Join us on an Arctic adventure!

YOU ARE INVITED ON AN ARCTIC ADVENTURE!

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this trip! It reminds me of why I started Places We Go 12 years ago. To not only have incredible travel experiences, but to LEARN about the world; different cultures, wildlife, and the environment itself.

So… what’s happening?

We’re hosting a very special Places We Go trip in the Arctic! We are heading to the Svalbard Archipelago in northern Norway with our friends Chimu Adventures and exploring one of the most northern parts of earth on board the refurbished expedition ship Ocean Atlantic for eight days….

AND we’ll be filming of course! We are going to create a two-part TV special on our Arctic adventure, and our aim is to not only experience this very fragile part of the world, but to learn about it and in turn, try and do our bit to protect it. This is the home of the elusive and threatened polar bear, after all.

What does the trip involve?

The Ocean Atlantic will be our home for eight days, and during that time, we will be exploring one of the world’s largest areas of untouched wilderness. Icy mountain ranges, breathtaking glaciers, dramatic sea cliffs and, of course, Arctic wildlife such as bearded seals, walruses, the Arctic fox, and best of all, one of the best opportunities to spot the polar bear.

We will board zodiacs from our ship for shore excursions as we cruise around the islands so that we can visit Arctic settlements, historic sites and get up close to the prolific wildlife. The ship itself was refurbished in 2016 and features spacious modern cabins, outdoor and indoor communal areas, and even a pool, jacuzzi and sauna!

Why do I love this so much? 

Because we’re partnering with Chimu Adventures and their MAD programme.

Chimu Adventures is passionate about being responsible in areas of sustainability including the environment and socio-cultural aspects. They have set up the ‘Make a Difference’ (MAD) project, a not-for-profit organisation which is a place where those who want to help make a difference to challenged communities, the environment and historical preservation, can come and find reliable ways to contribute.

I met Chimu’s Marketing Manager Meg Hall about 6 years ago when we took a ship full of Places We Go viewers to Antarctica with them. Back then, the 80 passengers who joined us were simply blown away by the pristine nature of the environment we visited. It was simply like ‘another world’. We certainly saw a conviction in each of them during this trip to return to Australia and live a life that is conscious of environmental impact so that we could protect such wilderness. We envisage the same thing for our Arctic adventure.

“When we look at the world’s problems, many of us are overwhelmed. They seem too big for one person to Make A Difference. But imagine this, if we are all at least doing something instead of nothing, each and every action will add up to create a global reaction and together we can create a better future for our planet, people and environment. Doubt breeds inactivity, hope breeds movement. Join our M.A.D.world.” Meg Hall. 

But a very good question remains (and one we have asked too)… How does travelling in this area itself contribute to global warming and threaten the area? So, we asked Chimu.

“Studies have shown that human kind has travelled the earth through curiosity for over 3000 years. It is in our nature and, as such, tourism has grown to be one of the largest industries in the world. It’s not for us to try and stop people travelling, for we will fail. Rather we feel it’s our duty encourage them to travel smart and to travel with respect for the mother earth, as such we make our travellers aware of the fragility of the environment. Chimu’s cruises do not simply show people locations but they educate our travellers through the lectures we run on board. Small ship cruising is one of the best ways to travel as we leave nothing but footprints on the earth. The changes that many returned travellers have made to their lives has only benefited our home, the earth, and we hope to see this effect continue and grow.” Meg Hall, Chimu Adventures.

So, our aim for this special filming trip is to experience, learn and spread the word to our audience of over 300 million people around the world, and hopefully changing some of our bad habits too. Nothing like seeing the impact first hand.

Who will be on board?

Us of course! I (Jen) will be joined by our cameraman Russell and our incredible photographer Bruce – who is looking forward to also sharing some photography tips to best capture this amazing environment.

Also on board will be scientists, environmentalists, plus acclaimed artists Wendy Sharpe and Bernard Ollis. Profits from the sale of the work done by Wendy and Bernard on their Arctic voyage will go to Chimu’s MAD Project. 

Finally, we hope YOU will be on board! We already have bookings from Places We Go viewers who joined us in Antarctica. We can’t wait to share the experience with them again and we hope you will come along too. Simply register your details for more information and Chimu Adventures will be in contact.

What can we expect?

I was lucky enough to film the High Arctic (from Greenland) about 10 years ago and I still get emotional when I reflect on this experience (and my time at the other end of the world in Antarctica). In the Arctic, I was captivated by the midnight sun, the enormous glaciers, the snow-capped mountains, and yes, we saw polar bears (among other wildlife like seals, walruses, pink-footed geese). For me, there is nothing like Mother Nature. She flaws me every time. I am actually emotional even writing this!

Back then of course the conversation onboard our ship invariably turned to the issue of global warming. “You should come back in 10 years and see the difference” our scientist on board said at the time.

Ten years later, and I am going back. I have no idea what it will be like, and I am certainly not waiting a moment longer.

I’m not sure if there is a better time to visit the Arctic. Come with me. I would absolutely love to share the trip with you.

Jen x

REGISTER YOUR DETAILS FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JOINING THIS JOURNEY. 

Have you got any questions about this amazing opportunity to join us on our Arctic adventure? Comment below and we will answer them!