It’s been a while so I may struggle with brevity as I start blogging about this trip, and from my phone no less.

It all started in 2017 .. (already oversharing!) when I had a big birthday and I started researching a trip to Antarctica.

Expeditions range from 6 days with a flight to and from the White Continent, to those lasting 30 days on a research vessel, to a full 45 days starting in South America and finishing in New Zealand. All variations sounded exciting and worthwhile to me. But not to anyone else in my family. And I understand—climate concerns, time commitments, cruising generally—means this is not a trip for everyone.

A few cabin mates offered to come along but none took until last Christmas when my college roommate found himself having to cancel his trip to Peru and the discussion led to a shared desire to experience Antarctica.

Cabin mate, check. Time commitments and the ability to kayak on the Southern Ocean, and a butler (wink), determined the remainder of our choices. We chose to cruise the Drake Passage (more on that later) with a voyage lasting 10 days. Our ship: Silversea Silver Endeavor. So, if you keep reading, that’s where we are off to…