Originally Posted by
mrtrickdk
Very cool (literally!). I am going there in a few weeks, on One Ocean Expeditions and their ship
Akademik Sergey Vavilov. Starting in Punta Arenas, fly to Falkland Islands (Stanley), then hop on a ship there with 90 others, and head south, and eventually crossing the Antarctic Circle. End the trip at King George Island where I take a charter jet, looks like the
DAP BAe-146, from a gravel runway!)
I was hoping to do one of the fly-in expeditions myself - hopefully I'll have an opportunity again in the future.
What did you miss the most on the trip (something you wish you brought with you)
A better telephoto lens! I'm missing a nice telephoto lens from my set and I had thought about renting one, but decided against it. I've been kicking myself ever since.
Personal item-wise, I brought everything I wish I had. We had a good packing list - in fact, I would probably say that I overpacked, and don't be afraid to leave a little bit of extra clothing behind.
Two things you may not think about but are absolutely necessary are sunglasses and sunscreen. The snow can be blinding on a sunny day, and even if it's freezing out, you're still susceptible to sunburn.
What age group were the other travelers?
There was quite the broad range - I would say it was about 30% people in their late 20s-30s, 25% in their 40s-50s, 40% newly retired, and another 5% in their 70s or up. There was one lady onboard who celebrated her 80th birthday on the ship.
Nationalities were about 40% US, 40% Australian, 10% Chinese, and 10% other - mostly Canadian, but there were a few Brits, a Spaniard, and a Japanese couple on my ship.