommend you take the following precautions:

• Pack your hand luggage with your essentials, such as medication and valuables
• Bring your jacket with you on board
• Bring a change of clothes in your hand luggage
• Lithium batteries for cameras, laptops, etc. must always be carried in the carry-on luggage
• If you have a travel companion, pack a few items in each other’s luggage. If your luggage goes missing, you will still have some of your items available.