Antarctica - Much More Than Your Usual Vacation

Planning and implementing unique travel experiences is becoming a booming business for Americans. Americans are tired of going to the usual spots like Mexico and Monte Carlo. The Caribbean no longer draws those who have cruised there before. They are tired of the usual, safe spots and want to see something unusual. If you're into outdoing you neighbors they won't be able to beat you in the unusual vacation category when you come home with tales of your travels to Antarctica.

Making this journey is actually much less challenging than you would think. Sailing for three days, you'll arrive in Antarctica. You'll take a twenty-four hour flight from New York to Ushuaia to meet the boat. The US Navy has a presence in Antarctica. Some tourists will feel more safe knowing this fact. The United States, together with various additional nations, began manning a base in Antarctica in 1957. While the sailors of the US navy may have misgivings about the growth of Antarctic tourism is can be quite reassuring to know that they are there should a traveler fall into a crevasse in the ice or if a tour ship becomes icebound.

So what do you do on a vacation to Antarctica' Diverse wildlife is available to photograph and study. You can expect to find seals, whales, penguins and sea birds in Antarctica. They may also observe long plumes of white smoke billowing out of the 12,000 foot high, ice covered, active volcano, which provides quite an extraordinary experience. That outdoes Kilauea or the crater of Mt. St. Helens any day.

You may also ask exactly who feels inclined to spend $5,000 or more in transportation costs in order to experience Antarctica this way. Scientists and doctors are the most frequent tourists. More and more married couples are traveling there. Grandmas out for adventure also journey to Antarctica. Recently, more and more individuals have become attracted to vacationing in Antarctica, according to one travel agency representative. Experiencing the continent is now possible for almost anyone, he went on to say, as opposed to times past, when only a few brave and daring explorers could actually see the continent.

The US Spokesperson Navy indicates that the American government's single requirement regarding tourists visiting Antarctica is that they satisfy safety benchmarks, are self-sufficient and adhere to the international treaties regarding the protection and preservation of the continent. Conservationists and scientists do have several concerns, however. There are nightmare visions in their heads of tourists and treasure hunters swarming over the ice leaving trash and terrified wildlife behind them. There is concern that they may even deface or destroy the historic monuments that exist on the continent.

Cape Royds houses an example of such a monument. The hut that held the members of a famous expedition during the winter is still there, in exactly the same condition as they left it. The canned food and stored clothes are in perfect condition. A major European newspaper copy from that year is still sitting on the table.

The Antarctic Mountain range, watches over the South Pole, and although it is located 900 miles away, the crisp, clear air of the frozen continent allows for a stellar view, of which many tourists enjoy snapping photos, from atop the hill. Pioneers and explorers were first met with additional miles of crusty ice when they first reached the pole. But presently there is an actual South Pole which stands eight feet in height, painted in orange and blue stripes like a barber's pole and adorned at its top with a reflecting silver orb.