Seven has long been considered a "lucky" number in the Western World. Seven is a number our team at WAI never anticipated we would be talking about in terms of continents. But now we are doing more than talk about #7. We are planning a trip to #7 - Antarctica, our 7^th continent! Now we are inviting you to become a part of the WAI 7 Continent Club (privileges of membership to be explained in a subsequent message)!

 

Our Adventure in Antarctica is a "fer piece from these here parts", geographically as well as on our Adventure Schedule. Over the past several months, we have been collecting information for an early 2010 sailing from a couple of companies. During that time, we've learned a few things about traveling to this distant outpost of planet Earth.

 

Space in the 7^th Continent: Given that the Antarctica penguin to human ratio is the highest on the planet (one could make a strong case for the whole universe), you'd think that nabbing a booking on a ship to Antarctica wouldn't be such a difficult feat. What we are learning, however, is that gaining a berth on a cruise to #7 is a bit like bidding for a ticket on the space shuttle. Cabin space is limited and costly and requires preparation and some hoop-jumping formalities! Access is regulated by a multi-national organization called the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) to ensure that landings don't overlap and that the waters around Antarctica don't begin to feel like the freeways of Seattle during rush hour. Sailings are therefore limited. Another cause of limited space is that ships make bookings years in advance for travel agencies with whom they have longstanding relationships.

 

Prices rise as you sail south: Costs for a trip to Antarctica are higher than any other travel experience we offer. One reason for this is the space limitations mentioned above and the resulting supply/demand dynamic that drives prices upward. Another reason for high cost is that we have intentionally chosen a small-ship experience on a vessel with a capacity of about 100 passengers. This low passenger count allows all passengers to go ashore at each destination. Since regulations prohibit a higher number of passengers ashore in any one destination at one time, passengers on larger ships are forced to "take turns" going ashore. Sitting aboard ship during a landing is not our idea of maximizing our precious time at the far reaches of the globe.

 

Though prices are high, we feel our approach to #7 offers the best value available; we'll suggest a couple of ways to offset the high prices below.

 

Weather is still in control: A third variable in these southern waters is the unpredictability of weather. Ships establish a sailing itinerary, which is then submitted to IAATO for approval the summer before the sailing season (July 2009 in our case). Once approved, that plan forms the basis of our cruise but can be adjusted at any time by weather conditions that are notoriously fickle.

 

It will be worth it!: From everything we have seen and heard, this is an incredible experience! One long-time WAI traveler compared his own trip to Antarctica with the life-changing experience of exploring Southern Africa with us. Remember, however, that a WAI Adventure is not a vacation in the traditional sense of getting away to relax. Rather a WAI Adventure is an opportunity to gain a completely new perspective on the world through person-to-person contact with locals, through on-site exposure to paradigm-changing history, and through cultural connections and scenic WOW's that broaden our understanding of humanity and Creation. From everything we have heard and read, Antarctica epitomizes these potentially life-changing characteristics and we are thrilled to be offering it to our travelers!

 

Considering these elements, we've arrived at two alternatives for your polar-perusing pleasure! Whether both of these Antarctica Adventures will be on the final schedule depends on the level of registrations received between now and June 30, 2008.