Expedition Expert
The World Gets More Interesting the Farther You Go.
I'm Chris Commisso, an Expedition Expert with a passion for the ships, wildlife and remote places that make expedition travel unlike anything else. From Antarctica and Greenland to the Arctic and beyond, I explore what makes these journeys extraordinary — and help travelers figure out where they should go next.
What I help travelers with.
Chris Commisso is an Expedition Expert at Glacial Expeditions who helps curious travelers understand and experience the world's most remote places — from choosing the right expedition ship to stepping into landscapes few people ever get to see. He has sailed 18 expedition ships across Antarctica, Svalbard, Eastern Greenland, the Galápagos, Alaska, Iceland and the Scottish Hebrides.
Curious About What Lies Beyond the Map?
Expedition travel isn't just about reaching remote places. It's about understanding them. Why does one ship make more sense for you than another? What actually happens during an expedition? What makes one itinerary different from another? Where are you most likely to encounter wildlife? And what does it really feel like to stand somewhere few people have ever stood? Those are the questions that make expedition travel fascinating. I'll help you find the answers — and the journey that's right for you.
What I look for in an expedition ship.
Most people start with the cabin. I start with how fast the ship can get everyone off it.
In Antarctica only 100 people can be ashore at one site at a time. A ship carrying 180 guests can land everyone in a single go. A ship carrying 400 has to rotate, which means half the passengers are waiting on board while the other half are on the beach. Same itinerary, same fare bracket, very different day.
After that I look at the mudroom and the gangway. It sounds unglamorous, but the route from your cabin to the Zodiac is the thing you'll do twice a day for ten days. A ship with a well-designed boot room and two loading platforms gets you ashore in fifteen minutes. A ship with one narrow staircase takes forty.
Then the expedition team — how many guides per guest, and whether they're naturalists and glaciologists or hospitality staff in branded parkas. Ratio matters more than credentials on a brochure.
Ice class matters if you want to go further south late in the season. Stabilizers matter if the Drake worries you. Cabin décor, honestly, matters least — you'll be in it to sleep.
Where I've been.
Ships I've sailed
- National Geographic Resolution
- National Geographic Sea Lion
- Roald Amundsen
- Ocean Diamond
- Silver Cloud
- Evolution
- Odyssey
- World Navigator
- Greg Mortimer
- Trollfjord
- World Voyager
- Sylvia Earle
- Spitsbergen
- Ocean Albatros
- Le Lyrial
- Ocean Explorer
- SH Diana
- Santa Cruz II
Regions I've explored
- Alaska
- Iceland
- Galápagos
- Antarctica
- Svalbard
- Scottish Hebrides
- Eastern Greenland
- Norway
What surprised me.
I expected the ice. I didn't expect how much of expedition travel happens on the ship rather than off it.
You're ashore maybe three or four hours a day. The rest is deck time, lectures, meals, and watching the water. Before my first voyage I'd have called that the filler. It isn't. The lectures are where a place starts making sense, and the people you end up talking to at dinner are usually the reason travelers book a second expedition.
It changed how I ask people about trips. I used to ask where they wanted to go. Now I also ask what they want the days between landings to feel like, because that's most of the trip.
If you've never done this before.
Three things I'd tell anyone booking a first expedition.
Book further ahead than feels reasonable. The best ships and the solo cabins for a given season are often committed a year or more out. Late booking doesn't usually get you a deal — it gets you what's left.
Don't buy the gear yet. Most ships supply the parka and loan the boots. The layers underneath are what matter, and you probably own most of them already.
Pick the trip for the wildlife you actually want to see, not the month that's convenient. November in Antarctica and February in Antarctica are close to different trips. Same for the Arctic. Getting the timing right matters more than getting the ship right, and it's the thing people most often get backwards.
Get in touch with Chris.
Or start with Erika if your trip involves flights, hotels, and logistics as much as the ship.
Written by your expedition advisor
Chris Commisso · Expedition Expert
Chris and Erika have personally sailed 18 expedition ships and explored eight expedition regions.
Last updated .