Cruise to Antarctica: Traveling with children

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Sometimes traveling with small children in tow is a problem for parents who are seen to face all sorts of doubts and problems related to the costs, destinations, and medicines to take and organize a trip with children. These problems often lead families to give up to make trips dreamed of a life just for the fact that children are small and you can not travel with them. To make you change your mind I recommend a reading of my article published recently.

Instead, what we recommend is to start anyway, traveling with kids is always a unique experience. Study well the destination and location, find destinations and attractions that will tickle their curiosity. Prepare the trip involving them and making them participants. You will see that they will want to leave for the trip as soon as possible intrigued by what they will see.

Children in Antarctica. Andrea and Mattia with Laura mom during the cruise to Antarctica. Author and Copyright Marco Ramerini

CRUISES AN ECONOMIC MEANS TO TRAVEL WITH YOUR FAMILY

Among the most appropriate means of transport and that allow to families with children to travel easily, there are undoubtedly cruise ships. The companies that organize cruises usually have an eye for families from both an economic point of view – children often pay only a small fee or travel even free – and in terms of on-board entertainment, usually there are baby club where children can play in complete safety, assisted by specialists, while parents can relax or make excursions.

ON THE WAY OF ANCIENT NAVIGATORS

This year, after having examined different destinations and means of transport we decided to try a cruise, but not a normal cruise …. A cruise that will take children to Antarctica. Our children, seeing the documentaries dedicated to the Captain Cook, they have become fans of the great explorers of the era of the caravels and galleons and thanks to my passion about the history of geographical explorations I have involved them telling the stories of the Spanish and Portuguese explorers in search of the Spice Islands (Moluccas) and the new world.

They were fascinated by epic story of Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo), who discovered America seeking a west way to the Spice Islands, and by the magic of the first voyage around the world of Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the service of Spain. As Magellan we will round South America, but we will go even further … we will take a cruise to Antarctica.

The entrance of the Lemaire Channel, Antarctica. Author and Copyright Marco Ramerini.

Our goal this time is South America, we will make a trip that will take us from Santiago de Chile, south along the Chilean coast, exploring the Chileans fjords, volcanoes and glaciers until reaching the Strait of Magellan, a strait discovered and crossed for the first time in 1520 by Ferdinand Magellan during the first trip around the world. Here we will stop in the Chilean city of Punta Arenas.

WE ROUND CAPE HORN

Then we will visit the Tierra del Fuego and the Beagle channel with the southernmost city in the world: Ushuaia in Argentina. Continuing our exploration we doubled Cape Horn and we will enter the Drake Passage, the stretch of sea between South America and Antarctica. We sail the strait that British sailors called “Furious Fifties” where along the globe there are no land masses that block the winds and waves, at this latitude of about 50°S storms and waves are among the most impressive of the planet. Practically on this trip we will travel all three arms of the sea connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.

Penguin, Gipsy Cove, Falkland Islands. Author and Copyright Marco Ramerini

ANTARCTICA A UNIQUE SHOW

Children in Antarctica. Then we will head further south to see in the distance the first Antarctic islands: the South Shetland. We will come then in the islands of Palmer archipelago antechamber to the landmass of the seventh Continent and then proceeding further south for admire the coast of Antarctica. Our cruise will continue in Antarctica. Children will be able to see Antarctica. We shall pass the Antarctic Peninsula coast for about 360 km admiring pristine landscapes made of bays, mountains, glaciers, icebergs and observing whales, seals and penguins. We will reach up to touch the 65 degree South along the Danco Coast in the Antarctic Peninsula. Then we will go back up the Antarctic Peninsula until the Antartic Sound, which is located at the northern end of the white continent. Finally we will visit the South Shetland.

After visiting the Antarctic coast we will cross the Drake Channel and disembark in the Falkland Islands where we will see barren landscapes but fascinating, and where we will visit a penguin colony. From Falkland islands we will go back up the coast of Argentine Patagonia, stopping at Puerto Madryn visiting the Valdes Peninsula and finally reach the cities of Montevideo in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina, where our cruise will ends.

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