It started with a five-night “Wild Escape” in Alaska with Lindblad Expeditions. We had no idea what to expect. We assumed it would be a cruise — what we got was a pivot point.
I came back telling anyone who would listen that it felt like a five-day, full-time whale-watching tour, with hiking, kayaking, and Zodiac cruising squeezed in whenever the wildlife decided to take a break. We genuinely felt for the culinary team onboard; the moment someone yelled “WHALE!”, napkins went flying and the dining room emptied in seconds as we all sprinted for the deck.
That was the moment the hook was set on expedition cruising.
The deep dive
We dove headfirst into learning everything we could about this style of travel. Webinars and supplier training helped, but the only way to truly understand expedition cruising is to do it. So we invested in our own education: a circumnavigation of Iceland, a sailing through the Galápagos, and a dedicated ship tour of HX in Boston. The trips kept going from there.
Why we created Glacial Expeditions
Expedition travel became our favourite way to see the world, and selling it takes a different approach than traditional cruising or custom land trips. Travelers arrive with real questions: what is a Zodiac, and what are wet and dry landings? Is this too physically demanding? What is included, and why is the price higher? What happens when the schedule changes? Which operator is right for me?
Glacial Expeditions exists to answer those questions properly. It is a dedicated space for curiosity and adventure. A general travel feed gets cluttered; keeping this separate lets us share penguin photographs, whale tails, gear notes, and raw adventure stories without burying anyone who just wants a beach.
From pole to pole
Travelers need more than brochures. They need to know the person advising them knows the difference between the Drake Passage and the Inside Passage. To date we have taken ten expedition trips from pole to pole and toured eight additional ships, and those trips taught us the subtle — and not-so-subtle — differences between operators, onboard atmospheres, and destinations.
We don’t just book trips. We use firsthand experience to take the guesswork out of planning a big one, so that when you step aboard you feel prepared rather than hopeful.
